Blake Griffin crushes the Sixers in 2018



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Photo: Gregory Shamus (Getty)

I do not know if I've ever forgotten exactly Blake Griffin, but the time spent last season working without relying on the irrelevant teams of Clippers and Pistons did not help restore the lost prestige for three seasons, spent mainly in the hell of the wounded. It seems that whole ages have passed since Griffin was the next big thing, to the point that it's now considered a bad idea that Stan Van Gundy should never have been allowed to execute.

This is not the same guy. Five years ago, Blake Griffin was the most feared dunker in the world. Now, he is mostly tied to Earth, an uneven finisher who gets beaten up by Jarrett Allen. So the highlights are not what they were, but that does not mean they are not highlights. Tuesday night, Griffin more or less carried the undefeated Pistons to a brave home win against Joel Embiid and the 76ers, throwing a series of vicious dunks – those days are gone – but playing like a gigantic LeBron spikes and offensive dynamo off-road:

It had more fun as the game went on. At the beginning of the first period, Blake ate Dario Saric and Amir Johnson on the low block, with a ballistic footwork and muscular finishing at the edge. But as the second quarter progressed, Griffin was more and more comfortable to attack dribbling and function as a guard. Around 6:30, he beat Bob Covington – an extremely tough perimeter defender – with a dribbling slide behind his back followed by a spin in the lane; During the next possession of the Pistons, as a result of a stacking Embiid, Griffin brought the ball back to the game, then dragged Ish Smith and entered a rhythm at three from the top of the key. It was the first of three treys that Griffin had hit at night, and he sent it back to the races. A minute later, he slid in the first three days, then used a fake ball on the thumb to tidy it up. in the cup of Embiid. Griffin had 22 points in the second quarter only.

By the end of the third quarter, the Pistons had not even bothered to ask Ish Smith or Reggie Jackson to bring the ball back to the ground, choosing instead to use Griffin as a truck-sized guard. tipper. Griffin has tried 35 really absurd in the game, but look at this glittering cast:

When Griffin diversified for the first time his offensive game, at the end of Lob City, his favorite jumper was the long-two pick-and-pop, elbows or beyond. Tuesday night, at least, Griffin turned the vast majority of these long teams into trios over the break and produced a picture to perfection, James Hardenian, featuring 18 shots on the edge and 10 shots from downtown. If you can not hit the guys at will, the best thing to do is to choose this type of player, who divides his shots into stabbing, brutal backdown and three rhythmic points.

It was a hellish performance, and it ended on the best possible note. With his Pistons down in over two in overtime, Griffin received a round trip pass after the allotted time beyond Bow, where Embiid had no choice but to watch him closely. Griffin imitated a pass for a Reggie Bullock sprinter, then made his way into the open space by Philly's defenders, tackled the cut and made contact for the winner. The bucket gave Griffin a career high of 50 points.

The Pistons now have a score of 3 to 0 and Griffin averages 36 points on an incredible 62% True Shooting score. None of this will probably last, but it's an encouraging reminder of all this beautiful shit. other than soaking Blake Griffin healthy can do on a basketball court.

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