Blake Griffin | Larry Brown Sports

Blake Griffin not planning to defend dunk contest title

February 3, 2012 By Larry Brown 2 Comments

Clippers forward Blake Griffin got some good news Thursday when he learned he was voted into the All-Star Game as a starter. Unfortunately he wasn’t able to deliver the same good news to the fans. Griffin says he’s not planning to defend his dunk competition title.

“As of right now I don’t plan on being in it,” Griffin said Thursday night. “Those dunk contests aren’t my thing, I said that last year. There’s a lot of guys that can put on a great show and do some good stuff.”

Wait, wait, wait a second. Blake says the dunk contests aren’t his thing? I’m sorry, sir, but they were invented for guys like you.

“Last year was hectic and it kind of made it unenjoyable,” Griffin said. “So this year, we’ll see what will happen, but I will try to tone it down a bit and get a break instead of being so busy.”

That’s certainly understandable. Blake played in the rookie-sophomore game, the All-Star Game, and participated in the dunk contest. There’s no doubt it tired him out at a time when he should be enjoying things. But Blake is only 22. He should give the fans another show or two before officially retiring from the competition.

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Blake Griffin

Kevin Durant Not Impressed with Blake Griffin’s Dunk ‘It was a Layup’

February 1, 2012 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Two days later and the NBA is still buzzing about Blake Griffin’s throwdown on Kendrick Perkins Monday night. Just don’t expect Kevin Durant to gush about the highlight that embarrassed his teammate.

“I have no appreciation for it at all,” Durant said Wednesday. “It was a layup. He threw the ball in and got fouled and made his free throw. It’s three points at the end of the day, no matter how it went in the basket.

“So I really wasn’t impressed. He finished it. So what? We moved on. That’s not why we lost the game. Any time you guys ask about my teammate getting dunked on or crossed up or a shot made on him, it’s a bad question and I don’t like it.”

Durant probably was impressed, but he won’t admit it because it happened against the Thunder.

“If it wasn’t against us, maybe I’d say it was a good play. But it was against us, so it was a bad play. I have nothing against Blake. Don’t get that wrong. But it was against us so I have to stick up for my teammate.”

You could tell after the game that Durant didn’t appreciate the questions about the play, so it’s no surprise his stance hasn’t changed. I understand why reporters are asking him about it, but that can’t be easy; they’re probably receiving the stare of death in response.

And of course we can’t bring up the dunk without showing it to you again …

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant

Blake Griffin Posterizes Kendrick Perkins for the Dunk of the Year (Video)

January 31, 2012 By Steve DelVecchio 4 Comments

What constitutes a dunk? When I first saw this video I was insanely impressed, but I was wondering if it qualifies as a dunk since Blake Griffin didn’t even touch the rim. According to Webster’s dictionary, it does: “A shot in which a player near the basket jumps with the ball and attempts to thrust it through the basket with one hand or both hands held above the rim.” Check and check.

Since we already knew Griffin was capable of throwing down dunks like this one and this one, he has to really work hard to make our jaws drop. His dunk on Kendrick Perkins Monday night did exactly that. How did he make the ball go in the hoop there? It pains me to even say that Perkins got posterized, because there was absolutely nothing more he could have done. Perhaps Blake was trying to make up for that missed alley-oop from a couple weeks ago? Between LeBron literally jumping over someone and now this, it has been a good few days for monster jams.

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Blake Griffin, monster dunks

Blake Griffin Misses Alley-Oop (Video)

January 20, 2012 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Blake Griffin is probably the best dunker in the NBA. The dude went nuts as soon as he heard Chris Paul was coming to town, saying “lob city!” He’s hooked up for several sweet alley-oops this season, but on Friday night against the Timberwolves, we experienced somewhat of a first.

Griffin actually missed on an alley-oop.The pass to him was low, leading him into the rim. At least he stripped the ball and got the layup to complete the bucket so the entire sequence wasn’t embarrassing.

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Blake Griffin

Blake Griffin Dunks on Kris Humphries in Triumph of Good vs. Evil (Video)

January 16, 2012 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

Blake Griffin’s second quarter dunk on Kris Humphries in Monday’s Clippers-Nets game is what we call a sports win.

Griffin, the NBA’s favorite dunker, hammered one home on Kris Humphries, the NBA’s least favorite player. It really doesn’t get any better than that.

As Ball Don’t Lie says, this is definitely the internet’s favorite dunk.

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Blake Griffin, Kris Humphries, monster dunks

Blake Griffin, Chris Paul Now Despise ‘Lob City’ Nickname

January 5, 2012 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

When he first learned the Clippers acquired Chris Paul in a trade, Blake Griffin was so excited he said it was going to be “lob city.” The phrase caught on and became the team’s nickname. Now Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have grown sick of the name, believing that it overshadows everything else about the team.

“[The nickname is] unfortunate,” Griffin told ESPN LA’s Arash Markazi. “It’s one of those things where we understand it, but that’s not what we’re about. Before the game we’re not going out thinking, ‘All right, its Lob City tonight.’ We’re just trying to win games and trying to get better.

“If anybody says it in [the locker room], it’s just a joke, making fun of the whole thing,” Griffin said. “It’s not on our minds at all.”

“It’s something we can’t control,” Paul said. “We are a complete team, and we want to continue to be a complete team. That’s the only way we’re going to win games. It doesn’t matter if you get 10 lobs and lose the game. It’s all about winning at the end of the day.”

This is actually the problem Blake Griffin is facing. He has such a strong reputation for being a ferocious dunker, it overshadows every other aspect of his game. The best way for the Clippers to prove they’re more than just a highlight show is by winning. If they win, fans and critics will see they’re a complete team and not just a flashy aerial attack.

Filed Under: Basketball Tagged With: Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Video: Chris Paul Alley-Oop to Blake Griffin

December 22, 2011 By Larry Brown Leave a Comment

When Blake Griffin learned that Chris Paul was being traded to the Clippers, the first words out of his mouth were “lob city!” Griffin knew that CP3 is one of the best passers in the game, and that his alley-oops to Tyson Chandler were legendary. Paul had some nice alley-oops to DeAndre Jordan in the team’s first preseason game Monday night, but we didn’t see the Chris-to-Blake show until Wednesday. Here’s a look at what you’ll be seeing the rest of the way: