Chris Paul is the heart of the Los Angeles Clippers. But Blake Griffin, the high-flying maestro with a penchant for the spectacular play, is its soul. Without Griffin doing his thing on the court, the Clippers are not going anywhere fast, especially deep into the postseason.
It doesn’t matter how big Paul plays like he did against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 of the first round Western Conference series that the Clippers dropped to the visitors. Paul played with his heart on his sleeves, scoring 35 points, grabbing six rebounds and handing out four assists.
It wasn’t enough for the Clippers to overcome, and now Los Angeles, which had a commanding 2-0 series lead, find themselves on the outs looking in after falling to the rough and tough Grizzlies 103-93 at Staples Center. Another loss and the Clippers will be watching the rest of the playoffs at home. After jumping out to that series lead, the Clippers have now lost three games in a row to the Grizzlies.
The Clippers and their fans probably didn’t see this coming. They should have. Memphis is the same team that pushed them to seven games in last year’s opening round of the playoffs. Of all the teams in the Western Conference that has the fortitude and attitude to get dirty and mix it up, the Grizzlies are that team.
What the Grizzlies have effectively done in the past three games is take the air out of “Lob City” and pretty much curtailed it to a version of “Ground Town.” Their latest defeat of the Clippers sums up how they intend to play the rest of series. With Griffin rendered ineffective by a high ankle sprain in practice on Monday, the Clippers Big Two turned out to be the Large One, which wasn’t enough to battle the trees in the forest more commonly known around the NBA as Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
You can fly, but you can’t hide. Championships are not won easily. There are situations that teams and individuals goes through that gives them the will power to overcome the odds and adversity along the way to make winning a title worthwhile.
The Clippers are testing the waters of underachievement being down 3-2 in the series. However, as they did last year against the Grizzlies in Game 7 at Memphis, the Clippers will have to clear this immediate hurdle in order to further gravitate to being one of the best teams in the league. Everyone knew this wouldn’t an easy series. Life isn’t easy.
Look, the winner of this series will likely be in the Western Conference Finals and have a real chance of going toe-to-toe with LeBron James and the Miami Heat or deal with Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks in the championship round. Both the Clippers and the Grizzlies are that good. Both teams are well-coached.
Both squads have marquee playmakers to take their team to the next level. Paul, Griffin, Eric Bledsoe, Matt Barnes, Lamar Odom and Jamal Crawford are those players for the Clippers. The Grizzlies counter with the burly Randolph, tough man Gasol, underrated Tayshaun Prince and the energetic Mike Conley Jr.
Even more interesting about both teams is that the contrast of play is so different. The Clippers are great at playing high-low ball, soaring at altitudes above the rim at times that some players can only dream about. The Grizzlies like to flex their muscles and push people around. This is what makes this series so intriguing.
It is also because of these dynamics that neither team can ill-afford to lose one of their top players during this series. Paul and the Clippers need Griffin about as much as a hammer needs a nail to pound on. Paul and Griffin fit like a baseball in a glove: perfectly. Good, bad or indifferent, Paul and the Clippers need Griffin back on the court for Game 6.
Pain and all, the Clippers need their superstar on the court. But should Griffin not be able to go or play ineffectively, Odom, the Clippers’ triple threat player, can more than pick up the slack. A former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Odom has the capacity to dominate in all facets of the game-rebounding, scoring and passing the ball.
It is because of his versatility that the Clippers went out and signed him. If there is one player in the league that can be an unstoppable force outside of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, it would be Odom. Game 6 of this series is as good as an opportunity for Odom to dispel the doubts and dismiss the haters with the type of game he is capable of producing should Griffin’s ankle fail him. Game 7 and the outcome of the series are riding on it.
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com