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Griffin Dishes His Way To Third Triple-Double Of Playoffs

Rowan Kavner

HOUSTON – With Chris Paul down, the Clippers needed someone else to lead the offense and find the open man. Their primary option to do that just happens to be a power forward.

Blake Griffin recorded his third triple-double of the postseason and second straight during the playoffs, leading the Clippers with 26 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high 13 assists in their Game 1 win against the Rockets.

“We said it before the game, without Chris on the floor, Blake’s our point guard,” said head coach Doc Rivers. “Everybody else is just guards. One of the thing we told all our guards today is to just be aggressive scorers and let Blake be the facilitator.”

He proved fully capable in that role.

Austin Rivers technically started at point guard, but it was Griffin who amassed nearly half of the Clippers’ assists. He finished with more than half as many as the Rockets’ whole team.

The Clippers have an All-Star point guard in Paul, whose loss to any team would be substantial, as only three players in the league have averaged more assists per game than Paul during the playoffs.

One of those players now happens to be Griffin.

The Clippers’ power forward isn’t just passing well. He’s finding the open man at a rate better than most teams’ starting point guards, averaging 8.1 assists per game.

“He was the hub,” said Matt Barnes. “He’s such a good decision maker…We know he’s our key until Chris gets back, and he did a good job of carrying us today.”

Only two other players, John Wall and James Harden, have averaged more assists per game than Griffin this postseason. Only six other players have averaged more points per game than Griffin this postseason.

“He makes plays for everybody,” said Jamal Crawford. “He knows when to score, knows when to set teammates up. That’s why he’s at the top of the charts.”

In addition, Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are the only players in the league averaging at least 13.3 rebounds per game during the playoffs.

“I think the world is seeing how good he is,” Crawford said. “I think there’s still levels for him to go. He’s only 26, but he’s as good as there is in the league.”

Griffin’s now averaging 27 points, 8.1 assists and 13.3 rebounds per game this postseason. He’s pulled in double-digit rebounds every game, scored at least 20 points in all but one game and has at least seven assists in five games.

His ability to facilitate Monday actually led to his head coach getting bothered by the same thing that can get to him at times with Paul.

“He started doing the Chris thing,” Doc Rivers said. “He stopped looking to score and I told him, at one point, we need you to do everything – and he did it.”

As good a job as Griffin’s done this year facilitating, this was the only time in his career he had more than 11 assists in a game, as the Clippers were in need of help in that area with Paul down.

Griffin said everyone has to step up and it’s not one person’s job when they lose a player of Paul’s caliber, but it’s impossible to look past Griffin’s contributions. J.J. Redick said he’s not sure there’s a better passing power forward in the league than Griffin.

And when he wasn’t dishing, scoring and rebounding, he was leading huddles.

“My main message throughout the entire game was to stay together,” Griffin said. “There was no reason for us to crumble and fall apart.”

They didn’t. Despite losing Paul after his heroic Game 7 effort, the Clippers managed to steal Game 1 on the road, led by their makeshift quarterback.

“He gets in the middle of the field and picks people apart,” Barnes said, “kind of like Tom Brady.”