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It may only be the first full week of the NBA season, but there have already been some monumental clashes. The highlight of those had to be last night’s matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors are the defending Champions and currently boast the best player on the planet in Stephen Curry. Curry has picked up right where he left off last season, which culminated in him winning league MVP honors. Just when you thought the pint-size shooting prodigy couldn’t get any better, only His Airness, the great Michael Jordan, has had a better five games scoring-wise to start a season.
Last night’s contest again showcased the dominance of Curry and the pedigree of the Warriors as a whole. Although the Clippers, who were also undefeated heading into last night’s contest, took Golden State to the ropes, their depth was just too much for L.A. to overcome.
While Curry and his comrades may have captured the W, it was actually Blake Griffin who stole the show. The 6-foot-10 power forward made a name for himself in the league with some of the most acrobatic and ferocious dunks we have ever seen — just ask Timofey Mozgov among others. But this offseason Griffin devoted himself to developing more than just an athletic game, instead choosing to focus on his jumper and post moves.
Griffin’s time in the film room and gym are paying some serious dividends as he currently is averaging an absurd 28.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game through the first five games this season. Last night he registered his second straight double-double, 23 points and 10 rebounds, while also dishing out six assists.
This kind of stat line usually only shows up next to LeBron James’ name in the box score, but this season it’s been in the Blake Griffin show. When it comes to players who are the most valuable to their team, Griffin is a close second to Curry and not far behind James; he is becoming an irreplaceable part of the Clippers’ offense and in turn their success.
The athletic gifts have always been there for Griffin going back to his time at the University of Oklahoma, but his ability to play away from the basket and face up against opponents to take them off the dribble is something we have never seen. And this should be utterly terrifying for the rest of the power forwards in the league. He could already elevate above them, and now it appears that he can go around them with the same ease.
The Clippers are talented — that was evident last night — but the team will only go as far as Griffin can carry them. Chris Paul still appears to get frazzled in the big moments, DeAndre Jordan’s still tossing up bricks from the charity stripe and the rest of role players are eager to defer to Griffin when the going gets tough.
A lot will fall on his shoulders if the Clippers are going to make a significant run in the playoffs and finally silence the critics who think they can never be champions. But if Griffin continues to play the way he has been, don’t be surprised if it’s him at the podium accepting the MVP trophy at the end of this season.
Douglas Ammon is an NBA Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Who covers all things about the Association, follow him on Twitter @DA76er
