No one seemed more disappointed than Blake Griffin following the Los Angeles Clippers' 96-92 loss to the Mavericks Monday night.
One of the NBA's brightest young stars committed a turnover and missed five of seven free throws in the final four minutes at American Airlines Center.
"It's on me," Griffin said of the loss. "I missed shots. I missed free throws. I missed an easy layup. I missed a dunk. Turnovers."
It was obvious that he was beating himself up pretty badly, talking in a quiet tone that made him difficult to understand. Griffin genuinely looked like a player who had let his teammates down.
A somewhat strange scene coming from a locker room belonging to the Clippers, a franchise that has finished with a winning record only once in the last 19 seasons.
But this team is different. This is the beginning of what NBA enthusiasts are calling the Lob City Era in Los Angeles.
With Griffin, Chris Paul , DeAndre Jordan, Mo Williams, Kenyon Martin and former Maverick Caron Butler, Dallas will have its hands full if these two meet in the playoffs, even though it hasn't appeared that way. The Mavs have won 10 straight over the Clippers at home and 17 of the last 19 regular season meetings.
"They're a good team, especially at home," Griffin said. "They execute down the stretch and that's what they did [Monday night]."
After having an off night with 20 points and seven rebounds [a stat line to celebrate for most players], it's a good bet that Griffin will have some extra motivation when the two teams meet again on April 2. According to Paul, despite any struggles from the two-time All-Star there are no plans of going away from the 22-year-old.
"That's our horse and we going to ride him," Paul said. "You see how much he cares. And as he continues to get better ... everybody better watch out."
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Follow Jon Machota on Twitter: @jonmachota
