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.
