Injury report
Blake Griffin has been everything the Celtics wanted when they signed him during training camp in October. That continued to be on display in the Celtics’ victory over the Hawks on Saturday night.
But one play that stands out that exemplifies what Griffin means to this group, and what this opportunity has meant for the former superstar turned role player, came a month ago.
It didn’t even really show up in the box score, either. On Feb. 15, as the Celtics were running away from the Pistons late in the fourth quarter, Griffin put in a layup to put the C’s up 17. He got a little busy celebrating with the bench, but made up for it. As the Pistons were coming back up the floor, Griffin deflected a pass, and as the ball traveled out of bounds, he didn’t give up on it.
It didn’t matter that it was the last game before the All-Star break, and that he was just a few minutes away from going on vacation. Or that it was a lopsided game, with the result nearly sealed. Griffin dove head-first for the ball, getting his left hand on it before losing it out of bounds and crashing into the Pistons bench.
It was a play that would have almost certainly been rewarded with a “Tommy
Point” from the late Tommy Heinsohn. He was praised with a standing ovation from the TD Garden crowd.
Afterward, the play was the source of some joking inside the Celtics locker room. As Griffin stood in front of a throng of reporters, Jayson Tatum was nearby at his locker when he shouted at the group: “Yo, make sure y’all ask him what was going through his mind when he dove from half-court!”
“And almost got it?” Griffin responded with a smile.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla has made it a point several times this season to mention how special his team’s locker room is. Griffin is the embodiment of that. He was a No. 1 overall pick, a superstar with international-level fame, but has recognized that his talents are not what they once were. He’s humbled himself to take a small role in the pursuit of a championship. He’s only played in 30 of the Celtics’ 68 games. But when he does, he’s made a positive impact more often than not — whether it’s getting hot from 3 or making regular hustle plays.
He’s been the perfect fit inside this Celtics locker room.
“It’s one of the best locker rooms I’ve been around,” Griffin said last month. “We had some really close teams in LA, but this team is right there, if not more. I think everybody comes in with a purpose every day, everybody works really, really hard. Everybody genuinely cares and enjoys seeing another person succeed. We’ve managed to keep that throughout this season, throughout highs and lows.”
Griffin’s role has grown lately with Robert Williams out of the lineup. He didn’t play in five of the first six games coming out of the All-Star break, but has now played in three consecutive games, mostly at the expense of Grant Williams, who has fallen out of the rotation. But Griffin has shown he’s deserving. In Saturday’s win over the Hawks, he produced a handful of hustle plays.
He drew a charge on Trae Young. He came down with three offensive boards. On the last play of the third quarter, he made a block at the buzzer that fired up the Celtics bench.
“I just like his overall mental, physical, emotional toughness that he brings to our team,” Mazzulla told reporters in Atlanta. “I think he just makes guys better when he’s on the floor.”
A decade ago, when he was soaring nightly for highlight dunks and becoming a perennial AllStar, it would be hard to forecast Griffin’s career evolving like this. Instead of dunks, he’s taking charges. He’s drawn 11 charges this season, which is two behind Derrick White, who has the team lead. But Griffin has played 1,474 fewer minutes than White. And instead of being a No. 1 option, he’s setting a tone by bringing intangibles on the court and inside the locker room, where he’s serving as an experienced influence and jokester. His minutes may not reflect it, but he’s become a cornerstone of this team in many ways.
“Blake is just a very smart, savvy player,” Al Horford told reporters. “On the defensive end, he’s trying to impact the game in any way that he can. And then on offense, he’s finding his spots. Everything that he brings, he lifts our group. It’s just good to see him getting some minutes here and showing a different side that our group has.”
Robert Williams will miss his fifth consecutive game on Monday night in Houston as he continues to recover from a left hamstring strain. Mazzulla said last week that the estimated timetable for his return would be 7-10 days since the injury, so a return on Wednesday in Minnesota is possible. … Payton Pritchard will also miss Monday’s game due to heel pain. The guard could miss the entire road trip.