Blake Griffin had two dunks everyone's going crazy about from last night. Here's the first one and here's the second one, in case you haven't seen them 200 times already! The Clippers didn't win last nights game against the Lakers. The Lakers won the battle of LA, 113-108. Can someone explain why Blake Griffin should be lauded so much in a loss?
Certainly these two dunks were tremendous displays of athleticism, hangtime and sheer strength. There's no doubt about that. What is wrong with our ESPN, YouTube crazy modern society is what matters the most is shoved aside more and more. Blake Griffin is a tremendous dunker and talent, for sure. Still, what Blake Griffin, fans of the Clippers and Blake Griffin should really want is a win!
Question for Clipper/Blake Griffin fans: what would you rather have, those two dunks that will live on the internet from here on out, and be fun memories, or getting closer to the Lakers in the standings (by winning)? If the answer is the dunks, then your priorities aren't skewed towards winning.
One thing the NBA and people who follow the game have right is that they reward winning. Guys like Karl Malone, John Stockton and Reggie Miller were Hall of Fame talents, BUT they never won titles to fully legitimize their legacies. This Clippers game was a regular season game and not a playoff game, BUT to say that it didn't have huge playoff implications is false!
This game the Clippers lost by a close call strongly affects the chances of the Clippers catching the Lakers and moving up in the Western conference standings. Why should the Clippers want a great place in the standings? The Clippers are 20-9 at home and 12-13 on the road. That says it all. It's imperative for the Clippers to have more games at home in the playoffs because LAC wins most home games.
The Clippers road record is atrocious. It will be to their benefit to get as many home games as possible. Not only will they be able to sleep in their own beds, but statistically speaking, they're a lot more likely to win a series with home court advantage.
Blake Griffin, don't get me wrong, your dunks are incredible. What's unfortunate is people see those two plays and forget the important factor, winning or losing. Winning MAKES stars and legends. Losing, while dunking emphatically two times only gives you more search results on Google. Losing DOESN'T legitimize anything. Forget your stats, highlights, or anything. Prove you're legit Blake Griffin, and win ball games.
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