Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Lamar Odom obviously isn’t responsible for Blake Griffin’s ankle injury, but the Los Angeles Clippers could use Odom to make amends on the floor Friday for Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs.
Griffin hurt his ankle by landing on Odom’s foot during a practice session. He was sub-par in Tuesday’s game and the Clippers find themselves down 3-2.
It probably wont be known until just before game time on Friday if Griffin will be able to play.
Regardless, the Clippers have their backs to the wall and everyone on the court is going to have to have a top-notch performance.
Odom, in his 14th NBA season, has obviously been around for a long time and knows what it takes to get the job done in the playoffs. He’s been contributing the same way in the playoffs as he did in the regular season, when he had 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.
At 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, he should be able to move some bodies around. His best game in the playoffs was Game 3 with 14 minutes of action and 3-of-4 shooting from the floor, all in three-pointers. He wound up with nine points.
Odom scored five points in the Game 5 fiasco in which Griffin was ineffective because of his ankle.
Now’s not the time for anyone on the Clippers bench to hold back. Odom, when he’s on the court Friday, needs to play the game of his life against the Memphis Grizzlies. His contributions in the middle can still be huge for the Clippers. Chances are, the Clippers will need someone like Odom to step forward in a huge way on Friday.
