The Clippers had a complete meltdown in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Houston Rockets Thursday night.
It may very well have been the biggest choke in NBA history.
And it’s unfortunate.
The Clippers are clearly the better team on the floor. They want it more. Their players are more talented, more charismatic. Dare I say it, but for the first time, I’d consider them to be the more endearing team on the court. They also have the best shot at winning the NBA Championship.
All of that is on paper. Also on paper is the box score, which reads Rockets 119 Clippers 107.
Yikes.
Everyone has an opinion on who is to blame for the collapse. Was it Doc Rivers not implementing the hack-a-Dwight strategy in the 4th? Was it Chris Paul’s tentativeness in the waning minutes? No. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Blake Griffin. For three quarters, he dazzled us with aggressive determination and remarkable plays, and then he, just like his jumper, faded away when it mattered the most. He commanded the ball for most of the game, then shockingly passed it when they needed him to score.
The Playoffs become an “inside” game when things get critical. Those jumpers are much harder to knock down. The 4th quarter becomes “big man” time. On this Clippers squad, that doesn’t mean it’s DeAndre Jordan time. He lacks the offensive firepower that a Shaquille O’Neal had. But when those big men crowd the lanes and tighten their defense, there’s also only so much Chris Paul can do. Relegated to the perimeter, the Rockets had him on lockdown. The final minutes of the game needed to be taken over by Griffin. It was time for him to rise to the challenge of “leader,” to stop being so stoic and let his emotions explode out their on the court. He needed to gather his troops together, fire them up, and overcome the moment.
Instead, Griffin chose the much safer approach. Pass the ball to someone else, don’t take any unnecessary risks, protect those Kia Motors endorsements.
When the game is on the line, a true champion demands the ball, gets gritty, fights, and wills his team to victory.
If the Clippers are going to overcome Game 7 against a bolstered Rockets team, and overcome the demons of their past, it begins and ends with Blake Griffin.