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Blake Griffin News & Rumors

Kendrick Perkins doesn't regret being on receiving end of Blake Griffin's dunk
February 3
The Oklahoman
 
"If Kendrick Perkins could do it over, he wouldn't change a thing. Despite winding up on the wrong end of what many have been deemed the 'Dunk of the Year," Perkins would challenge Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin again if he needed to. And again and again and again. "It happens. At the end of the day, if you're a shot blocker, you're going to get dunked on," Perkins said. "It was a great play that he made. Obviously, I wish I wasn't in it. But it was a great play that he made." Of course, what's flown under the radar from the play that is still being talked about four days later is that Perkins made one, too. But that's been overlooked in the millions of YouTube hits, countless"
Bryant, Bynum, Paul and Griffin lead All-Star picks
February 3
Los Angeles Times
 
"It's an L.A. All-Star team all right. The NBA announced today on TNT the starters for its All-Star game and the West squad is full of Lakers and Clippers. The West team's starting five, based on fan voting, are: guards Kobe Bryant (Lakers) and Chris Paul (Clippers), forwards Blake Griffin (Clippers) and Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City), and center Andrew Bynum (Lakers)."
Kevin Durant disses Blake Griffin dunk
February 2
ESPN.com
 
"Not everyone is so fired up about Blake Griffin's dunk over Oklahoma City big man Kendrick Perkins on Monday. The Clippers star went down the lane, elevated, made contact with Perkins and then threw the ball down into the basket, the fingers on his outstretched hand grazing the rim. The play has been the talk of the league. "I have no appreciation for it at all," said Perkins' Thunder teammate Kevin Durant. "It was a layup, I think. He threw the ball in and got fouled and made his free throw, so it was three points at the end of the day, no matter how it happened, how it went in the basket. I really wasn't impressed. He finished it. So what? We've moved on.""
Utah awaits Blake Griffin, Pacific-leading Clippers
February 1
Salt Lake Tribune
 
"The Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin flew into Salt Lake City on Tuesday, presumably aboard an airplane. During a 112-100 win over Oklahoma City on Monday night, Griffin created a league-wide sensation with a high-flying monster dunk against the Thunder's Kendrick Perkins. What did Paul Millsap think of Griffin's dunk? "What everybody else thinks," he said, laughing. "It was amazing, the courage he showed to even try something like that.""
Blake Griffin's dunk launches larger Clippers' discussion
February 1
Los Angeles Times
 
"It was the stuff of legends, but then again Blake Griffin's dunking exploits already are legendary and they just continue to grow by leaps and bounds. Just ask Oklahoma City center Kendrick Perkins, who was on the receiving end of such a furious tomahawk dunk by Griffin during the Clippers-Thunder game Monday that it set the Twitter and YouTube world on a viral blaze. But before that dunk is analyzed, there is a burning question to ask: Are the Clippers that good?"
Nets can't slow Griffin, Clippers
January 17
New York Post
 
"Anthony Morrow lined up from 20 feet, fired and — being a Net — missed. The ball bounded to the right side, toward the single row of expensive seats. The Clippers dynamic power forward, Blake Griffin, dove headlong over a couple of fans, saved the rebound, jumped back over the fans, raced downcourt and scored. It was all part of what has been one of the most damaging aspects to the Nets' slow start to the season: namely, slow starts to games. There was athleticism, power, will in the first-quarter move. But Griffin did more, not the least of which was displacing Nets from where they were planted or stood, legally or illegally. And it looked like the Clippers would make mush of the Nets."
Trio of Clippers tower over Staples Center
December 30
Los Angeles Times
 
"On just about the entire exterior wall of the Figueroa Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, there is a mural of Blake Griffin next to Chris Paul next to DeAndre Jordan. It looms as a huge backdrop near Staples Center, three Clippers in the town that the Lakers have ruled as the preeminent sports team in Southern California for years. Are the Clippers ready to run with the Lakers in L.A.? The Clipper Nation will get a first look in person when the Clippers play their regular-season home opener against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at Staples Center. But before the fans enter the arena, they can look to the north and see the pictures of the three young players in Clippers uniforms. "Man, it's"
Blake Griffin changing Clippers' image, but not his personality
December 14
Los Angeles Times
 columnist T.J. Simers
"Albert Pujols doesn't do much for me. He's already played 11 years and we missed much of that. Some folks go back to his time in high school wondering if he's older than what he claims. We might be getting him at age 39 for all we know, and what will he be like at 49 with the Angels still paying him? OK, so he'll still be better than most of the Dodgers, but now his wife, Deidre, is on the radio. She says it was an insult that the Cardinals offered her husband only a five-year deal for $130 million."
Blake Griffin, Mo Williams lead bonding effort
December 6
Los Angeles Times
 
"Blake Griffin and Mo Williams made the calls to their Clippers teammates, inviting them to work out during the NBA lockout. They gathered at Loyola Marymount at times, or at a local high school. It was just the Clippers bonding. The idea, Griffin said after a workout Monday at the team's practice facility in Playa Vista, was to build a winning atmosphere. Griffin said it was easy to get DeAndre Jordon (a restricted free agent looking for a contract), Eric Gordon (looking for a contract extension), Ryan Gomes, Randy Foye and all of the rest of the Clippers to show up."
Griffin and Gordon help solidify Clippers in a shortened season
November 27
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Clippers may have missed the playoffs again last season, as they finished with a 32-50 record and with the third-worst record in the Western Conference, but there is hope in Clipperland for the 2011-12 campaign. Why? Because they have an All-Star in Blake Griffin, a 6-foot-10 highlight and dunking machine who many think is on the verge of superstardom. The Clippers also have a solid shooting guard in Eric Gordon. They hope to get a healthier season from center Chris Kaman. And they will probably resign restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan, giving the Clippers a quality trio of big men in their rotation. They will have a young, athletic team, one that can fare well in the"
Blake Griffin hurt, pulls out of Sunday's charity game
October 20
The Oklahoman
 
"Former Oklahoma standout Blake Griffin has pulled out of Sunday's exhibition game featuring Kevin Durant, LeBron James and other NBA stars because of a foot injury. Griffin cut his foot while swimming in the ocean in California. The injury, which was first reported by ESPN.com, required stitches and will prevent Griffin from competing. According to Desmond Mason, the former Thunder forward who is helping to organize the game, doctors have prohibited Griffin from traveling to Oklahoma to even serve as a coach because of concern he'll sustain a setback while away. "We wanted him to be here obviously because of the Oklahoma connection with him being from here and going to OU and now"
Sources: NBA stars plan exhibition tour
October 19
ESPN.com
 
"While NBA commissioner David Stern and players' union executive Billy Hunter meet with a federal mediator in hopes of saving the NBA season, the league's top players are finalizing plans for a two-week exhibition tour during what would have been the first two weeks of the regular season, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. While the final details are still being worked out, more than a dozen of the league's best players are working to join forces on what would be a two-week, six-game, four-continent blockbuster tour, sources said. In a trip that could resemble Team USA's takeover of the world stage at the 2008 Beijing Games, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick"
Blake Griffin isn't Vegas-bound ... yet
September 8
ESPN.com
 
"With team training camps in jeopardy of starting late or being wiped out completely as the NBA lockout drags on past the two-month mark, several members of the Los Angeles Clippers are planning on taking the court together. But rather than staging an impromptu player-run training camp at UCLA, LMU or any of the other L.A. hotbeds for hoops, the players are heading to Las Vegas. Starting Monday at Impact Basketball Academy just a couple miles off the Las Vegas Strip, longtime NBA trainer Joe Abunassar will host approximately 40 current NBA players for a nearly two-week long "Competitive Training Series" of officiated games culminating in playoffs and a championship game on Sept. 23."
Blake Griffin interning at Funny or Die
August 24
USA Today
 
"Is Blake Griffin a clown? Does he amuse you? Well, we are about to find out as the NBA star goes to work as an intern at the website Funny or Die. Griffin, the NBA's Rookie of the Year, is learning video production at the website founded by actor Will Ferrell and director-writer Adam McKay. He is also expected to write, edit and act."
Blake Griffin still finding work and play
August 12
Orange County Register
 
"There's no end in sight to the lockout, but on Thursday there was a local pickup game featuring Clippers star Blake Griffin, No. 2 overall draft pick Derrick Williams, Lakers rookie Darius Morris and other NBA players trying to stay busy. Only in an alternate, non-locked-out universe can you see the continuation of Blake Griffin's career. That world is a high-school gym eight miles south of the Clippers' training facility in which Griffin is not allowed to set foot during the NBA lockout. Griffin was at Mira Costa High in Manhattan Beach to play Thursday, and the 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year wasn't just going through the motions. He went head-to-head with Derrick Williams, the recent No. 2"
Blake Griffin: The more he plays, the more confident he becomes
August 5
The Oklahoman
 
"Blake Griffin is coming off a rookie season in which he garnered Rookie of the Year honors and a Slam Dunk contest victory after captivating NBA fans everywhere with one highlight after another. Now, the former OU standout has everyone wondering one thing. What's next? Unfortunately, no one knows when we'll get the answer to that question. But Griffin is staying busy this summer, preparing to keep us on the edge of our seats. In an interview with The Oklahoman, Griffin talks about the NBA lockout, his summer workouts and his favorite moment from last season. Q: How has this offseason been different from last year? A: All of last year I was working out at our facility. I kind of got into a"
Scary news for the NBA: Blake Griffin 2.0 is on the way
August 4
The Oklahoman
 columnist Jenni Carlson
"Blake Griffin has some disturbing news for the rest of the NBA. He didn't know much about playing in the league a year ago. Sure, he averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 2.6 dunks a game as a league newbie, became the first unanimous winner of Rookie of the Year in more than two decades, jumped over a car to win the Slam Dunk Contest and made all of it look ridiculously easy. But on the afternoon Griffin met with the media during his youth basketball camp, the Oklahoma City native admitted he had to learn as he went last season. "A year ago today, I obviously hadn't had any games under my belt and I was still rehabbing," said Griffin, who was still working to strengthen a surgically"
Clippers exercise option on Griffin; Extend offer to Jordan
June 15
ESPN.com
 
"The Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday formally extended a $1,091,100 qualifying offer to restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan and picked up the fourth-year option on power forward Blake Griffin and third-year options on guard Eric Bledsoe and forward Al-Farouq Aminu. While all of these moves were expected and somewhat perfunctory, extending the qualifying offer to Jordan formally begins what could be an intriguing and revealing process for the Clippers, who now have the right to match any offer sheet the athletic big man signs with another team. Clippers general manager Neil Olshey stopped short of guaranteeing the team would match any offer for Jordan, but sounded confident in the"
Unanimous pick Griffin leads T-Mobile All-Rookie team roster
May 12
NBA.com
 
"T-Mobile NBA Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Washington Wizards' John Wall, the overall No. 1 selection in the 2010 NBA Draft, headline the 2010-11 T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today. Griffin was the lone unanimous selection. Joining Griffin (58 points) and Wall (57 points) on the T-Mobile NBA All-Rookie First Team are New York's Landry Fields (56 points), Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins (54 points), and San Antonio's Gary Neal (44). Griffin, who was selected first overall in the 2009 NBA Draft but missed the entire 2009-10 season due to injury (stress fracture, left knee), recorded a rookie-and team-leading 22.5 ppg (12th"
Family provides foundation for top rookie Griffin
May 5
Orange County Register
 columnist Mark Whicker
"The car dunk has been coming for a long time, Tommy Griffin said. One day he took his sons, Taylor and Blake, to a gym near their Oklahoma City home for some shooting. Blake was about 6, so he entertained himself by jumping off the bleachers. When he got a little too high, he came down on his arm. "He said it hurt, so we put some ice on it, and when it still hurt, it was time to check it out," Tommy said. "It was broken, but that didn't stop him from being a daredevil." Didn't make him cry, either. Then there was the game at Oklahoma Christian Academy, where Tommy coached and Taylor and Blake played. Blake came down the right wing, sought the lob and Taylor put it right at the top of the"
Blake Griffin is unanimous choice for rookie of the year
May 5
Los Angeles Times
 
"Next up for Blake Griffin: working on his free-throw shooting (Dad says), spending time at home in Oklahoma (Mom says) and not having to only watch the playoffs on TV next season (Blake says.) The to-do list got a little shorter when the Clippers' power forward Wednesday crossed off the biggest item yet, officially winning the NBA's rookie-of-the-year award. Griffin received 118 first-place votes, becoming the first unanimous winner since David Robinson in 1990. Now, where to put all the hardware? "All my trophies are in a room on the floor," Griffin said. "I don't have a shelf for them yet. I guess I should work on that." This, as Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro suggested, was the "tip of"
Clippers' Blake Griffin unanimously voted top NBA rookie
May 5
L.A. Daily News
 
"Vinny Del Negro had plenty of time to work on the remarks he was about to deliver to a gathering of media, Clippers employees, season-ticket holders and corporate sponsors in the team's training center Wednesday afternoon. About 10 months, give or take. Del Negro, hired as the Clippers coach last July, started polishing his Rookie of the Year introduction for Blake Griffin "the first day I walked into the gym and saw Blake shooting baskets," he said, moments before Griffin accepted the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy as the 2010-11 NBA Rookie of the Year. Demonstrating as much common sense as they did unanimity, each of the 118 sportswriters and broadcasters who cast ballots had Griffin at No. 1."
Report: Clippers' Griffin to be named NBA Rookie of the Year on Wednesday
May 4
L.A. Daily News
 
"The Clippers said a "major NBA award" will be announced at their training facility at 1:30 p.m. today. And there's no doubt as to what that award is going to be - or who will receive it. The only mystery existing in the announcement is what Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin will be wearing today, and who the runner-up in the voting was. The Clippers forward will be given the award today, a person familiar with the news told The Associated Press. Griffin turned in one of the most spectacular rookie seasons in league history, with averages of 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists as the Clippers went 32-50. He was also the first rookie to play in the All-Star Game since Yao Ming did so"
Blake Griffin to be named NBA rookie of the year
May 4
Los Angeles Times
 
"Clippers power forward Blake Griffin will be named NBA rookie of the year, following in the footsteps of current stars LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. The award will be announced Wednesday, according to a league official familiar with the voting who was not authorized to speak publicly. Griffin is the fifth player in franchise history to win the rookie award. Terry Cummings won it in the 1982-83 season with the San Diego Clippers, and Adrian Dantley, Ernie DiGregorio and Bob McAdoo won it as Buffalo Braves before the franchise moved to California. In a news release late Tuesday afternoon, the Clippers said there was a formal announcement scheduled Wednesday afternoon at their"
Blake Griffin finishes with a flair in win over Grizzlies
April 14
Los Angeles Times
 
"Blake Griffin managed to acknowledge the past, and the future, in one sweet sweep when he took the microphone and addressed the crowd before the Clippers' regular-season finale. Griffin, four quarters away from shedding his rookie status, thanked the Staples Center crowd for its support, adding: "It's been a fun year. We can't wait until next year. This is just the beginning." Then the power forward scored the Clippers' first nine points in the first three minutes against the unmotivated-looking Memphis Grizzlies, leading the Clippers to a 110-103 victory on Wednesday night. They withstood a late Memphis run as Griffin finished with his second career triple-double: 31 points, 10 rebounds"
Blake Griffin looks back on a year well-played
April 13
Los Angeles Times
 
"Happy anniversary: Cards, cake and gifts not required. While it was not that kind of anniversary for 22-year-old Clippers rookie Blake Griffin, Tuesday's date loomed large in his mind, representing a shift in thinking and approach. One game away from putting the finishing flourishes on a wildly successful debut season and all-but-certain rookie of the year award, Griffin sat down and recalled the journey from knee patient to NBA marquee man. "My last day of rehab was … a year ago," Griffin said Tuesday. "I'm blessed to be playing in all 82 games after sitting out all 82." Griffin will be the first NBA rookie to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds since Elton Brand, a former Clipper,"
Blake Griffin creating a buzz in Los Angeles
April 3
The Oklahoman
 
"The impact Blake Griffin has had on the league has been well-documented. But his presence undoubtedly has had the biggest impact on the Clippers' fan base. A small buzz is now inside Staples Center during Clippers games. That didn't exist as recently as Nov. 3, when the Thunder last played here. It's all because of Blake. Kevin Durant got off to another hot start, scoring 10 first-quarter points on 5-for-8 shooting. But when his first shot missed, he had a look like, "Here we go again." Clipper Darrell is one of the league's best fans. He's the guy in the suit behind the goal closest to the Thunder's bench. He leads chants of "Let's go Clippers" inside the Staples Center and engages"
Griffin exits early in defeat to Suns
March 21
Orange County Register
 
"With all he has done, and how impressively he has done it, it's sometimes easy to lose sight of the fact Blake Griffin still is a rookie, and has some rookie lessons to learn. Sunday's 108-99 loss to Phoenix provided a reminder. A frustrated Griffin fouled out for the second time in three games, picked up a technical foul as he departed, and then measured his words carefully about the sixth foul, a charging call on a dunk over Marcin Gortat that inspired several minutes of booing from the Staples Center crowd — as well as a long, hard stare from the departing Griffin. "I can't really speak on that," Griffin said. "I don't want to get fined any more." Griffin, who finished with 17 points"
Blake Griffin and Clippers are frustrated in 108-99 loss to Suns
March 21
Los Angeles Times
 
"If Blake Griffin delivers one of his best dunks of the season, and you hear him fouling out, does it still make a sound? Well, yes … and no. The sound was Griffin loudly protesting referee Steve Javie's charging call on him — which got the rookie a technical near the end of the Suns' 108-99 win against the Clippers on Sunday. Griffin grabbed the ball after the call and sprinted with it down the court, throwing his head back in disbelief, and leaned over in gut-wrenching dismay. All that was missing was Griffin, who fouled out on the play, screaming: Why, Steve, why? His flying one-handed dunk over the Suns' Marcin Gortat was virtually Mozgov-ian. And, for the record, Phoenix Coach Alvin"
The sky's the limit for Blake Griffin
March 13
Los Angeles Times
 
"Catching up with Blake Griffin.... That's just it. You can't catch up with him, or no one has yet. The Blake Rules are like none before him. No one saw him coming until he broke out as an Oklahoma sophomore. Even as runaway No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft, no one thought he'd be this good this soon. In the biggest surprise of all, he might just be warming up. Before Blake, phenoms didn't come out of nowhere, they were preceded by marching bands, or jet escorts. LeBron James was on the cover of Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine in high school. Kobe Bryant was an All-Star starter at 19, before he was a Lakers starter."
John Wall, Blake Griffin face off for first time
March 12
Washington Post
 
"Around this time last year, John Wall was clumsily tackling teammate DeMarcus Cousins and celebrating a buzzer-beating layup that helped Kentucky win the Southeastern Conference tournament and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Blake Griffin, however, was whiffing at a piñata while celebrating his 21st birthday with his Los Angeles Clippers teammates, patiently rehabbing a season-ending knee injury and waiting for his chance to show that his franchise didn't err in taking him first overall in 2009. A year later, Griffin has arrived in the league with the subtlety of a tornado, dunking on so many people on a nightly basis that when he was matched up against JaVale McGee in the All-Star"
Celtics impressed by Blake Griffin
March 10
Los Angeles Times
 
"Basketball … sure. Everyone knows what Blake Griffin is capable of doing on the court. Or at the hoop. Celtics Coach Doc Rivers got a closer look at the prized Clippers rookie during All-Star weekend and signaled his approval of the way the power forward operates. As is the custom now, every opposing coach is asked at least one question about Griffin before any Clippers game and it was no different here Wednesday. "He's just going to keep getting better," Rivers said. "And, by the way, just from the All-Star weekend I was actually more impressed with him, forget the basketball part. He seems like a solid kid. For us coaches, whenever you see that, it's real nice." Back to basketball. "You"
Griffin perseveres though difficult month
March 3
Yahoo! Sports
 columnist Marc J. Spears
"While most of the Los Angeles Clippers had already dressed and headed for the team bus long after yet another loss, Blake Griffin continued to linger in the locker room, taking the opportunity to catch his breath after a month that taxed him in so, so many different ways. From the death of a close friend to his whirlwind All-Star weekend to a schedule that had the Clippers on the road for 11 consecutive games, February drained Griffin – even though the rookie's exhaustion has yet to show much on the court. "I'm better now," Griffin said. "The biggest thing was I've never had to deal with anything like that before all piled on top of each other." Nothing has weighed on Griffin more than the"
Thunder institutes 'Rake-a-Blake' strategy
February 23
The Oklahoman
 
"The NBA is familiar with Hack-a-Shaq. On Tuesday night, the Thunder instituted Rake-a-Blake. Whenever Blake Griffin got close to the basket and there was the potential for him to add to his already impressive highlight footage, Thunder players were under strict orders to wrap up the Los Angeles Clippers' rookie sensation and make him shoot free throws. And when you foul, make it count. In one of the more physical games of the season under the basket, the Thunder posted a 111-88 victory before a sellout crowd of 18,203 inside Oklahoma City Arena. Despite all the abuse, the 6-foot-10, 251-pound former Oklahoma standout still finished with his 47th double-double of the season and two assists"
Thunder beats Blake Griffin and the Clippers 111-88
February 23
The Oklahoman
 
"After all the hoopla surrounding All-Star Weekend and all the hype hovering over Blake Griffin's homecoming, Tuesday night's game between the Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers boiled down to a bunch of role players. While the Thunder's All-Stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, labored through sour shooting nights, the team's supporting cast carried it to a 111-88 win. Jeff Green shook off early foul trouble to score a team-high 22 points to lead the Thunder, while reserve guard James Harden added 19 points off the bench. Nick Collison and Serge Ibaka, meanwhile, joined forces with Green to make things tough on Griffin, the former OU and Oklahoma Christian School star who is so good"
Oklahoma City handles Blake Griffin's homecoming perfectly
February 23
The Oklahoman
 columnist Berry Tramel
"The building buzzed with Oklahoma City pride Tuesday night. Sitting courtside were Sam Bradford, who might prove to the best football player ever produced in OKC, and Joe Carter, as good a choice as any for greatest baseball player in city history. They joined 18,201 other fans to see Blake Griffin, the best basketball player to ever come out of Oklahoma City. Living history, that's what this was. You knew this night was different when Griffin received a mighty roar in the Los Angeles Clipper pregame introductions. Not an oh-my-lord-Kobe-Bryant-is-in-the-building roar. A we-love-you-Blake roar. Then a funny thing happened. The love for Griffin stopped, rejected like a Serge Ibaka swat."
Clippers lose to Thunder, 111-88, in Blake Griffin's bittersweet return to Oklahoma
February 23
Los Angeles Times
 
"Blake Griffin kept Wilson Holloway in his heart, and over it, for a little while Tuesday night, paying homage to his late friend by wearing a blue T-shirt from Holloway during pregame warmups. Holloway and Griffin were supposed to have gotten together Monday and the Thunder-Clippers game was to have been the first time he played in front of Holloway and family and friends as an NBA player in Oklahoma City. Griffin, instead, served as a pallbearer at Holloway's funeral Monday and wore the shirt with the No. 71 of the Tulsa offensive lineman on it, with the inspirational motto, "Just keep smiling." "That was a T-shirt he had made when he was going through his whole deal," Griffin said after"
Clippers earn respect with leap of faith in Blake Griffin
February 23
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Bill Plaschke
"You think you were surprised by Blake Griffin's Saturday night hood wink? Donald Sterling purposely wasn't told until Friday. "Yeah, I waited to tell my owner until the night before," admitted Clippers President Andy Roeser on Tuesday. "I just thought it was best to not worry him." What exactly did you tell him? "I told him that Blake Griffin was going to dunk over a car, and that I had seen him do it six straight times in rehearsal, and it wasn't going to be problem," recalled Roeser. How exactly did Sterling respond? "He said, 'You better be right.' " It is the dunk contest that keeps soaring and slamming, four days now and counting, everyone still talking about Saturday's All-Star"
Blake Griffin and DeMar DeRozan agree and differ on dunk contest
February 23
Los Angeles Times
 
"Blake Griffin and DeMar DeRozan had common ground in their thoughts on the dunk contest but only to a certain point. DeRozan thought he was robbed when he did not reach the final of the dunk contest Saturday at Staples Center, and said he was done with it unless the props landed on the cutting room floor. Following the Clippers' loss here Tuesday, Griffin talked about the dunk contest and DeRozan's comments as he walked down the hallway of Oklahoma City Arena to meet his family and friends. Griffin jumped and dunked over a car for the winning dunk. "To be honest, I'm not a huge [fan] of props either," Griffin said. "If you don't have props, you're going to be limited." He might have been"
Griffin might be the hip Clip, but Lakers star Bryant remains the leading man of L.A. NBA basketball
February 21
L.A. Daily News
 columnist Vincent Bonsignore
"Blake Griffin jumped up off the bench, ripped off his sweats and checked into Sunday's NBA All-Star Game at Staples Center late in the first quarter. He replaced Kobe Bryant, the two sharing a fist bump and a smile near the West sideline. The implications were impossible to ignore. A changing of the guard? Too premature. The passing of a torch? A tad bit presumptuous. A glimpse into the future? Perhaps. But let's make one thing perfectly clear. Los Angeles still is Kobe Bryant's city and the NBA remains his kingdom. Griffin may be able to leap over cars or go viral on the internet at any moment by climbing over 7-foot opponents for sick dunks. And to be sure his everywhere-all-the-time-act"
Blake Griffin discovers that All-Star break can be quite exhausting
February 21
Los Angeles Times
 
"Captain Planet. That's what the Jazz players call Blake Griffin, according to someone considered all-world himself, point guard Deron Williams. On Sunday, after a jam-packed All-Star weekend schedule of events and, well, jams, Captain Planet was spinning much slower. "The last time I was this tired?" Griffin said. "Man, it's a good question. I have no idea. Probably training camp … I can barely move right now. I'm pretty tired. But it was great getting that win." Griffin played 14-plus minutes in the All-Star game, finishing with eight points, five rebounds and five assists. He also had an assist from the Staples Center fans who chanted, "We want Blake!" This was at the start of the fourth"
Dunking fine, but try it with Chrysler
February 21
Detroit Free Press
 columnist Michael Rosenberg
"Saturday night, while you were out carousing (I actually don't know WHAT you were doing, but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were carousing like a wild person, because I like you), a young man named Blake Griffin was jumping over a Kia to dunk a basketball. This is, of course, something I have done on numerous occasions. It drives my wife crazy. "Where's Daddy?" one of the kids will ask, and she will roll her eyes and say, "He took his basketball to the Kia dealership again." What's weird is that I never got the impression that the Kia people LIKE when I jump over their cars to dunk a basketball. They always give me that "Look, if you want to buy a car, that's"
Clippers' Griffin rides away with dunk title
February 20
Orange County Register
 
"Word spread Saturday morning that something special was going to happen. Blake Griffin was going to dunk over a car, and it was going to be awesome. Even the early-morning spoiler didn't detract from the sheer theater of the moment. The Clippers' rookie sensation stood near half court with a full gospel choir singing "I Believe I Can Fly" while teammate Baron Davis popped out of the sunroof of a Kia with a basketball in his hand. With most of the Staples Center crowd on its feet, Griffin took off toward the vehicle, jumped over the hood, caught a pass from Davis and slammed home the dunk that won him the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. "When they first came to me with the dunk contest idea, they"
Clippers rookie Griffin plays above the rims, wins NBA Slam Dunk Contest
February 20
L.A. Daily News
 
"It's L.A. Of course, there had to be a car involved. It's the Clippers. You'd better believe there were some fidgety management types at Staples Center on Saturday night. But Blake Griffin had sold them on it with perhaps the best pitch since Cal Worthington was in his prime. Jump over a car with the Crenshaw Elite Choir singing "I Believe I Can Fly" at midcourt and Baron Davis popping out of the sunroof to provide the pass leading to a two-hand slam on the last chance in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest? Preposterous maybe, but now that word will have to wait 'til next year. "We'll see," Griffin said after fans texted their votes to assure him of his victory over Washington's JaVale McGee. "I"
Blake Griffin's legend gets a big boost
February 20
Los Angeles Times
 columnist Bill Plaschke
"The legend of Blake Griffin has just gone turbo. Did you see him? The human hood ornament? The windshield swiper? The man who literally gave car a jump? On Saturday night in front of a Staples Center crowd that howled in disbelief, the Clippers rookie who spent the first half of this season dunking on mere men put it in the face of a machine. Yep, the dude dunked over a car. Taking a pass from teammate Baron Davis through the sunroof of a silver 2011 Kia Optima, Griffin soared over the hood to slam the ball in the basket before landing back on that hood with his arms raised in triumph. Yep, the dude won the NBA's 26th Slam Dunk Contest with arguably the best finish ever. "He jumped over a"
Blake Griffin wheels and deals in dunk contest victory
February 20
Los Angeles Times
 
"In a concrete tunnel beneath the stands at Staples Center, two workers fussed over a silver sports car, cleaning and waxing, getting it ready to be wheeled onto the arena's floor. The NBA dunk contest was still an hour or so away, but a rumor had made the rounds: Someone was going to park that car in front of the basket and jump over it, sailing all the way to the rim. "We heard that," one of the workers said. "It's going to be Blake Griffin, right?" With a choir singing "I Believe I Can Fly" at midcourt, the Clippers rookie comfortably cleared the car's hood and took an alley-oop pass from teammate Baron Davis popping out of the sunroof. His thunderous finish earned a 68% approval from"
Los Angeles is feeling the Blake Griffin Effect
February 19
The Oklahoman
 columnist Darnell Mayberry
"As he held court at the head of a table inside a ballroom at a plush downtown hotel, Blake Griffin's fitted red flannel shirt and skinny black tie stood out as somewhat of a shout out to his forgotten franchise. It was a daring choice of clothing, no matter the intent. But Griffin had the look of a Los Angeles Clipper, in a room filled with NBA All-Stars, symbolically strutting his stuff. And he was big enough to get away with it. Halfway across the room, Pau Gasol, Griffin's counterpart in this city, sat in front of roughly half the amount of media. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant barely drew more attention than Griffin. Welcome to the new era of basketball in Los Angeles, where Griffin is"
Blake Griffin dedicating weekend to Wilson Holloway
February 19
The Oklahoman
 
"Two days after learning of the death of good friend and former teammate Wilson Holloway, Blake Griffin said he is dedicating his performances in this weekend's All-Star festivities to Holloway. "I just want to do well and dedicate all this stuff I do to my friend," Griffin said of Holloway, who passed away Wednesday's after bout with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Griffin and Holloway were close since their preteen years. They attended Oklahoma Christian School together and remained good friends up until Holloway's passing. Griffin was planning on seeing Holloway on Monday before his Los Angeles Clippers played the Thunder on Tuesday. Now, Griffin will instead be attending Holloway's funeral service."
Blake Griffin is just what the dunk contest needed
February 19
The Oklahoman
 columnist Jenni Carlson
"Blake Griffin has outdone himself this time. I mean, all of the jaw-dropping dunks have been nice. All of the eye-popping plays have been swell. All of the I-can't-believe-he-did-that moments have made the Oklahoma native and NBA rookie into a superstar. Still, this latest feat may be his greatest. Griffin is making the slam dunk contest relevant again. On the day that NBA All-Star Weekend kicks into high gear, Big Blake in the dunk contest is the main event. There will be lots of great players in the three-point contest and the skills challenge, but nothing is more anticipated than the evening's finale. The dunk contest has become dull and boring in recent years. The stars have been few,"