Blake Griffin is a pain in the ass.
A key aspect of what makes the Los Angeles Clippers superstar such an effective player is his comfort getting physical. Griffin throws his chiseled 6’10, 250-pound frame around with aplomb, unconcerned with fouling or toeing the line of sportsmanship in the process. He just wants to win.
Draymond Green knows that strategy well, and not just because the Golden State Warriors are the Clippers’ division foes or met Los Angeles last postseason, either. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate is cut from the same cloth of hustle, heart, and toughness from which Griffin is, making their meetings a bloodbath of must-watch basketball intensity.
And while Green no doubt relishes matching up against Griffin, that doesn’t mean it’s fun – a reality he sarcastically indicated in advance of Tuesday’s game between the Western Conference powers.
Draymond Green jokes about Tuesday's game against Clippers: "I'm sitting out. I've got Blake-itis."
— Diamond Leung (@diamond83) March 30, 2015
Funny.
It bears mentioning that we’re interpreting Green’s quip without proper context – he could mean something entirely different. But considering the 25 year-old might actually miss tomorrow’s slugfest with sore shins, this take seems the most likely possibility. And despite his increasingly contentious relationship with Doc Rivers, we doubt Green would spark an off-court war of words with an opponent altogether unprompted.
Either way, here’s hoping Green is healthy enough to play. Golden State-Los Angeles has become the league’s best rivalry over the past three seasons, and his mean-mugging presence has been instrumental to that development. Tuesday’s game just wouldn’t be the same without him.
Seriously, can you imagine David Lee doing something like this?
[Vine via cjzero]
