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Chris Paul: ‘There’s No Championship Without Blake Griffin’

By Ernie Howell
Published on: 17:12 PST, Mar 5, 2016

Chris Paul knows the value that his Los Angeles Clippers teammate Blake Griffin holds for the NBA franchise.

In fact, Chris Paul recently told reporters after a game against the Sacramento Kings that the Clippers and Paul need Blake Griffin in order to compete for a championship this season, despite the team’s improved play with the All-Star forward out of the line-up, NBA.com writer Scott Howard-Cooper reported this week.

“We can’t win a championship without Blake. That’s the only reason we play… I don’t care if he gets back the day before the playoffs. We’re playing for a championship and there’s no championship without Blake Griffin. There’s not one.”

Chris Paul did not want to pretend the Los Angeles didn’t need Blake Griffin to contend this season, especially with the Golden State Warriors on a historic run and the consistently-good San Antonio Spurs atop the Western Conference. When asked if Griffin’s return could disrupt the flow happening with the current Clippers’ line-up, Chris Paul reluctantly conceded it’s a possibility before re-affirming his position.

“We don’t know. As soon as he’s ready, we’re going to go from there. But do we need him? We’d be crazy to say, ‘No, no,’ you know what I mean? It’s ‘Yeah, yeah.’ We’re just going to take it day by day.”

Chris Paul could have reason to give pause when asked how Blake Griffin will return to the line-up. Paul and his teammates have improved their offensive output while also strengthening their defense during the long absence Blake has endured.

The Los Angeles Clippers head coach, Doc Rivers, backed up Chris Paul in his assessment of how important the addition of Blake Griffin is to the team. Coincidence and confidence in the team’s plans are responsible for the vast improvement, Rivers explained.

“We made a lot of changes and I just think it took a while to take hold. I thought it started about two or three weeks before Blake went out. Defense is confidence too. It’s not just offense.”

A return to action could come sooner than expected for Blake Griffin. Orange County Register reporter Dan Woike tweeted that Chris Paul could see his power forward return “very soon,” basing the post on comments Blake made while having his number retired at the University of Oklahoma.

Even after he is able to return, Griffin will spend at least four more games on the bench due to a suspension he received in addition to losing five games’ pay after hitting an assistant equipment manager, the Bleacher Report explained. The conflict is how Blake Griffin injured his hand in the first place.

The incident drew rumblings that Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer may have grown tired of Blake Griffin and would seek a trade for the All-Star forward, the Inquisitr reported. That rumor — which turned out to be false — was disputed by Doc Rivers in the article.

Without Griffin in the line-up, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul have been forced to carry more offensive output for the Los Angeles Clippers. In the recent game with the Sacramento Kings, Chris spurred the offense as he scored 40 points and had 13 assists in a 117-107 victory.

While the Clippers have performed well in Griffin’s absence, Chris Paul understands that he and his Los Angeles teammates have a better chance of competing with another All-Star on the court, the Bleacher Report detailed in another article.

What do you think about the comments Chris Paul made about Blake Griffin in regards to winning an NBA Championship this season? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images]

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