PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – If Blake Griffin wanted to make a point, he made it emphatically Monday night.
Push us and we’ll push back.
That seemed to be what the Clippers forward was saying when he threw his body into Trevor Ariza of the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center, knocking Ariza to the floor and getting a measure of retribution for being fouled hard last week by the Hornets’ Jason Smith.
Griffin was assessed a flagrant foul on the play, but he was unapologetic after the game, saying he gets fouled much harder than the one he gave to Ariza.
But the more important point is that the Clippers seem prepared to protect their turf and won’t back down. Griffin proved that when he walked to the center of the court after fouling Ariza and glared at the Hornets bench.
“From me being here the last couple of games, I see they get a lot of hard fouls,” said newest Clipper Nick Young, who was acquired in a three-team trade last Thursday and has played in six games since his arrival. “They get beat up a lot. It’s time to turn that around.”
Griffin was not made available after the Clippers practiced on Tuesday, but he told reporters after the game he was prepared to stand his ground if players on the Hornets bench wanted to challenge him.
“Yeah, I walked back (to center court) because they stood up like it was going to be something,” he said. “There was nothing, man, and you can publish that.”
With the Clippers in the midst of a five-game homestand before closing the regular season with nine road games in their final 14 contests, now would be an opportune time to make sure opponents know they’re ready and willing to get physical.
“You have to be smart about it, but it’s a physical game,” coach Vinny Del Negro said. “We’re not going to back down from anybody. We’re going to get after it ourselves. We have plenty of guys that can handle the physical part. That’s just part of it.
“As long as there’s no intent to injure anybody and it’s done within the framework of the rules, I think everyone is fine with it. But there’s emotions, there’s a lot of physical play out there. We have to do a good job controlling our emotions in terms of the technical fouls and leaving the refs alone and just understanding that we’ve got to keep our composure.”
For the most part, Griffin has maintained his cool. Even when Smith slammed him to the floor in New Orleans, he kept his temper in check. Smith was handed a two-game suspension by the league, and Griffin got some payback by leveling Ariza.
The Clippers face the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday at Staples, and it’s clear they’ll be ready if challenged – especially Griffin.
“Blake’s a physical player,” Del Negro said. “He likes the physical contact. He’s going to keep on attacking, so you have to expect some of that.
“As long as the refs are consistent in how they’re calling it at both ends, then I think you can get into a little bit of a rhythm as far as what’s expected.”
