The All-Star Clippers forward firmly believes that his team has the ability to compete with any side in the NBA
Making it to the playoffs for only the third time in their franchise history last season, was a step in the positive direction from the Los Angeles Clippers. While most of the credit for their performances can be given to Chris Paul and the chemistry he built with the entire unit, Blake Griffin also deserves some praise.
From being an average team to one of the ambitious playoffs contenders, the Clippers are working very hard to start their own legacy and remove the tag of the ‘other’ team in Los Angeles. Even though there are far from achieving that status, and received a reality check when as they were swept away by the mighty San Antonio Spurs in the second round, many of the Clips including Griffin have taken last season’s performance as something to build upon.
“I know what we accomplished as a team last year and it was great,” Griffin said. “I don’t want to think of last season as a failure because it wasn’t. It was a step in the right direction. It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s very tough for teams to come together like that and win a championship.”
Griffin and the Clippers have a long way to go before they can become genuine title contenders, but Clippers management is surely working around the clock to ensure the team only progresses from here on. They added Lamar Odom, Grant Hill, Matt Barnes, Willie Green and Jamaal Crawford during the off season, and also decided to bring back Chauncey Billups.
With these acquisitions, they are certainly formidable on paper. But basketball is not played on paper. Many still believe that despite the reputed additions to the roster, the Clips will have a hard time competing with some of the mighty powerhouses in the league. To Griffin though, the current Clippers roster has all the talent required and is very confident in his side’s chances.
"I think we can play with anybody," Griffin said. "I would never say we couldn't beat a team and I really believe that. With our talent and our depth we can go toe-to-toe with whoever it is. We have the experience as well."
Griffin does sound confident, but there is time before the power forward can live up to his claim of being a title contender. One of the major changes he will need to bring into his game is the improvement in his perimeter shooting. He was brutally exposed as a one dimensional player last post season and to develop into a superstar, he needs to add a few more skills to his game.
However, the task at hand currently is to get back to full fitness before the start of the season. Even though Griffin remains adamant that he is back to a 100 percent from the knee injury but the Clippers management are taking a cautious approach and will try to insert the All-star slowly into competitive basketball.
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