Griffin Might Save The Clippers After All
One game in July means little, but it's better than nothing.
AP
Blake Griffin
It felt like a regular season Clippers game. Donald Sterling sat passively courtside. So did Mike Dunleavy. Clipper Darryl was there and loud. The stands were half full.
But it was in July in Vegas and it was all to see the latest, greatest savior of the Clippers — Blake Griffin.
And he might just be, if they don’t waste him.
The first pick overall came out a ball of fire in his first professional game. On the opening possession he sets the pick for Eric Gordon, rolls to the hoop, gets the lob pass back and makes the pretty catch and layup in one move. Next time down he gets the ball in the post, bodies up his man and hits the fade away. Next time down hit the three.
Seven points the first three trips down the court. He kept doing it all game — he set devastating picks, rebounded well, got great position on the block and couldn’t be moved. In the fourth quarter, he grabbed a rebounds, dribbled the length of the court to lead the fast break, the close to the basket hit the spin move layup.
Griffin is the athlete he was supposed to be — a combination of explosive and strong. He dominated the game and had 27 points and 12 rebounds.
The Clippers have a lot of other young talent to role out there with him — they fielded a team of Eric Gordon and Mike Taylor in the back court, Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan with just one guy you’ve never heard of (those guys are the staple of Summer League). It was four-fifths of a lineup they can comfortably run out when the games really count this winter.
And the lineup looked good — granted, against a Lakers team with Adam Morrison and nobody else you’ve heard of, but they still looked good.
Still, the Clippers have had countless teams that have looked good in Summer Leagues. What happens when they play real games is something else. Maybe Baron Davis decides to jack up a three rather than hit the open man inside. Maybe Chris Kaman doesn’t pass out of the post. Maybe (and most likely) coach Dunleavy puts the clamps on a team that should be out running with all those young legs.
But none of that is today. Today the Clippers may have the piece that finally brings it all together. And maybe next year Clipper games will feel a little different.
