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Blazers’ Success Hinges On Griffin’s Performance

By Steven Dewald

Apr 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) defends against Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers forward Maurice Harkless (4) defends against Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) in game three of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Trail Blazers’ chances drastically improve against the Clippers if Blake Griffin struggles

The Trail Blazers played a solid game in their game three victory on Saturday night, but the game also featured a struggling Blake Griffin. The Clippers power forward only played in five regular season games since January and his rustiness is becoming apparent. His broken hand made waves in the news, mainly because of the nature in which he injured it (punching a team trainer), but his quad injury (muscle tear) might be impacting his play the most. Can Portland continue to exploit Griffin’s injury in game four tonight?

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Griffin’s numbers have seen a drastic decline since the opening game of this series. In the first game, he went for 19 points and 12 rebounds. The biggest problem for Portland was his aggressiveness, as he managed to get 12 shots from the charity stripe. This outburst led to early foul trouble for Maurice Harkless, which hindered Terry Stotts’ options on both ends of the court. Griffin’s breakout performance played a huge role in the Clippers big game one victory.

Game two and three have held a steep decline in Griffin’s numbers. He has shot just 9-28 from the field since game one, which is well below his 5-10 mark in game one. His free throw attempts fell off of a cliff in game three, as he only had two attempts from the free throw line. Griffin’s fatigue has been on full display, and it has led to positive results for the Trail Blazers.

Apr 17, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) drives against Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) during the first half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) drives against Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe (23) during the first half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Clippers relaxed their defense for stretches in the last contest, but they still returned to double teams in crunch time. This forces the ball out of Damian Lillard‘s hands and into the control of Mason Plumlee. Plumlee had a lot of success finding an open Harkless on the baseline. Harkless’ success is tied to Griffin’s poor performance in two ways: Harkless is on the court because he isn’t in foul trouble and his ability to get to the basket is due to Griffin’s inability to put a body on him in the paint.

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Tonight could hold similar results for the Trail Blazers. This is the shortest turnaround so far in the series, as both teams have only had one day of rest between games. Griffin has only played in one back-to-back since returning from injury. Tonight the stakes will be higher and the pressure will be on the Clippers to recover from their poor performance last game. Will Griffin’s decline continue? For Portland’s sake, Rip City certainly hopes so.