NBA Hits and Flops of the Week (March 21-27)
Unfortunately, a majority of the past week was highlighted by LeBron James and the backlash he faced in and by the media, a consequence of his own actions. Despite the 3-1 record the Cavaliers registered, their lone loss to the Brooklyn Nets came under heavy scrutiny.
Multiple reports surfaced about there being no chemistry between James and Kyrie Irving. Given his off-court actions and the unnecessary attention he has brought to the team, many are starting to question whether James is indeed the leader the Cavaliers need.
Anyway getting away from all that “noise”, there were more headlines across the league which didn’t receive greater attention. Here’s a compilation of the hits and flops of the week from the world of the NBA:
Hit: Blake Griffin cleared for action, begins serving suspension
Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin hasn’t played a basketball game since partially tearing his left quadriceps tendon on Christmas Day in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
At that time he was declared out of action for four weeks but just before he could make his return in January, he fractured his right hand in an incident at a Toronto restaurant where he punched the team’s equipment manager.
The Clippers suspended him for four games for the incident and docked him of five games’ pay which is worth 859,442 dollars. Although the team was able to adapt to his absence and grab some wins under their belt, all realistic Clippers fans knew that they could not make any headway in the Playoffs without Griffin.
Entering Sunday’s match-up with the Denver Nuggets, the team announced that Griffin was medically cleared for action and has begun serving his four-game suspension. The team further announced that he will make his return in a week at home against the Washington Wizards.
Griffin’s return is big news for Clipper nation. Getting to play only seven games might not be enough for him to gel with the team on the court but the practices between games and the day’s off before the post-season might just be what he needs.
To help their case the Clippers are slated to play, as the standings remain today, a depleted Memphis Grizzlies team in the first round of the Playoffs, which should help Griffin, regain his fitness for the vital second round.