Well, to say the least, I didn't feel too good after the first half. Griffin went over, around, and through Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic to the tune of 24 points. He was making 20 foot jumpers, free throws, and And-1's galore. Griffin actually really impressed me with his footwork in the post, and his ability to consistently knock down mid-range jump shots - the one part of his game I really didn't think he had. I did get pretty frustrated with the love he was getting from the officiating in the first half, as opposed to the beating Kevin Love took all night without any help from the stripes whatsoever. I'm not sure exactly what Blake Griffin has done in his short career to garner that much respect already. Oh well. I'm really trying hard to look beyond the NBA officiating this year, as I know it is a very difficult job - and I definitely would never want to do it.
Thankfully, Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley helped keep the game close in the 2nd quarter to keep the Wolves within 3 at the half. The 2nd half was owned by Darko Milicic. Darko Milicic you say? With Kevin Love in the locker room, Darko Milicic took on the task of guarding Blake Griffin for much of the 2nd half. While Beasley and Williams absolutely lit it up on the offensive end, together scoring 54 points on 20 of 25 shooting; Darko Milicic forced the Clippers offense out of the groove they were in the first half.
With the help of some pesky double-teams from Barea, Rubio, and Ridnour, Griffin was forced away from the basket or into difficult shots going to the basket. The Wolves forced the ball into the hands of guys like Randy Foye (who actually played pretty well) and Caron Butler. I'm not sure why Butler was on the floor for nearly 29 minutes and much of the 4th quarter, really. The guy couldn't make an open jumper, and Beasley abused him on the other end.
Griffin scored only 6 points the entire 2nd half with Kevin Love on the bench much of that time. It was interesting to see how much of Griffin's game really comes from his overall confidence. Once he missed a few shots inside, he became more hesitant on his outside jumpers - which he nailed in the 1st half. It seemed like Griffin even started releasing his jumper on his way down in the 2nd half, almost like he second-guessed himself all the way until he finally just let it fly. That just showed how much the hustle and physicality of Darko and the rest of the team defense can have on a player like Griffin. Once the Wolves hustled back on defense, it took away a lot of the alley-oops. Once they started pushing him away from the basket and brought help from the top of the key, he dribbled away from the block and passed it to guys like Caron Butler.
I know much of the praise last night needs to go to Michael Beasley and Derrick Williams for their amazing production offensively down the stretch. But, Darko Milicic was +17 last night! The first match-up against the Clippers, Darko torched Griffin for 22 points on 10 of 15 shooting and blocked 2 of Griffin's attempts on the defensive end. It's pretty rare that Milicic gets the best of anybody, but in two appearances against the Clippers this season? Darko 2, Griffin 0.
Other quick thoughts...
I have a tough time really appreciating what Kobe Bryant does on the basketball floor sometimes because of the constant whining to the officials. But, does anybody whine more than Chris Paul? I've always liked CP3, but he was embarrassingly annoying last night. I jokingly tweeted last night that he thought he got fouled during Del Negro's halftime speech inside the locker room last night. Every time he touched the ball, which was every possession, it seemed like he was flailing, falling over, and making gestures at officials trying to get a call. He just seemed like the spoiled rich kid on the playground that has had everything handed to him his whole life, and doesn't get it when he doesn't get his own way. I felt like the Clippers team as a whole even had a little bit of that aura. That made the win last night oh, so much sweeter.
Nights like last night make it pretty tough to imagine a trade involving Beasley or Williams. I know it was only one night, but I really don't want to use Williams as trade bait after that showing. Beasley showed how important he was to this team in the 4th quarter taking over a game that seemed like the Clippers had in the palm of their hand for 3 quarters. On the flip side, if both play like this or even close for a few games here, their trade value has to be increasing. I am glad I am not David Kahn.
Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter @wolvesrubes.
Follow Wolves Rubes on Twitter @wolvesrubes.
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