The most interesting thing about Thursday night’s battle between the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings proved to be the matchup between Blake Griffin and DeMarcus Cousins.
Of course, we use the term “matchup” very loosely, as the pair did little actual matching up over the course of the game. Instead, Griffin mostly just handled business from start to finish (especially at the end), and Cousins mostly stayed off the court as a result of foul trouble. Heck, even when they were on the court at the same time, their paths didn’t cross particularly often.
The few times that their paths did cross, though, there was some serious friction. Case in point: a direct one-on-one sequence with just over a minute remaining in the game and the Kings down by one. As Griffin held the ball and looked to make a play, Cousins went for the steal. Only instead of getting ball, he maybe got Griffin’s eye. A referee immediately called a foul on the play, and Griffin got free throws for his troubles.
Was the foul legit? Decide for yourselves:
After the game (Clippers won 93-85), Cousins wasn’t very complimentary of Griffin’s effort.
"He's in L.A. where actors belong," he told reporters.
Over the last few weeks, there has been a very noticeable growing resentment towards Griffin from all sides. Whether it’s analysts who are dissecting his game and noting its weaknesses, or players like Jason Smith and Cousins who seem to have an issue with him – there is clearly something going on.
It could just be as simple as folks not appreciating a guy who could potentially embarrass them -- by putting them on a poster -- every single time down the floor. Or it could be deeper than that. It could be something Griffin is doing. Either way, the truth will come out eventually. It always does.
[Note: Check out Blake Griffin’s best dunks of 2012 here]
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