Clippers-Trail Blazers: Blake Griffin’s dunks on Mason Plumlee
By Tom West
As Blake Griffin works back from injury during the Los Angeles Clippers’ first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, he’s thrown down his fair share of dunks on Mason Plumlee.
So far in the Los Angeles Clippers’ first round series of the 2016 playoffs, Blake Griffin has made a bit of a habit of dunking on Mason Plumlee. It’s exactly what the Clippers and their fans want to see, not because Plumlee deserves the task of trying to stop Griffin, but because the return of some explosiveness is necessary if Blake is truly going to be back.
Game 3 was somewhat of a setback, though, showing that regardless of some excellent moments in the first two games, Griffin is still a player who’s just come back from missing three months with two serious injuries. He tallied 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, also turning the ball over on a key possession late in the fourth quarter. After such a night, he somehow looked out-played by Plumlee at times who finished with 21 rebounds and nine assists.
Seriously, I double-checked the box score and everything.
However, Plumlee won’t be grabbing 21 boards every night, the Clippers can rediscover their intensity to slow down Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum again, and Griffin will only improve as time goes by.
So, to simply enjoy some highlights in what should still be a first round win within six games, let’s take a quick look back through some of Griffin’s dunks so far as we wait for Game 4.
First, to kick off the series, Griffin showed his brute strength and finishing ability all in one play. After he bulldozed his way past a mismatched, 6’3″ Lillard, Blake proceeded to rise straight past Plumlee for the first of his dunks over the Blazers’ big man.
As Griffin took off for a two-handed throwdown, there was no chance that the slower, somewhat vertically outmatched Plumlee would be able to catch him.
In a more equal matchup, Plumlee was still too slow coming over the paint to help after Al-Farouq Aminu got caught on a screen from Chris Paul. With the space, Griffin stormed down the lane and hammered home another left-handed dunk to put Plumlee down yet again.
Next, a dunk that wasn’t even straight on Plumlee. Griffin simply tore through the Blazers’ defense and as has been the case during the start of the series, their frontcourt has struggled to handle the Clippers’ high-flying duo of Blake and DeAndre Jordan.
Finally, to highlight a weak Game 3 performance, Griffin briefly displayed how much of a terrorizing ball handler he can be when he has some space.
Once he moved the ball behind his back, confusing defenders with a little hesitation and euro step, Griffin blew past for an easy dunk.
More from Clipperholics
- Grade the trade: Clippers shockingly land Trae Young in wild proposal
- 3 of the most overpaid players on the LA Clippers’ roster
- Trading for this player covers the Clippers’ biggest weakness
- How will the LA Clippers fare in the in-season tournament?
- Why the LA Clippers should steer clear of recent gold medalist waiver
When we see Griffin taking off with as much air as he’s always had in the past, his play will be even more encouraging. It’s easy for critics to pile on at times like this, using Griffin being off-form as a reason the Clippers are still the joke they’ve always been pinned as after second round failures.
And until they prove otherwise this season, that’s a fair assessment. However, it’s important to remember that a player like Griffin, who uses speed and elevation to drive and attack off the dribble, won’t look as deadly as usual while he adjusts to playing again. Plus, when considering the fact he returned with a partial quadriceps tear still lingering on, some of his play already has been impressive without doubt.
Next: Clippers' shot at West Finals increases with Steph Curry's injury
Now, as the Clippers look to refocus for Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 series lead, Griffin has another opportunity to show what he’s capable of and (ideally) establish some rhythm again in the post and cover the boards effectively. In order to go as far as possible this postseason, they need everything he’s got.