Patrick Beverley was ejected from Game 6 of the Western Conference finals after shoving Chris Paul from behind during a stoppage in play. The moment came after Paul hit a 3-pointer, his sixth of the night, to extend the Suns‘ lead to 118-92 midway through the fourth quarter. It looked as if the two shared some words, but after Paul turned around for the timeout, Beverley came up from behind him and shoved him to the ground with both hands.
Beverley was quickly ejected. The game was already in hand for the Suns at that point, and a frustrated Beverley seemingly let his emotions get the better of him. It was reminiscent of a similarly unnecessary foul committed by Andrew Bynum on J.J. Barea at the end of a second-round series between the Lakers and Mavericks in 2011. It is sad, but players whose seasons are about to end in agonizing postseason losses sometimes do things that go beyond typical basketball fouls.
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Beverley has a reputation for committing hard fouls, but this was perhaps his most egregious. It came against a player whose back was turned during a stoppage, and unsurprisingly, he was kicked out of the game for it. A hefty fine will likely follow, and Beverley could even be suspended for the first few games of next season. Fouls like that simply are not basketball plays, and the NBA will not tolerate them. It taints an otherwise remarkable effort by the Clippers to keep their season alive without Kawhi Leonard.
