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NBA: Rockets' Beverley: Resting is 'b******t'

Rockets' Beverley: Resting is 'b******t'

Rockets' Beverley: Resting is 'b******t'

The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have attracted plenty of criticism for resting players in recent weeks, and Patrick Beverley has joined the dissenting voices.

Both Golden State and Cleveland opted to sit star players for recent primetime games against the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers respectively, doing so with one eye on arduous postseason campaigns.

The decisions attracted widespread ire and the sight of Steph Curry and LeBron James on the sidelines does not sit well with Houston Rockets point guard Beverley.

"I don't believe in resting. I think that's b******t," he said after Sunday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. "I think that's a disgrace to this league. I think that fans deserve better. 

"I could care less about coaches asking players to rest or not. It's up to you to play or not, and if you don't, you're disrespecting the game. And I don't believe in disrespecting the game, because there was a time where I wasn't playing in the NBA and I was trying to get here.

"So me resting, I feel like, is disrespecting me, disrespecting the name on the front of the jersey and disrespecting the name on the back of the jersey.

"If you're feeling OK, then you should play. That's what you get paid for. That's what fans deserve. The fans definitely deserve that. That's what the city deserves."

Beverley will be happy to know then that his next opponents, the Warriors, will not be resting starters on Tuesday.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Sunday he plans to play his stars in back-to-back road games against the Rockets and the Spurs this week.