One of the biggest storylines coming out of Saturday night's Game 1 tussle between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks was the resurgence of Blake Griffin. The former All-Star looked like his old dominant self as he helped the Nets cruise to a 115-107 victory over the Bucks.
After the game, Griffin did a bit of a clap back to the naysayers who counted him out over the past couple of years:
“For two years, I didn’t hear much positivity, and probably rightfully so, but it’s pretty crazy how quickly it happens,” Griffin said, via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. “I’m just thankful for this chance.”
To be fair, Griffin did imply that the criticism thrown at him was somewhat warranted. Then again, if you look back at all the slander against him over past two years, it just feels like the Nets star was put in such a bad light.
This is exactly why redemption feels so sweet for Griffin. On Saturday, he came out with an All-Star-like performance, dropping 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, to go along with 14 boards, three assists, and two steals in 35 minutes of action. Griffin also found his stroke from deep, draining four three-pointers on the evening. He even handed the Bucks with a bit of a parting shot before exiting the ballgame.
The Nets needed Griffin to step up with James Harden leaving the game in the first minute due to a concerning hamstring injury. Harden's status is murky right now, so Brooklyn will likely need more of the same from Blake the rest of the way.
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