ESPN article about Blake's first game

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Griffin finishes with 27 points, 12 boards



LAS VEGAS -- Los Angeles Clippers center Blake Griffin didn't wait long Monday night to show why he was the top pick in last month's NBA draft.

Griffin scored seven points in the opening 75 seconds of the Clippers' first NBA Summer League game and finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds in a 93-82 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

"Right now, just like everyone else, I'm trying to show my coaches and teammates what I can do," Griffin said. "It was just another game. I was relaxed. I hadn't played a game in months, so it was nice to get back out there."

With NBA commissioner David Stern sitting courtside at the Thomas & Mack Center, the 6-foot-10 Griffin went 6 of 6 from the field in the first half and didn't miss a shot until the third quarter. He finished 11 of 15 from the field and played 29 minutes.

"That was really cool," Griffin said of Stern being in attendance. "It shows he cares about how I play and wants to pay attention to me."

Griffin, who led the NCAA last season with 30 double-doubles for Oklahoma, couldn't have asked for a better start to his professional career.

He opened with a layup off a pick-and-roll on the Clippers' first possession, banked in a 12-foot jumper on the second and buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key on the third. The outburst gave the Clippers a 7-2 lead and they never trailed.

"That is something I have been working on, something I didn't get to do much of in college," Griffin said of his 3-pointer.

Griffin, who averaged 22.7 points and 14.4 points for Oklahoma as a sophomore last season, had seven points in the third quarter as the Clippers extended their 11-point halftime lead to 71-52.

"I'm not surprised he made all those shots," said Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, who did not coach the summer team but was a very interested observer at the game. "I watch him go 8 of 10 every day from five spots on the court.

"He handled the pressure tonight very well, but that was not a worry. The kid comes to play every day."

Griffin did show some minor flaws. He missed his first three free throws and finished 4 of 8 from the line. He had five turnovers.

With Griffin resting for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, the Lakers cut their deficit to 12 points.

Griffin re-entered the game and tipped in a missed shot on the Clippers' first possession to spark an 8-2 run that got the lead to 18 points.

Eric Gordon finished with 21 points for the Clippers and DeAndre Jordan added 16.

Adam Morrison led the Lakers with 20 points.
 
"Right now, just like everyone else, I'm trying to show my coaches and teammates what I can do," Griffin said. "It was just another game. I was relaxed. I hadn't played a game in months, so it was nice to get back out there."

it goes without saying, but i am just as excited to have such a great ambassador from OU. no drama, no whining, just there to get the job done.

only other "star" i can think of off the top of my head that BG may compare to in this sense is Chris Paul.
 
better hope they don't sign iverson. blake's development offensively will be severely stunted as long as he's there.
 
Great start to his career! Needs to work a little harder on the free throws instead of treys.
 
Blake is a completely different player now than when he was a freshman at OU. He plays a lot harder and doesn't allow the crap he has to take to bother him. A lot of players much older than Blake could learn alot from watching him.

He still has some things to improve on but he is sure off to a good start.
 
better hope they don't sign iverson. blake's development offensively will be severely stunted as long as he's there.

I think that with AI's shooting percentage being 50% or less, that Blake will be able to get more offensive rebounds and put backs. It will not hurt him at all.
 
I in attendence. It was great to see Blake play. Strange to see him
in another uniform, but still great. I am proud to call him a sooner.

On a side note, Taylor spent the whole first half chatting with Kelvin a few rows in front of me.
 
I think that with AI's shooting percentage being 50% or less, that Blake will be able to get more offensive rebounds and put backs. It will not hurt him at all.
The #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft shouldn't have to rely on his rebounding skills just to get touches on offense. You don't relegate a talent like Blake Griffin to the role of garbage man.
 
On a side note, Taylor spent the whole first half chatting with Kelvin a few rows in front of me.

That simply can't be. Taylor hated Sampson, just like all the rest of the guys who ever played for him.
 
That simply can't be. Taylor hated Sampson, just like all the rest of the guys who ever played for him.

Just because you don't want to play for a guy doesn't mean you hate him and won't talk to them.
 
Just because you don't want to play for a guy doesn't mean you hate him and won't talk to them.

I'm pretty sure skyvue's comment needed a massive flashing neon sign that said "WARNING -- SARCASM AHEAD". Amirite?
 
Skyvue I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. The story about Taylor is well known by the Coaches and some of the current and former vets. Taylor Griffin has alot of class. He is a young man that leads a christian life. Of course he's going to ackwowledge his former coach and act like a civilized human being. I work with people everyday that I don't agree with, but that doesn't mean that I don't treat them with a certain amount of respect. Once again. I think you're naive about a simple act of kindness. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!
 
time and distance has a way of putting things in perspective. having a shared history with someone is a pretty important part of life. i've worked for a few people i thought were d-bags but at the end of the day, there's some common-ness of goal that certainly makes them worth talking to a few years down the road.
 
Skyvue I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. The story about Taylor is well known by the Coaches and some of the current and former vets. Taylor Griffin has alot of class. He is a young man that leads a christian life. Of course he's going to ackwowledge his former coach and act like a civilized human being. I work with people everyday that I don't agree with, but that doesn't mean that I don't treat them with a certain amount of respect. Once again. I think you're naive about a simple act of kindness. BOOMER SOONER BABY!!!


I think this may be a bit simplistic. sanguinetti is probably a bit closer to the mark. I don't think Taylor is being robotic and simply being respectful to the former coach because "it's the right thing to do"--there is very likely some level of genuine regard for him left over from past years. And really, is that so unexpected or unusual?
 
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