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Blake Griffin has always been synonymous with attention and show-delivering. This was as true as ever during his first years in the league, before suffering a couple of injuries that have made his athleticism decline slowly. But that has not deterred the 2011 Rookie of the Year from putting up amazing performances for the Los Angeles Clippers crowd. But now, Griffin starts a new chapter in Detroit, and what a debut he had last Thursday. His arrival to the city brought the Pistons more attention than ever in the last 10 years.
As reported by Brad Galli, the Detroit Pistons vs. Memphis Grizzlies game two nights ago drew the highest TV rating for a Pistons game since 2008. According to the team, the broadcast drew a 5.5 TV rating.
It is no surprise that Griffin's arrival generated this much interest. He is a five-time All-Star and former NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion. He arrived at Detroit with season averages of 22.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. While he is shooting a career-worst 44.1 percent from the field, this is due to his increased three-point attempts (almost six per game). A lot of fans were looking forward to seeing how Griffin played alongside franchise cornerstone center Andre Drummond.
Blake had a pretty nice, all-around stat line in his first game as a Piston: 24 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field and 11-for-13 from the free throw line, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks with zero turnovers. He also had a team-best plus/minus of +23 during his 35 minutes of action. But most importantly, the Pistons got the win and expect to make a strong push for the playoffs. They currently sit ninth in the Eastern Conference standings with a 24-26 record and are 1.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers.
