Q: Who committed more fouls in the Spurs v. Clippers 2nd Round series: Tim Duncan or Blake Griffin?
A: Tim Duncan and Blake Griffin have never committed a foul, ever, since they’ve been born.
![THE BEST
I think we, as a nation of basketball fans, consistently take Chris Paul for granted. He’s a Top 3 player today, in my opinion, and has been the best point guard for years, in what should be all of your opinions.
The lead guard position is the most difficult to gauge from our television sets, because being a good point guard is much more about leadership, and controlling tempo, which cannot be recorded by any statistic. I can tell, you want stats. Fine. Try these:
The fewest assists Chris Paul’s had in a game (playing a minimum of 30 minutes) is 3. Paul’s only had 9 games of 3 assists in 7 years (515 games).
Chris Paul has only had one game in his 7 year career with less than 3 assists (NOH vs. PHI, ‘07). He had 2 in 28 minutes.
Over his career, Paul averages 18.8 points (47.2 FG%), 9.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and almost 2.5 steals per game in the regular season.
In the Playoffs, Paul averages 21.6 points (48.5 FG%), 10.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and still over 2 steals per contest.
All of that’s great, but here’s the real reason I love Chris Paul, and the secret that makes him so good: he’s a nasty little cuss. According to the NY Post’s Peter Vecsey, when Chris Paul was a high school senior, all he wanted to do was go to the University of North Carolina.
“I loved the Tar Heels,” he said, smiling that beatific smile, something he does most of the time, on and off guard duty, keeping the population off balance so no one knows what’s on deck. “I grew up following North Carolina. It was 13 miles away from my home in Lewisville. Since I was a little kid, that was the only school I wanted to play for.”
As the story goes, UNC’s coach Matt Doherty, told Paul there “might be a spot for him after the season.”
“But there’s definitely room on my team for you as a walk-on,” Paul recalls Doherty generously informing him.
After taking his high school team to a the state semifinals and a 26-4 record Doherty finally offered Paul a scholarship.
“I had waited patiently for that day to come,” Paul said somberly, his smile having run away from his face. “I wanted to know I was good enough to get one. As soon as it was offered, I called coach [Skip Prosser] and committed to Wake Forest.”
I like my basketball players the way I like my elderly drunks: pissed off.
#GotEmCoach](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m42qwcejUy1qcmnsoo1_1280.png)
THE BEST
I think we, as a nation of basketball fans, consistently take Chris Paul for granted. He’s a Top 3 player today, in my opinion, and has been the best point guard for years, in what should be all of your opinions.
The lead guard position is the most difficult to gauge from our television sets, because being a good point guard is much more about leadership, and controlling tempo, which cannot be recorded by any statistic. I can tell, you want stats. Fine. Try these:
- The fewest assists Chris Paul’s had in a game (playing a minimum of 30 minutes) is 3. Paul’s only had 9 games of 3 assists in 7 years (515 games).
- Chris Paul has only had one game in his 7 year career with less than 3 assists (NOH vs. PHI, ‘07). He had 2 in 28 minutes.
- Over his career, Paul averages 18.8 points (47.2 FG%), 9.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and almost 2.5 steals per game in the regular season.
- In the Playoffs, Paul averages 21.6 points (48.5 FG%), 10.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and still over 2 steals per contest.
All of that’s great, but here’s the real reason I love Chris Paul, and the secret that makes him so good: he’s a nasty little cuss. According to the NY Post’s Peter Vecsey, when Chris Paul was a high school senior, all he wanted to do was go to the University of North Carolina.
“I loved the Tar Heels,” he said, smiling that beatific smile, something he does most of the time, on and off guard duty, keeping the population off balance so no one knows what’s on deck. “I grew up following North Carolina. It was 13 miles away from my home in Lewisville. Since I was a little kid, that was the only school I wanted to play for.”
As the story goes, UNC’s coach Matt Doherty, told Paul there “might be a spot for him after the season.”
“But there’s definitely room on my team for you as a walk-on,” Paul recalls Doherty generously informing him.
After taking his high school team to a the state semifinals and a 26-4 record Doherty finally offered Paul a scholarship.
“I had waited patiently for that day to come,” Paul said somberly, his smile having run away from his face. “I wanted to know I was good enough to get one. As soon as it was offered, I called coach [Skip Prosser] and committed to Wake Forest.”
I like my basketball players the way I like my elderly drunks: pissed off.
CLIPPERS AMAZING COMEBACK WIN
With 2:30 minutes left in the 3rd quarter of Game 1 in their first round playoff series with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Clippers were down 27 points. Entering the fourth quarter, the Clips were down 21.
Over the last nine minutes of the game, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and company went on a 28-3 run. The Clippers shot 10-13 from the floor, and 4-5 from the free throw line, although the story may have been Memphis missing 11 shots (they made only one FG) and one free throw, while turning the ball over 4 times in over the same stretch.
If you missed one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history, you can watch every last point in their 4th quarter run right here on #GotEm.
GUEST COLUMN: Everyone Hates Blake
A smart guy (Batman) once said that you either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain. Some, like Kevin Garnett, see their heroic toil continue for much of their careers, only to be branded villain once they become successful and their parlor trick of punking the Jose Calderons of the world shifts from amusing to irritating. Electrifying Clippers big man Blake Griffin has seen that cycle shortened to a two season study in contrasts reminiscent of the masks used in Greek theatre.
In his rookie year, Blake is branded a budding superstar before the start of the season and justifies his place at the table by unleashing a variety of monster throwdowns promising enough to elicit comparisons to early-day Reign Man. Observe, as he finishes a ¾-court lob! Applaud, as he spins around a standing Tracy McGrady! Fulminate, as he dunks over Mozgov!
His finishing and relentless work ethic, compounded by the futility of his enterprise, brought to mind a modern day Sisyphus. Except this Sisyphus was really awesome at dunking. And if you muttered “Sisyphus” around him without enunciating well, he might clock you. To top it all off, he dunked over a car in a moment so comically iconic that it seemingly became a commercial the moment the ball passed through the hoop.
Entering his sophomore campaign accompanied by a self-assured series of (you guessed it) Kia commercials and the point guard wizardry of Chris Paul, Blake seemed ready to take his seat at the adult table, by force if necessary. But, as another really smart guy (Superman?) said: “between the motion, and the act, falls the shadow.” What happened? Why does everyone hate Blake?
It begins with his attempts to humiliate everyone in the league. Bottom line is the dude that puts his elbow in your throat on his way to shoving the ball through the basket is not going to be Mr. Popularity, no matter what, but his constant plaintive looks toward the referees, after nearly every play, don’t do wonders for his reputation either (note to Mr. Griffin: on your two most recent highlight humiliations of Pau Gasol, both of those plays could have easily been called a foul on you). Also, his game is by no means a finished product—for every highlight reel dunk, there is a blank expression as he fails to make a proper rotation, allowing an opposing guard to cruise in for an easy layup.
All of that is true, but could the torrent of Griffin criticism be unwarranted? In some ways, he recalls a young Shaq, or Rodman, in that his overwhelming physicality just rubs people the wrong way. Similar to how Shaq’s beastly presence on the inside prompted many a nasty remark and over-aggressive foul, Griffin elicits opponent and opposing fan anger. The other team, and its crowd, want to put him down so hard Griffin should think twice about flying chest-first into the teeth of the defense. And yet, he never does.
Maybe that’s what makes people so mad about him: he’s that punk you punch in the face in elementary school, only he keeps coming and coming and coming until you bow to his onslaught. There’s something lovable and infuriating about the big kid that tries too hard. He keeps knocking his opponents out of the way, and doesn’t seem to get why they’re mad at him afterwards.
Like the Incredible Hulk, he can’t help himself once he gets into his zone. And, while he exits the arena in a bespoke suit instead of tattered purple shorts, on a bus instead of hitchhiking down a lonely highway, the trail of destruction and ill feelings that he leaves in his wake is the same.
(Michael is the first member of the Got ‘Em Family. I’m still looking for talented contributors who can help keep the site going strong. Check Michael out on his personal tumblr)
MUST WATCH: Blake Griffin DETONATES on Pau Gasol - PART II (THESE ARE DIFFERENT VIDEOS)
So which did you like (cringe at) more?
MUST WATCH: Blake Griffin DETONATES on Pau Gasol - PART I
Somebody should really check on Pau Gasol.
