“He was cooking me for a few years” – Patrick Beverley reveals why Damian Lillard was by far the toughest matchup in his career

Every Superman has his Kryptonite. For Patrick Beverley, that happened to be Damian Lillard.

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Pat Bev made a living by making life miserable for opposing point guards, but according to the man himself, Dame found a way to turn the tables. That’s why the three-time All-NBA Defensive Team member considers Lillard the toughest matchup of his career.

Dame figured out Pat’s secret

Everyone knows that Beverley hung his hat on defense. It’s his calling card, and he took enormous pride in it.

For the most part, Pat did his job of containing the league’s best guards. During his prime stretch, Beverley established himself as one of the NBA’s premier perimeter defenders, earning First-Team All-Defensive honors in 2017 and another All-Defensive selection in 2020.

In the 2019 playoffs, Pat Bev’s impact was hard to ignore. He ranked third in the entire playoffs in field goal percentage points difference (-4.2) among guards who defended at least 15 shots per game. The only players above him were Ben Simmons and Malcolm Brogdon, but Brogdon only played two games.

Stylistically, however, Beverley did it differently from guys like Tony Allen or Avery Bradley. He wasn’t exactly a raw lockdown defender, but he broke down opponents with relentless pressure and disruption. Nicknamed “Mr. 94 Feet,” Pat thrived in hounding other ball handlers and wearing them down throughout the game.

But like any other player, Pat Bev had his own trick of the trade, something he relied on so he could do his thing. Conversely, he also knew his weaknesses, which Lillard somehow figured out.

“I don’t know who the MFing trainer who told him this, but he found out ways to be truly good against me,” Beverley

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“It forced me to find other ways to be effective against him. People don’t understand (that) if you just get the ball and put your head down, don’t make no move, and just go, you going to beat me every single time.

“That’s the key in beating Pat Bev. A lot of players don’t have the confidence to just get the ball and just put head down and go,” he added.

As Beverley noted, he had to guard Lillard differently after that. He was no longer pursuing “Dame DOLLA” from all over the court; instead, he played more denial defense. Sometimes, he took it to the extreme by knowingly sacrificing his shots.

“I had to find a way to be more intelligent, because whoever his trainer was, (they figured) if he pressed you, just go past him. Don’t even play with him; just go past him. That’s what he was doing. He was cooking me for a couple of years,” Pat stated.

A game of chess

Beverley’s description of what went on behind the scenes of his matchup with Dame Time says a lot about high-level basketball. What you see isn’t always as simple as one dude beating another. It’s a constant chess game that forces opponents to adjust at every turn.

Two of their final three meetings were a microcosm of their little rivalry. Lillard torched Beverley and the Los Angeles Lakers with 41 points in Portland’s 106-104 victory. Nearly three months later, Pat’s defense held Dame to 5-for-14 shooting. After the game, Pat Bev trolled Lillard’s signature “Dame Time” celebration.

That’s life at the highest level of basketball. One night, you figure the other guy out, and the next time around, he might have the answer.

Related: Patrick Beverley explains why Damian Lillard is in a much better situation in Portland than Kyrie Irving is in Dallas

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