A small step, no giant leap
Griffin’s return is rough around edges, but Clippers are just glad to have him back.
CLIPPERS 114 WASHINGTON 109
Some strange thoughts entered Blake Griffin’s head as he slipped behind the Washington Wizards’ defense and prepared to take a lob from Chris Paul.
A player who once dunked after jumping over a car wasn’t sure if he could reach his usual elevation.
“I just remember it was the f irst time thinking, ‘ Please don’t throw it too high,’ Griffin said, alluding to the effects of not playing for the Clippers for more than three months. “Normally, I’m ready to go for those.”
Griffin completed the play midway through the f irst quarter with his usual f lair, grabbing the ball with two hands and slamming it through the rim. It was one of a handful of times Griffin recaptured his All- Star form during the Clippers’ 114- 109 victory Sunday at Staples Center.
There were also lots of less memorable moments in Griffin’s return after a 45game absence. He missed
five of seven shots, struggled to catch passes cleanly and appeared in less than optimal shape.
But if it didn’t exactly seem like old times, it was just enough of a reminder of what could be with Griffin back on the court.
“It’s just a confidence with him on the court that it brings to all of us,” Paul said.
Griffin was in the starting lineup and played 24 minutes, tallying six points, f ive rebounds and four assists. Those numbers figure to experience a significant uptick over the Clippers’ f inal six games before the playoffs. Coach Doc Rivers said Griffin would sit out one of those games to rest.
The Clippers ( 48- 28) clinched at least the No. 4 seeding in the Western Conference and home- court advantage in the first round of the playoffs after Paul took an inbounds pass with three seconds left on the shot clock, sidestepped Washington’s John Wall and pulled up for a three- pointer that provided a 113- 107 lead with 22 seconds left.
Paul f inished with 27 points and 12 assists and Jamal Crawford scored 19 points off the bench for the Clippers.
It was Griffin’s first game since Christmas, when the pain from a partially torn left quadriceps tendon became unbearable. He also had to serve a four- game suspension for punching team assistant equipment manager Matias Testi, an incident in which Griffin broke his right hand.
Griffin said he stayed in shape by completing highintensity workouts with his trainer while wearing a heart monitor that allowed him to mimic game situations.
There was a noticeable bump in the decibel level when Griffin was the last player introduced before the game. His passing skills were on display early in the f irst quarter when he found Luc Mbah a Moute for a give-and- go layup and then fed J. J. Redick for a step- back jumper.
There was a palpable buzz inside the arena even before Griffin scored his first points.
“He’s been out for what feels like the entire year,” said Clippers center DeAndre Jordan, who had 12 points and 12 rebounds, “but just him being back, our energy was definitely a lot higher than what it has been the past couple of weeks.”
Griffin missed his f irst shot, a 14- foot jumper, off the side of the rim and clapped his hands in mild frustration. He backed down Bradley Beal in the second quarter but had the ball stripped. He then nearly lost a pass from Paul, getting saved from a turnover when the ball went out of bounds off the Wizards.
Griffin checked out earlier than normal in the f irst and third quarters and brief ly played center as part of a small- ball lineup that Rivers said he intended to use during the playoffs. Griff in’s other basket came in the fourth quarter when he spun around Markieff Morris and banked in a one- handed driving layup.
“It was just nice to be back out there,” Griffin said. “That’s really the main takeaway. I had a blast being out there. The rhythm was pretty bad. My conditioning was a little better than I thought it would be but not great by any means.”
There was an odd ending to Griffin’s media conference after the game. He got up and left the interview room with his son, Ford Wilson Cameron- Griffin, after tersely answering a question about whether he had to be careful not to damage his teammates’ rhythm upon his return.
“These guys are great basketball players,” Griffin said. “I think I’d have to do a lot to mess up their rhythm.”
With that, he was gone. The Clippers were just glad they wouldn’t have to wait three more months for him to come back.