Friday, October 22, 2010

The Works: Griffin Saves the Day; Talking Hawks and Staring at the Suns

Filed under: Clippers, Hawks, Suns, NBA Draft, The WorksToday in The Works, we preview the Atlanta Hawks and the Phoenix Suns. But first, how Blake Griffin saved the preseason.

How Ya Like Me Now?

It was the Dunk Heard 'Round the World. Well, maybe not quite that, but so far, Blake Griffin's one-handed alley-oop over three Utah defenders has been the highlight of the preseason.

The preseason is a frustrating kind of creature. The real thing is so close, yet so far away; if the summer leagues have the benefit of being the only thing resembling NBA action in the midst of a dry spell, and embracing its own guard-based absurdity, it also offers the novelty of prized rookies slapping on pro jerseys for the first time. With the exception of the Heat's debut, which lasted mere moments, preseason is about rotation tweaking, veiled work on schemes, and other sweetbreads of basketball knowledge that, frankly, just aren't my thing.

I want all this to stop and give way to next Tuesday. Practice is for coaches.

That's what made Griffin's dunk so freakin' loud. Not only was it the kind of highlight that begs repeated watching, even if you're a lifetime opponent of the cult of SportsCenter -- men that big just aren't supposed to get up like that. It was a stark reminder of what Blake Griffin will do to the NBA next season, as a rookie who time forgot. Even more so than the Heat's six minutes of glory, it was a revelation -- summer league's abject thrill of discovery spiked with substance.

What did we learn? That sleeping on Blake Griffin simply isn't an option anymore. Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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