Blake Griffin 4th Quarter Meltdowns Will Lead to More Trade Talk

Fact: Blake Griffin is having a tremendous first round series against the San Antonio Spurs, averaging 23.8 points, 13.4 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. But the Clippers trail the Spurs, 3-2, and the series shifts back to San Antonio Thursday, where the Spurs can close things out and advance to play the Houston Rockets.

Fact: Blake Griffin has been absolutely dreadful in the 4th quarter in this series against the Spurs. In game five, he shot just 1-of-9; for the series in the 4th quarter he’s made four shots and missed 17.

Teams that win Game 5 go on to win the series like 82 percent of the time, so you do the math.

But nobody’s pinning this situation on Blake Griffin! The Clippers bench has showed up just once in this series (Game 4), and that’s on Doc Rivers for a poor offseason as GM.

Still, how bad has Blake Griffin been with the game on the line? The Clippers self-destructed throughout the 4th quarter Tuesday … and Blake Griffin also missed two free throws and had three turnovers.

Good Griffin: Aron Baynes still hasn’t recovered from these Griffin dunks in Game 1. Good and Bad Griffin: Who can forget Game 2 – Griffin had a triple double – when their 2nd highest-paid player turned the ball over (against Marco Belinelli!) in the closing seconds with the Clippers nursing a 2-point lead?

They lost in overtime.

The Clippers will face a daunting offseason. Their rim protector and the NBA’s leading rebounder, DeAndre Jordan, will have to be paid. There’s no cap room to improve the bench. They’ve consistently whiffed on draft picks the last few years, so there’s no young star on the horizon.

Here’s the Clippers playoff history since acquiring Chris Paul:

2012 – Swept in the 2nd round by the Spurs
2013 – Lost in the 1st round to the Grizzlies (6)
2014 – Lost in the 2nd round to the Thunder (6)
2015 – ?

Alternating 1st and 2nd round exits is not what the franchise envisioned when acquiring CP3 – who at the time was 26 and arguably the best point guard in the NBA. At 30 (in a few days), Paul is still an elite point guard, but the NBA has become a wing league, and Matt Barnes/JJ Redick/Jamal Crawford just aren’t cutting it.

So how does this team get demonstrably better?

The only answer might be to trade Blake Griffin, which on the surface sounds insane because he’s your most marketable player, having the best postseason series of his career, and he just turned 26.

Hey Knicks, want to slide us the #3 pick for Blake Griffin?

Hey 76ers, care to talk?