So maybe it’s not a good idea to get Blake Griffin all riled up? Although he earned his 11th technical foul this season (two away from a one-game suspension), Griffin carried the Clippers to a 109-94 win over the Kings. Here’s the Lob City Ledger over at ESPNLA.com:
It might get lost in his gargantuan stat line, but Blake Griffin’s passing against the Kings’ zone defense was every bit as impressive as his monster dunks. Whether he was finding open cutters or finishing lobs up near the ceiling, the Clippers wisely ran their offense through Griffin all night. After hearing about how much of an “actor” he is all week, Griffin showed why he’s the real deal.
The league’s best point guard against the 2011 NBA Draft’s Mr. Irrelevent is a huge mismatch, and Chris Paul exploited it in the long run. Although he had problems scoring directly over the top of Isaiah Thomas in the first half, Paul ‘s quickness in the passing lanes defensively and his ability to consistently find the open man paced the Clippers until his jumper returned to him late.
It looks like Randy Foye is finally finding his role in the league as a pure spot-up shooter. When the Kings loaded up on the strongside against Paul, Foye did a good job of moving into the gaps of the defense and showing no hesitation to fire up open looks. At this point, it’s going to be tough to give Mo Williams all of his minutes back when he returns from his injury.
Cousins did his fair share of jostling under the rim, which led to Griffin earning a technical foul after it appeared Cousins tripped him on the way up court. There were bumps and bruises the whole way, but this is a healthy rivalry that’s brewing. Antics aside, Cousins’ tough play actually brought the best out of Griffin.
Cousins did his fair share of jostling under the rim, which led to Griffin earning a technical foul after it appeared Cousins tripped him on the way up court. There were bumps and bruises the whole way, but this is a healthy rivalry that’s brewing. Antics aside, Cousins’ tough play actually brought the best out of Griffin.
