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Blake Griffin Toughening Up Is A Good Thing For Los Angeles Clippers

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By @Terri7589

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Getty Images

The Los Angeles Clippers‘ star Blake Griffin will no longer be bullied on the basketball court. Griffin has been the victim of countless hard and flagrant fouls which have resulted in almost no retaliation.

Griffin told the Los Angeles media on Friday that he may start to retaliate if the fouls keep happening. “Yeah probably. I’m not going to do it for no reason or if it’s not warranted and I didn’t feel it was.”

This revelation came after Friday’s preseason game between the Clippers and the Utah Jazz. Griffin was fouled hard by Trevor Booker. Griffin’s retaliation came in the form of grabbing the back of Booker’s head with a tight grip as they stared each other down. Booker pushed Griffin away and their teammates had to separate the players.

Griffin is going into his fifth season as a Clipper and his previous four were filled with him being bullied by plenty of opposing players. Griffin kept his cool most of the time because he’s aware of how valuable he is to his team. If Griffin were to be ejected during a game, or even possibly suspended for fighting, the Clippers would lose a huge piece to their puzzle and it just hasn’t been worth it — until now.

Opposing players were fouling Griffin hard because they knew he wouldn’t retaliate. He’s known as one of the more level-headed and calm players in the league, so bullying him with no consequence was like taking candy from a baby. Even the few instances where Griffin tried to fight back were not enough to make players shake in their boots.

On Mar. 10, during the fourth quarter of a Clippers game against the Phoenix Suns, Griffin was fouled hard by P.J. Tucker and fell on top of him. When Griffin went to get up, Tucker hit Griffin in the face and a fight broke out. The two were pulled away from one another rather quickly, and Griffin was left flailing about on the floor like a fish out of water trying to throw a punch but his arm was caught around DeAndre Jordan’s right leg. The two were separated, and Griffin was visibly upset and yelling “every time” to the officials.

Griffin can no longer take this abuse from other players. He is too important to his team to be fouled hard the way he has been. The fouls Griffin has received, though for the most part are not personal, they are dangerous. Griffin has gotten pulled down mid-air, grabbed around the neck and has been hit where no man ever wants to be hit. There are an infinite amount of possibilities where Griffin could hit the floor awkwardly and have a season-ending injury because of the way he is fouled.

If Griffin takes the opportunity to stand up for himself just once, maybe players won’t send cheap shots and grabs his way any longer. Hopefully if Griffin retaliates to his hard fouls during an early regular season game, opposing players will stop trying to foul him hard intentionally. Also, Griffin becoming tougher on the court would be refreshing for Clipper fans; it would be a side to the player that they aren’t used to.

Griffin fighting back could be the new normal and it is welcomed.

Terri Washington is a Los Angeles Clippers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter @Terri7589, “Like” her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.

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