NBA: Preseason Fact And Fiction

October 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli (31) is congratulated by guard Andre Iguodala (9) and guard Stephen Curry (30) for recording a block against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

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Oct 17, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin is introduced before the game against the Utah Jazz at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Blake Griffin has extended his range to three-point territory

The rest of the league should be terrified right now. Blake Griffin was already the best MVP candidate last season not named Kevin Durant or LeBron James, but he’s apparently spent the summer perfecting his stroke on perimeter jumpers. In his first preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, he calmly knocked down a corner three that prompted the rest of the Pacific Division to collectively poop its pants.

Since then, however, Griffin has only attempted three more threes and hasn’t made a single one of them. A lot of the Flyin’ Lion’s offense has actually come from jumpers just inside of the three-point line, and he did attempt 44 threes last year, so we know he’s not afraid to shoot from the outside. Is it possible that Griffin has spent the summer metamorphosing into the NBA’s next terrifying stretch-four?

Verdict: Fiction

One made three-pointer, a stretch-four does not make. I’ll admit I was as flabbergasted as the next guy when Griffin coolly knocked down his first triple of the new season, but having that kind of courage in the preseason — on limited minutes — is very different than being able to do it on a nightly basis during the regular season. I think we’ll see Griffin attempt more threes than he did last year, but for now, it appears his range only extends to just inside the arc. That’s just fine with Lob City, since Griffin’s still averaging 23.8 points in 30.5 minutes per game in the preseason without a three-point shot.

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