The situation with Blake Griffin not only takes himself out of the team, but also eliminates any hope the Los Angeles Clippers had of making the Western Conference Finals
Blake Griffin has reportedly broken his hand after an altercation with an equipment staffer at a dinner in Toronto. In doing so, Griffin, no pun-intended, may have single-handedly eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers playoff chances.
The Clippers have been without Griffin since Christmas Day and have a tremendous 11-3 record without him. Their only losses have come to the Cavaliers, Kings, and Raptors during that span. With the latest injury, Griffin is expected to miss another 4-6 weeks.
Chris Paul has been playing his best basketball in this stretch while DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick, and Jamal Crawford have all increased their level to make-up for Griffin’s absence. To put it bluntly, the team may have a great record without Griffin, but that doesn’t mean that they are a better team without him.
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Currently, the Los Angeles Clippers are in fourth place in the Western Conference and are five games behind the third place Oklahoma City Thunder. More pressingly though, is that Memphis is closing in on them as the season approaches the All-Star break. Falling out of the fourth spot will cost them homecourt advantage in the first round.
As the team enters the third quarter of the season, there is more pressure on the roster as a whole to maintain their current level of play. While there is no doubt that the team remains one of the better squads in the West, it is impossible to lose an offensive force like Blake and not have it affect their performance as teams begin to lock-down to fight for playoff position.
The situation also brings attention back to how the Clippers franchise seems to sabotage themselves in big moments.
The expectation and accountability on the players seems nonexistent when looking at the situation. Regardless of the circumstances, Griffin knows better than to risk his body when so much is on the line. The man is paid millions to play basketball and he is the most important piece to an entire business making money. The fact that he would jeopardize that with his own body, no matter the context, is just unacceptable.
Griffin’s actions are reflective of a bigger issue of the franchise. For example, while the Cavaliers have struggles and have undoubted frustration, one does not here about LeBron James putting himself in this type of situation. Neither do players such as Russell Westbrook or Jimmy Butler.
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All of the aforementioned players, and many more, have had plenty of reasons to want to punch something during the course of this season. Yet it is Griffin, who is the star of “the most hated team in the NBA” who has put himself in this position.
Finally, there is a large amount of disappointment for Blake Griffin. He now leaves the road trip after having planned to return to the team this week after having rehabilitated his quadriceps injury. In all likelihood, he could have returned to the line-up to play the Pacers in tonights game. Instead, he now removes himself from the team entirely for reasons not only juvenile but shameful.
While details are still continuing to emerge, the fact that Griffin not only made the situation physical, but also continued it outside the restaurant is a black eye for himself.
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He is undoubtedly the most visible face for the not only the Los Angeles Clippers but also the NBA. His commercials for Kia are played so often during broadcasts that even the most casual fans know them by heart. His advertisements for Foot Locker and association with the Jordan brand make him one of the biggest ambassadors for the sport.
For him to now leave his team once again under these circumstances is disappointing and a leaves a bad taste in the mouth for the Los Angeles Clippers, and the NBA.