Blake Griffin is done for the rest of the NBA playoffs after re-aggravating a left quadriceps injury that kept him sidelined for much of the regular season.
And he’s apparently not surprised.
From Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding:
Griffin knew, according to league sources, there was a strong possibility he would re-tear his left quadriceps tendon by playing in the playoffs.
He played anyway.
Griffin could’ve and maybe should’ve undergone the procedure to fix the tendon immediately after suffering the injury on Christmas, according to league sources, but it would’ve ended his Clippers season because of a four- to six-month recovery.
So he tried to strengthen the other areas of his leg, gut it out and heal somewhat to be there, even at a substandard level, for his team’s playoff run.
This is…incredible.
I’m not a fan of calling a player tough or weak based on whether he plays through injuries. It’s the 21st century. Playing through injuries can at times be admirable. But prioritizing long-term health over all else doesn’t make you feeble-minded.
That said, HOLY CRAP, BLAKE.
Griffin is a free agent in roughly one year’s time, drumming up any risk involved with him playing through this injury. On top of that, he returned to a Los Angeles Clippers squad with artificial title aspirations. Yes, they were good. But they were never going to beat the Golden State Warriors.
Perception would have changed once Stephen Curry went down. But there was no way for Griffin to know that would happen. And it doesn’t matter now that he, along with Chris Paul, is done—as are the Clippers. They are on the brink of elimination after losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 5.
So, in essence, Griffin had nothing substantial to gain by rushing back in time for the postseason, just everything to lose. And he played anyway. That’s gutsy. And reckless. Bust mostly gutsy.
