Blake Griffin getting sick of hard fouls; Should he really be? NBA Feature
Los Angeles Clippers sensation Blake Griffin can throw a two handed dunk even in the presence of burliest big men out there and there seems no force capable of stopping Griffin once he lashes towards the rim. But that doesn’t mean
you can’t harm him.
Griffin is averaging 20.3 points, 10.9 boards and 3.2 assists in this season. He has been getting hits, hard ones and they keep on coming in every match and Griffin can’t do anything about it.
Last month Jason Smith literally bumped into a high velocity Griffin, who fell hard with his body all twisted. The most recent episode however came in the game against the Phoenix Suns, with a certain Robin Lopez ensuring that
the Clippers showman knows who the boss in the paint is;
"I'm definitely sick of taking hard hits," Griffin said after the incident. "…There's a point, I can't remember what game it was, in my mind where I thought this is kind of ridiculous. I'm sick of it, but it's going to keep on
happening. It's affected me this year a lot, especially with the referees. I'm just getting frustrated and getting myself in trouble with officials."
Blake has set the hallmark of posterization in the league and defenses around the NBA have started to become more physical with the second year power forward. Chris Paul, Griffin’s first year team-mate recently revealed of what
can be seen as a general sentiment;
"I was told by somebody — I ain't going to say who — he is Public Enemy No. 1 as far as dunking," Chris Paul said. "We try to protect him. He gets beat up on the offensive end."
Part of the dilemma lies in Griffin’s style of play. He is an all and all penetration player, who just doesn’t consider perimeter shooting as an option. Now when a player takes that route and that too with an audacity unseen before,
he is bound to get the hits, especially when the opposing team has 6 fouls each to pass around.
The thing that further worsens the situation are Griffin’s antics. The stares which he passes after making a shot showcase arrogance, and that is one thing you don’t show to the big men around the league, who live to defend their
perimeter.
One should also not forget that Griffin is also a power player and has over the course of his career committed quite a few nasty fouls. This is what his position requires and we rarely see any big complaining about it. Ever since
Griffin made his way into the NBA, there has been a notion – and quite justified – that the referees don’t call him much for the offensive charge.
But guess what, when the defenders try to settle the equation, the Clips and Griffin start to wine.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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