Blake Griffin Hammers Off-Glass Lob As Time Expires In Detroit

When it comes to the spectacular, we basketball fans don’t miss much.  Ninety-nine percent of all half-decent highlights appear on YouTube within minutes of having happened, and even when something worth seeing mysteriously manages to slip through the cracks, many of us have the simple ability to locate it in the League Pass Broadband archives.  As much as I appreciate the luxury of almost never having to feel as though I missed out on something incredible, there’s nothing quite like catching that unbelievable play LIVE.  To witness a nasty dunk, to tell people you remember where you were when you saw that killer crossover or that game-winning shot… for whatever reason, it simply seems to magnify the magic of the play.  I’ve used YouTube to watch hours and hours of the most amazing basketball footage known to man, yet the moments that really stand out in my memory are, for the most part, moments that unfolded right in front of my very eyes.  Something about the element of surprise, the added hint of nostalgia… it’s simply unreplicable.

Unfortunately, Blake Griffin threw down a remarkable dunk this evening that, no matter how many hundreds of thousands of times I view it on the internet, will never join many of his other jams in that special portion of my memory reserved for things I saw in real-time.  I switched to another game when Griffin’s Clippers took a commanding lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and for that I’ve paid a price.  To those who stuck with the Clipps through the final buzzer, congratulations.  For those who didn’t, here’s what happened…

Shades of Gerald Green.  To those of you who want to get your panties in a bunch and go on the attack about showboating in professional sports… well, first of all, this probably isn’t the website for you.  Secondly, there is a simple way for the opposition to prevent such embarrassment: win the damn game.  It’s also worth noting that the Clippers had to take some type of shot because more than 24 seconds remained on the game clock.  That’s not to mention that the display doesn’t appear to have bothered Pistons fans any.  As a matter of fact, I’d say they rather enjoyed the moment.  As they should’ve.  The only thing that tops seeing this type of play live is witnessing it in person.  Matt Barnes and Blake Griffin gave the good people of the D their money’s worth tonight, and for that they ought to be commended.