Clippers' Griffin sharp in Garden debut
Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers dunks the ball against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. (Feb. 9, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
The Garden crowd showed Blake Griffin little sympathy.
Knicks fans shouted "Welcome to the NBA" as the Clippers rookie lay prone on the court, floored by an Amar'e Stoudemire forearm to the face and a body check by Timofey Mosgov. But it didn't take Griffin long to shake off the sting of those blows and show New Yorkers why he's a big man worthy of the spotlight.
Within minutes, Baron Davis sparked a Clippers fast break, targeting the 6-10 forward with a deep outlet pass. Stoudemire bumped Griffin as he caught the ball, but he went up strong and dunked on the Knicks' center, who fell grabbing his leg.
Griffin clung to the rim with one hand, staring angrily at the crowd, as Stoudemire lay facedown on the court - another image to add to the 21-year-old's ever-expanding highlight reel.
Welcome to the NBA, indeed.
Griffin didn't erupt for 44 points Wednesday night - or place his left hand on Mosgov's head as he slammed down a thunderous dunk - as he did in his previous meeting with the Knicks. But he scored 21 points (including five dunks) to help lead the Clippers to a 116-108 win.
"The atmosphere now, especially with the Knicks playing so well, is unbelievable," Griffin said of his NBA debut at the Garden. "The first time I played here it was a high school All-American game, so you can imagine it wasn't that great of an atmosphere."
Mike D'Antoni made it clear that a win would be more important than containing Griffin, who had 15 rebounds Nov. 20 in a 124-115 loss to the Knicks.
So his team dared the other guys to beat them, and they did. Six players scored in double digits for the Clippers, who shot 54.7 percent (47-for-86) and ended a four-game skid.
"When the double teams come, you've got to be the quarterback and find open guys," said Griffin, who was leading all rookies with 22.9 points a game and fourth overall in the league in rebounds (12.8). "And when guys hit shots, it makes it tough on the other team, and that's what we did tonight."
Griffin also helped throw Stoudemire (23 points) off his game, forcing him to the bench with 8:02 left in the third quarter after he picked up his fourth foul. Stoudemire re-entered with 10:18 to play.
Asked if his first meeting against the Knicks helped boost his confidence, the rookie said "definitely."
"I just became more comfortable and flowed through our offense and I really understood what my role was," he said. "That was a game where I made a big step and it gave me a little confidence."
