12/26/10: Blake Griffin Is My Favorite Basketball Player.

My favorite current basketball player, I should say.  The Stro Show will always chill atop my all-time list.  Anyway, Blake Griffin is officially promoted to main man status, #1, that dude, whatever… he’s my favorite player to watch in the NBA right now, and no one else is even in the discussion.  If you’ve got NBA League Pass and you’re not watching every single one of this guy’s games, you’re not doing it right. 

Random Observations:

  • Highlight Recap: My main man Blake Griffin with an absolutely ridiculous alley-oopRudy Gay with a steal and a dunkOmer Asik hammers itMarc Gasol throws it down.  I’m just going to link you to the top 10, they’ve got it covered.  Check for John Wall’s sick behind-the-back move.  I would’ve had that higher than number five.
  • My main man Blake Griffin and his 28/12 were key in earning the Clippers a 108-103 victory over the Suns, their 9th of the season.  Griffin exploded out of the gate, dropping 11 points in the first 12 minutes, including the highlight of the day about midway through the first period.  You could see it coming–I’m sure the Suns could too–but there’s not a damn thing anyone can do about it when this guy decides he’s rolling to the rim… he’s dunking that ball.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a player who appears to be able to dunk at will like Griffin does.  It seems like the guy can call for/catch a lob or just straight power his way to rack whenever he feels like it.  Griffin and company jumped out to a 33-18 lead by the end of the first, and had a 13-point advantage at the half.  After the break the game got really physical, and the Suns made a comeback.  Phoenix threw constant double (and even triple) teams at Griffin whenever he caught the ball, and he coughed it up a few times.  Grant Hill did as good a job on the guy as I’ve ever seen anyone do, so give the 38-year-old some props.  Phoenix outscored the Clipps 29-18 in the third, shaving LA’s lead down to just one point.  Los Angeles built it back up to nine with about three minutes remaining, but in typical Clipper fashion, they made sure the finish was dramatic.  Griffin recieved back-to-back fouls and had to leave the game as he picked up #6 with 2:51 remaining.  His 5th foul was bogus…  Channing Frye actually fouled him.  The Suns ended up with the ball down three with 19 seconds left.  Eric Gordon was able to strip Mickael Pietrus (who was on fire, 5-8 from distance in the game) as he attempted to send the game to OT.  Gordon passed the ball ahead to Baron Davis, who advanced it to Al Farouq-Aminu for a dunk that sealed the deal.  Gordon had 24 points, Baron Davis had 15.  Mickael Pietrus led the Suns with 25, Steve Nash had 21/15. 
  • The Bulls were able to get back on the winning track against the Pistons, but it wasn’t easy.  Chicago got double-doubles from both Derrick Rose (23/12) and Carlos Boozer (31/11) and were able to come up with a 95-92 OT victory.  The Bulls had a seven-point lead with about a minute left in regulation, but Tracy McGrady (who’s been playing well lately) knocked down a three to make it 85-81.  Derrick Rose then turned the ball over, allowing the Tayshaun Prince to cut the lead to two with a layup.  They got another stop, setting up a chance to tie or win it on a final possession.  I’m 99% sure this isn’t how coach Kuester drew it up, but I’m also 99% sure he was pleased with the results.  Unfortunately for the Pistons, Charlie V wasn’t able to duplicate the magic.  He missed a potential game-tying three at the final OT buzzer.  Tayshaun Prince led Detroit with 17 points.  T-Mac had 15 off the bench.
  • We’re getting a glimpse of what kind of team the Nuggets are without Carmelo Anthony… and they’re not looking like a very good one.  Denver has now dropped three in a row after last night’s disappointing loss to the Sixers.  The Sixers trailed by 12 with eight minutes on the clock, but got the job done with a 25-7 run that covered the rest of the game.  The Nuggets made just two field goals over the final eight minutes, and one of them was a completely meaningless three-pointer with just seconds left in the game.  Since Carmelo anthony left the lineup, the Nuggets haven’t won a fourth quarter.  They’re being outscored by an average of over 10 points in the final period during this losing streak.
  •  John Wall has returned after a five-game absense, and Rashard Lewis has moved into Washington’s starting lineup.  Wall played 19 minutes and scored just four points on 2-9.  On the other hand, Rashard Lewis played very well… he put up 21/12 with four threes.  Oh yeah, the Wiz lost by 14 to the Spurs… 37.5% shooting with 14 TOs will get that done.  San Antonio got 21/6/14 from Tony P.
  •  The other games: The T-Wolves had lost seven in a row… good thing they were scheduled for a date with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  No one loses to the Cavs (except for the Knicks), so obviously Minnesota was able to snap their streak.  Super Cool led the way with 25 points.  Rudy Gay put in 30 as the Grizz smacked the Pacers 114-90.  The Hornets held the Hawks to just 29 made shots and picked up a 93-86 victory.  

Quote of the Day: One of Denver’s commentators on an Arron Afflolo reverse layup…

“A double-pump hang-job.”

That just sounded funny (and somewhat inappropriate) to me.

Photo of the Day: Emeka Okafor shows the type of athleticism it takes to be a number two pick in the NBA draft…

“See!  I told y’all I can touch net!”

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One Response to 12/26/10: Blake Griffin Is My Favorite Basketball Player.

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