The Los Angeles Clippers are definitely cursed. It feels like Déjà vu every season. They play well enough to secure a top four seed in the Western Conference during the regular season, and then everything falls apart in the post-season.
For the second consecutive year, Blake Griffin will miss the remainder of the NBA playoffs due to an injury. Griffin hurt his toe during last night’s Game 3 victory over the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake. The injury occurred at the 3:53 mark of the second quarter when Griffin made a driving layup but came up hobbling after the play.
He remained on the court for another 35 seconds but immediately left to the locker room during a Clippers timeout.
The Clippers just announced that Blake Griffin's toe injury suffered last night will sideline him for the remainder of the playoffs ...
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) April 22, 2017
Griffin did not return for the rest of Game 3, finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 18 minutes. Despite the Clippers winning the game, Griffin is a huge loss for them. The 28-year-old led the team in scoring during the regular season, and his offensive prowess will be greatly missed without him.
What can the Clippers do?
Sadly, this is the second straight year Griffin’s season ends early due to an injury.
Last year, during the first round of the playoffs again, Griffin aggravated a left quadriceps injury and missed the remainder of the post-season, along with Chris Paul, who fractured his hand.
It just seems like the Clippers cannot stay healthy at the most important time of the year. Either it is Paul or Griffin, one of them always suffers an injury during the post-season.
Out of the bunch, DeAndre Jordan is the only one who is durable. So what can the Clippers do?
With Paul and Jordan still healthy (knock on wood), the Clippers should still be capable of winning games, especially if the Utah Jazz will be without their starting big man Rudy Gobert as well. Just last night, Paul willed his team to victory, scoring 34 points, dishing out 10 assists, and collecting seven rebounds while shooting 12-of-22 from the field.
As long as Paul is healthy, the Clippers have a chance, but Griffin’s injury will hurt them in the long run.
What’s next for Blake Griffin?
Griffin has a player option during the offseason, which he is expected to decline to become an unrestricted free agent. What does this injury do for his future? First, the Clippers don’t look like they can go far into the playoffs. They may succumb to another early playoffs exit. The inability to succeed again will most likely drive Griffin out of Los Angeles. However, as an injury-prone player Griffin’s free agency stock will now drop. Teams are going to question his ability to remain healthy in the long run, which makes him a bit unattractive.
The Griffin-less Clippers will face off against the Jazz in Game 4 on Sunday at Vivint Smart Home Arena, hoping to take a 3-1 series lead.
