Blake Griffin will play through quad tear
By John Buhler
Blake Griffin will soon return to the Los Angeles Clippers starting lineup, but will do so with a tear in his quadriceps.
After missing every game for the Los Angeles Clippers since Christmas, the Clippers’ All-Star power forward Blake Griffin will still be playing through pain once he completes his four-game suspension as a result of his Toronto altercation with the team manager.
While Griffin did break his hand punching a member of the Clippers’ equipment staff while in Toronto, it has been a small tear in his quadriceps that has delayed his impending return, not the formerly broken hand. Even though the tear hasn’t fully healed, Griffin knows that Los Angeles will need him come playoff time and will play through pain during the Clippers’ Western Conference playoffs run.
Griffin told ESPN staff writer Andrew Han about his current health situation, “It wasn’t just being allowed to heal. So, the tear’s still there. It’s just about managing the pain and getting through this…It’s not like a new tear or re-tearing my quad in different places. It wasn’t allowing the initial injury to completely heal.”
Griffin believes that his quad tear was initially misdiagnosed and that is the reason behind why it has taken him so long to return to the court for the Clippers. Keep in mind when healthy that Griffin is a top 10 player in the Association and is a crucial piece if the Clippers want to get out of the Western Conference semifinals this year, something that has never been done in franchise history, from the Buffalo Braves to San Diego to present day Los Angeles.
If Griffin can play through pain, he’ll help the Clippers on their quest to advance further than any team in franchise history. Los Angeles may have a better record this season without their All-Star power forward on the floor, but if the Clippers want to challenge their Pacific Division rivals in the Golden State Warriors in the second round, they’ll need Griffin to pull off the shocking upset.
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