Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley will likely face significant discipline for repeatedly throwing a basketball at Indiana Pacers fans during Thursday night's Game 6 loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Beverley refused to address the situation with reporters after the game, but said via social media that the depiction of how the events unfolded was "not fair at all," and that the Bucks had "asked for help all night." He followed that up with another post in which he said, "I have to be better. And I will."
The NBA is reportedly investigating the altercation, which occurred with a little more than two minutes remaining in the game.
If there's one current player who knows a thing or two about controversial on-court situations, it's Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green. The 34-year-old forward has been suspended six times in his NBA career, most recently a 12-game ban for repeated incidents that culminated with a strike to the head of Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic.
Green took to his podcast, "The Draymond Green Show," to comment on Beverley's situation and recalled a similar incident from two years ago when Beverley, then a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, shoved then-Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul in the back during the final minutes of a Game 6 loss.
"Pat keep having these instances after they lose in these playoff games," Green said. "That one might have been crazier than the CP push, because it opens up an entirely different can of worms. [NBA commissioner] Adam [Silver] gonna have a problem on his hands with this one. Because it's about as close as you can get to going in the stands. That is forbidden for us."
Green also addressed Beverley's interaction with the media following Thursday night's game, in which he refused to answer questions from ESPN producer Malinda Adams because she said she did not subscribe to his podcast. Beverley later demanded that she remove herself from the media scrum.
"Pat didn't follow it up very well, because he followed it up with getting into it with a female reporter about not subscribing to this podcast," Green said. "I ain't never heard somebody say, 'If you ain't subscribed to my podcast, don't ask me a question.' I actually try to take the complete opposite approach because I am very appreciative of the NBA supporting podcasts the way they do."
The Professional Basketball Writers Association issued a statement condemning Beverley's behavior, and now the 35-year-old guard will potentially face punishment for both infractions.
Due to the public nature of Beverley's transgressions and the NBA's firm stance on violent interactions between players and fans following 2004's "Malice at the Palace," there's a strong chance that Beverley will face significant fines and/or suspensions in the coming days.
"Pat, you can't keep having these moments, man, at the end of these losses," Green added. "You're starting to look like the kid that's gonna grab the ball and say, 'I'm going home. I can't play. We outta here. We leaving the park. It's my ball.' Come on, Pat."