Griffin gets second and third opinions
Clippers forward Blake Griffin was evaluated Tuesday by a foot and ankle specialist, but no course of action has been decided after the power forward sustained a plantar plate injury to his right big toe in Game 3 of the playoffs Friday night Salt Lake City against the Utah Jazz.
Griffin will get two more opinions from other specialists later this week or early next week before he has surgery. Griffin will be out for the rest of the playoffs.
“There’s no determination yet,” Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s had one [exam], but he has to have several more. So we’re not going to say anything until everything is done.”
Once he has surgery, Griffin would be out four to six months recovering. That could mean Griffin won’t be ready until training camp starts in late September.
Griffin sat on the bench for Game 5 Tuesday night at Staples Center.
“Everyone has to do more when you lose a guy like a Blake,” Rivers said. “I don’t want any one guy thinking that they’re going to be the guy, ‘I get all the shots.’ You don’t want that attitude at all. There is no Blake on our team. Blake is Blake.
“Chris [Paul] has done enough. He’ll do more, probably, but then we need two or three other guys to make up the Blake difference. I would love one guy to have the numbers of a Blake in one game. That would be sweet. I don’t know who that’s going to be.”
Rivers back playing
Austin Rivers, who missed the first four playoff games because of a strained left hamstring, was back playing in Game 5.
He was injured March 29 against the Washington Wizards, and missed the final six regular-season games.
Rivers said he did some one-on-one the past few weeks and other drills that got him prepared to play.
“They’re going to have me on a minutes restriction,” Rivers said. “But they said I can play. That’s all I needed to hear. I wanted to play last week.
“I would never play just to play. I’d only play if I knew I could give it my best at least and play as hard.”
Redick ends slump
The first four games of the playoffs did not go well for Clippers shooting guard J.J. Redick.
Before Game 5, Redick was making just 34.5% of his shots, 26.7% of his threepointers. He broke out of it with 26 points Tuesday.
The Jazz bottled Redick up on defense in the first four games, at times using taller defenders like 6-8 Joe Ingles and 6-8 Rodney Hood on the 6-4 Redick.
Doc Rivers was asked what has the Jazz did to be so effective against Redick.
“Other than the grabbing and the holding,” Rivers said, laughing. “I’m joking guys. Just joking.”
Rivers then turned serious.
“I think the length of them has bothered J.J.,” Rivers said. “They do a great job of taking his right hand away. Everyone knows he wants to come off to his right to shot. I think Ingles and Hood have been fantastic in their scouting prep. They’ve been terrific, they really have.
“No matter what we do, they’re staying. They’re forcing him left and they’ve done a great job there. They’ve sped him up a little bit. And then he’s had some open looks. … It happens after a while, when you don’t get shots, when you do finally get one, your rush it. That’s what good defense does. Good defense will speed you up and make you rush shots.”