It has been said that Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin could miss the entire first round of the playoffs due to a left knee injury. Despite this fact, the six-time All-Star has been asking Detroit's medical staff to let him play, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
Dwane Casey says Blake Griffin is lobbying to play but decision is in hands of medical team
— Keith Langlois (@Keith_Langlois) April 15, 2019
Griffin was held out of Detroit's regular-season finale, a 115-89 victory over the New York Knicks, and also missed three straights games in late March and early April. In light of his injury, head coach Dwane Casey elected to keep the star forward sidelined for Sunday's playoff-opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.
With Griffin out of commission, the Pistons were simply over-matched. In fact, Detroit was blown out in Game 1, 121-86. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the charge for Milwaukee, scoring 24 points and a whopping 17 rebounds.
“We picked it up as the game went on,” coach Casey told ESPN during his post-game media availability. “But it was too late.”
Griffin, who watched his team from the bench in a maroon suit, played a big role in Detroit's playoff berth. He made 75 appearances with the team this season, the most games he's played since the 2013-14 campaign, and was named an All-Star for the first time since 2015. In the end, though, he sat out four of Detroit's final seven games due to injury concerns.
“If it was my decision, I would've played,” Griffin told ESPN after Game 1.
Whether or not Griffin will be available for Game 2 remains to be seen, but it certainly sounds like he would like to give it a go. For now, he's still listed as day-to-day.
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