Blake Griffin open up about his son, critics and improvement in game

[OUHoops]

http://t.co/Nwb4VVBCwE

 

[badger]

When opponents take cheap shots at him, or when he gets elbowed in the head or grabbed by the neck, Griffin said he often prefers to let the officials handle the situation.

"Obviously there are two options: Not to retaliate or retaliate," Griffin said. "I weigh the pros and cons and if I do retaliate and I do hit somebody, I'm going to get suspended. . . .

"If I do that, am I benefiting myself and am I benefiting the team? First and foremost, am I helping the team? I don't think I am. Am I benefiting myself by standing up for myself? Maybe. But in the long run, [if] I get suspended and I miss games. I don't think that helps."

And that's the difference between a Sooner and...

 

[SoonerBounce13]

Has his game really improved much? Don't get me wrong, he's still awesome but his stats are about the same this year as his career. His points are up but he is shooting more too

 

[AdaSooner]

Blake is an intelligent young man. He knows there are more important things than showing how tough he is by decking someone and getting tossed, or by hurting his team if he's suspended for several games. I'm not sure I could match his restraint, but I admire him for doing what he thinks is right.

I really like Charles Barkley and enjoy his take on a lot of topics. But he's wrong about what Blake should do. He was just as wrong about the Thunder once. How did that large helping of crow taste, Sir Charles?

 

[BoulderSooner]

Has his game really improved much? Don't get me wrong, he's still awesome but his stats are about the same this year as his career. His points are up but he is shooting more too

his PER is at an all time high .. even though his usage is up .. his fg% is flat and he is shooting FF better than ever before ..

 

[TheGimper]

Has his game really improved much? Don't get me wrong, he's still awesome but his stats are about the same this year as his career. His points are up but he is shooting more too

With Chris Paul out he was putting up MVP caliber numbers. This season alone his midrange to long game, free throw shooting, and post moves have all dramatically improved. Not to mention he's arguably the best ball handing big man in the association.

 

[WaymanFan]

his PER is at an all time high .. even though his usage is up .. his fg% is flat and he is shooting FF better than ever before ..

His FG% may be flat, but that couldn't be more deceiving. He's been getting further and further away from the basket with his shot selection. By all accounts, his FG% should be down. However, he's now shooting in the 40-45% range outside the paint, easily a career high. He's no Kevin Love from the outside, but he is someone who now has to be guarded when moving away from the paint.

 

[coolm]

I think Charles was 100% correct about Blake needing to be more aggressive. He gets beaten down inside and doesn't use his strength and speed near enough. Save having short arms he's the greatest physical specimen in the NBA and he should be Karl Maloning all over people's behinds. The little jumper will help too and I like how Doc has been helping him.

 

[MercedeSooner]

You really need to watch him play this year - while last year it looked like he regressed this year you can see all the hard work he's put in paying off. Really makes me laugh when people who haven't seen him play criticize him as just bring a 1 trick dunker who forces his way to the basket because his game has really expanded - course most notably being that he is actually taking 20 foot jumpers and making his fair share of them. Not sure if there is a better passing 4 in the league and I know there isn't one who gets up and down the floor like him (which includes being able to lead a break).

 

[campbest]

Blake is an intelligent young man. He knows there are more important things than showing how tough he is by decking someone and getting tossed, or by hurting his team if he's suspended for several games. I'm not sure I could match his restraint, but I admire him for doing what he thinks is right.

I really like Charles Barkley and enjoy his take on a lot of topics. But he's wrong about what Blake should do. He was just as wrong about the Thunder once. How did that large helping of crow taste, Sir Charles?

If you're talking about Charles' comments about OKC being a predominantly isolation based, jump shooting team leading to their playoff demise...he is correct. A healthy OKC in the playoffs will be interesting, if they resort back to their isolation tendencies, they're going to get beat at some point. That type of ball works in the regular season.

 

[brettromar]

Has his game really improved much? Don't get me wrong, he's still awesome but his stats are about the same this year as his career. His points are up but he is shooting more too

The last month he his game has made a huge jump. He had the #3 offensive efficiency in the league and the Clippers had the number 1 offensive efficiency in the league.

He is shooting the ball better.
He is making quicker decisions on offense.
His defense has a long ways to go, but is better than in the past.
Right now he is averaging 35 a game in February and what is crazy in two of the games he only played 22 minutes and 25 minutes but scored 36 and 29.

They were talking about this on the radio in OKC. Everyone is excited about what the Thunder are doing without Westbrook, but Blake has also carried the Clippers in the same way without Paul and Reddick most of the time. There isn't another 4 man in the league that can take the rebound and run the offense on the break. The first game back, Paul was telling Blake to bring it up and he would run and spot up.

I thought last year, he was the same player as the year before. This year he has made a huge jump. The biggest thing he has to do now is continue it and DO IT IN THE PLAYOFFS.

 

[allday92]

Here's a link to the full article. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-blake-griffin-clippers-20140211,0,2615820.story

I've watched a lot of Blake games this year and the one thing that stands out is that he's become a smarter basketball player. Recognizes when to attack, what pass to make, and his defense has improved. This is by far his best season in the league.