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NBA Daily Fix: Blake Griffin Shines as Mavericks and Clippers Get Angry

By Ben Gibson

Oct 29, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) greets Los Angeles Clippers forward Josh Smith (5) during a time out in the second half of the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center. Clippers won 104-88. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) greets Los Angeles Clippers forward Josh Smith (5) during a time out in the second half of the game against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center. Clippers won 104-88. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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It didn’t take long in last night’s game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks for things to get chippy.

In case you had forgotten, these two teams battled over DeAndre Jordan this summer and after it looked like he had chosen the Mavericks, a change of heart and a battle of emojis later Jordan was back with the Clippers.

The offseason was wrecked for the Mavericks as they didn’t have the center they spent so much time wooing and it was too late to sign any other big names as most had made their decisions on where to play this season.

The technical fouls began in the second quarter and the simmering anger of both teams certainly showed once Dallas began to Hack-A-DJ. Jordan went 2-for-8 from the free throw line in the game but things started to go downhill after a hard play by Jordan. Jordan’s elbows went high and found the side of the normally even-keeled Dirk Nowitzki, who responded on the next possession with a flagrant foul after shoving Jordan.

Four technical fouls were handed out before the game’s end and the Clippers got the win and retained their title of the Most Hate-able Team in the NBA.

Lost in all of the simmering aggression was Blake Griffin‘s 26-point, 10-rebound performance on 11-of-17 shooting…and he only played 26 minutes. The Mavericks may have been trying to slow things down with the Hack-A-DJ plan, but ultimately it didn’t matter as Blake Griffin exploited Nowitzki’s defense and the defense of anyone else who tried to stop him.

Griffin shows his agility and power, often on the same plays. He has enough range to make Nowitzki pay for not coming out to guard him. Perhaps it’s because of the late start times of Clippers home games, or maybe people hate seeing him in so many Kia ads, but it seems like he doesn’t quite get the credit he deserves from night to night.

He consistently beats his defender is a myriad variety of ways and on the defensive end he’s grabbing rebounds while defending the rim well. He was one of the biggest reasons why the Clippers were able to hammer the Mavericks despite he and J.J. Redick being the only Los Angeles starters in double-digits.

And of course this all couldn’t have ended without this question being answered.

https://twitter.com/DanWoikeSports/status/659968895571202048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Kristaps Porzingis Can Do It All

Enjoy watching all 7-feet of Kristaps Porzingis steal, spin, dribble and then slam home a basket against the Hawks on Thursday night.

The New York Knicks would fall to the Atlanta Hawks, but at least New York isn’t looking like the complete train wreck of a year ago through two games.

Paul George Wants The Indiana Pacers To Have Consistency

The Indiana Pacers tried going big to counteract the size and strength of the Memphis Grizzlies. It didn’t work out to well as Memphis won 112-103.  According to Candace Buckner of the Indy Star Paul George wasn’t happy with the team not settling on an identity.

"“That’s the biggest problem we’re having,” Paul George said, “Just the inconsistency of who we’re playing with. Trying so many different groups, we got to establish an identity, and we have yet to do so.”"

Paul George was shifted down to the small forward position and Jordan Hill started at power forward. Jordan Hill was ineffective with six rebounds and four points but there may be some hope on the horizon as rookie Myles Turner had an impressive enough debut with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting along with four rebounds, three steals and one block in 18 minutes of play.

Indiana will probably need the entire month of November to find their identity as everyone on the roster all the way up to Frank Vogel and Larry Bird are still trying to figure out the Pacers’ version of small ball on the fly.

Next: NBA: Top 10 MVP Candidates In 2015-16

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