basketball player

Chapter 701 699: My subordinates are super strikers

Blake Griffin was once a very popular player.

Well, once.

Back in sunny California, Griffin surprised everyone in his first year as a rookie.

In that rookie season when he was relegated, Griffin averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.What is this concept?The last rookie with more points than him was the great Tim Duncan, and the last rookie with more rebounds than him was O'Neal, one of the greatest behemoths in NBA history.

Not only that, but Griffin's dunks amazed all fans, and he was a frequent visitor to the top ten every day for almost the entire season.In Los Angeles, a city with a lot of exposure, Griffin's high hopes and boasting at that time would not be lost to the "Heaven's Proud Man" James, and the Clippers also trained him as the absolute core of the future.

In addition, Griffin also became the first player after Duncan and Yao Ming to be selected for the All-Star Game in his last rookie season so far. During the All-Star Weekend, he also won the Slam Dunk Contest by the way.

Throughout his rookie season, Griffin dunked a total of 204 baskets, during which there were 27 consecutive double-double records.His style of play is brutal and highly entertaining, and his statistics are also very good.Everyone believes that Griffin will be synonymous with championships and superstars in the future.

However, the development of the story is quite different from what people imagined.In the Clippers' eight years, Griffin's team was regarded as a strong team in the Western Conference every year.But every year, the Clippers have a disappointing early exit in the playoffs.

In the 2015 Western Conference semifinals, the Clippers suffered a tragic reversal when they led the Rockets 3-1.Since then, Blake Griffin has lived in doubt.

He began to be considered by the fans as not improving and the upper limit was not high.The lack of wingspan has also become the reason why he is often ridiculed.Even his dunks began to be questioned in various ways. Fans said that his dunks were too big and were completely fouls.

What really made Griffin fall from the altar was his game performance and glass attributes. In the last two years of the Clippers, Griffin always suffered some untimely injuries. He witnessed the Clippers out of the first round for two consecutive years on the bench.

As injuries continued, Griffin's highlight games became less and less.At the same time, in a big city like Los Angeles, there are more and more gossip about him outside the court, and the fans naturally hate him.

As a result, just after Griffin signed a big contract with the Clippers and had a "simulated retirement ceremony" with the Clippers, he was suddenly traded before the trade deadline.

Griffin was dumped without any prior notice.Moreover, he was still thrown into the Detroit Pistons, a place where even the city's leading team is extremely depressed.

It wasn't until then that Griffin finally realized it.

I am no longer the "Pride of Heaven" I was at the beginning, and I have disappointed the Clippers so much that I would rather trade him.He has fallen out of the ranks of superstars. If he doesn't work hard, he will spend his whole life in Detroit just like Reggie Jackson and Drummond.

Until one day he couldn't continue to run on the field, and then retired bleakly without anyone remembering him.

As a person who has had a dream start, Griffin naturally does not want such a thing to happen.So, in Detroit, he started his own rebirth.

This season, Griffin began to change.At the beginning of the new season, Griffin tried his hand at the 76ers and Embiid.

He used his extremely versatile performance to teach Embiid, a newcomer, a good lesson. Griffin contributed 50 points and 14 rebounds in the game, and made 10 of 5 three-pointers.And in the last 1.8 seconds of the game, Griffin also completed a beautiful lore.

From that game on, Griffin was out of control.

This season, Griffin averaged 24.5 points per game, a career high.The three-point shooting percentage is as high as 36.8%, the second highest in his career.

But you have to know that in the year when Griffin made a career high 40% three-pointers, he only took 0.4 three-pointers per game!Such a small data sample has no reference value at all.And this year, Griffin averaged 7 three-pointers per game!
Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that this year is the season with the highest percentage of Griffin's three-pointers.

In addition, Griffin averaged 5.4 assists per game.On the basketball court, he has changed from a poor dribble show at the beginning to a real ability to organize with the ball.

Although the Pistons' record is only eighth in the Eastern Conference this season, they were unlucky enough to meet the Trail Blazers in the first round.But Griffin will not give up so easily, his goal is simple, win the Pacers once!
Even just once, he is satisfied.

Therefore, the day before the start of the playoffs, in an interview with reporters at the Indianapolis airport, Griffin also expressed his determination, "The purpose of our coming here is to win. Any result other than winning is a failure."

No one expected that Griffin would be so tough.In most people's minds, Griffin is still the fringe All-Star player, or the fallen player who fell under the hands of the Kardashian woman.

But in fact, the current Griffin has been completely reborn.

Henson is also very aware of this. In fact, Blake Griffin is one of the players Henson regrets most this year.He finally matured, but he didn't have as much exposure and team configuration as before.At his peak, he had the worst resources of his career.

However, Griffin is always an opponent. Although he admires this guy who has been reborn from Nirvana, it does not mean that Henson will allow Griffin to play a dominant performance at his home court.

What Henson wanted was 4-0, a sweep, and an easy win!He does not allow any accidents in the game against the Pistons!

Therefore, Henson specifically explained to Antetokounmpo the day before the game, "Boy, for tomorrow's game, I hope you are the superstar who controls the audience."

Antetokounmpo nodded understandingly, and then started the defensive and offensive training in the confrontation on the training ground.Tomorrow, he will take good care of Blake Griffin.

After all, this year, Antetokounmpo is the biggest favorite for the MVP candidate.This Greek is the current candidate for the league's No. [-] striker!
But the media were obviously moved by Griffin's remarks, especially some local media in Detroit.Somehow, they actually had the idea that "the Pistons might really bite off a layer of Pacers".

So during the media opening hours in the afternoon, countless reporters poured into the training hall and asked Henson what he thought of Griffin's remarks.

Henson disagrees with this.

"I respect Blake, and I know his strength. But you have to ask my goal? It's very simple, 4 to 0."

Many people thought Henson was just joking, after all, Griffin has shown his determination.As long as Griffin breaks out in a certain game, and then cuts data such as 50+ points, it is not impossible to win a game against the Pacers.

And with Griffin's current ability and spirit, it is absolutely possible for him to play such a game.

So, after hearing Henson's haughty answer, a reporter who came all the way from Detroit asked indignantly.

"I know that the Pistons' record this season is not comparable to that of the Pacers. But I have to remind you, Coach Henson. Blake Griffin is one of the best forwards in the league this season. You'd better not think of the Pistons too simply. Maybe the Pistons can't beat you, but they can definitely cause your team great trouble."

"The best forward? Well, tomorrow I will show you how the best forward in the league plays."

Instead of being frightened by the reporter, Henson smiled jokingly.Then he patted the Detroit reporter on the shoulder.This guy probably doesn't know how huge the gap between the Pistons and the Pacers is.

If Henson insisted, it would be about the size of O'Neal and Barkley combined.
(End of this chapter)