Blake Griffin Continues To Fit Right In As A Celtic By Taking More Subtle Digs At The Nets
Brian Babineau. Getty Images.By all accounts, the Blake Griffin Era is off to a fantastic start. As long as you acknowledge that it's only been about two weeks and you're setting your expectations of a 12-13th guy off the bench correctly, it's hard to not love everything we've seen from Blake so far. Whether it was what he showed in his limited minutes last week
or how well he seems to be meshing with his teammates and the overall vibe of him being on the roster, it's all looked great.
What I've also loved though are his slight shots at the Nets since he became a Celtic. They're subtle, but if you know what to look for it's clear as day
This initially stood out to me on Friday because if you remember, there was a time when Blake Griffin went on the record and said someone on the Celts told him to avoid coming to Boston after his buyout in Detroit because the culture was all fucked up. I think most have come to the conclusion that the person was Tristan Thompson, who didn't exactly help too much in the culture department when it came to that Celts roster. Surprisingly he's gone, Blake is in and now things are "refreshing".
But that also was our first look into how I think Blake really felt about his time in Brooklyn. That was nothing but a circus for his entire time there. We got more of it last night at the Celts Tip-Off Gala, where Blake took things a little bit further
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LOVE it. Throw that shade Blake, we all know you want to!
How much clearer could it be that he's saying the Nets wanted all the glory and none of the work that goes into it. Blake is someone who I would say has seen some shit since he entered the NBA. He's been on teams with tons of talent and hype that ultimately fell short, he's been on dogshit teams destined for the lottery, and he's been on teams filled with big names and a ton of drama. I trust in his ability to evaluate the vibes and make up of a team and it's pretty obvious he was in hell last year as a Net.
Now I will say, I fully understand we are in prime pandering season. A week before the year starts means everyone is going to say the right things and give us fans just enough to have us all fall in love. I realize that and accept it. I also do not give a shit. Inject it directly into my veins. I am all for telling me exactly what I want to hear while also slandering the Nets. I don't know why you wouldn't be.
But Blake also touches on something that I think does matter when it comes to this team and the upcoming season. I think we're all wondering how they come out and respond to a season where they were so fucking close to winning the title only to fall short. You throw in a new head coach and some new rotation players and there are certainly some questions heading into the year. Hearing Blake talk about how focused and locked in everyone is and it starting at the top in practice is a GREAT sign that they'll be ready for the season. When your franchise guys set the tone, the rest of the roster usually follows. Blake isn't the first guy to talk like this, we also heard Al say similar things a few days ago, and I do not get the sense that the Celts are approaching this season thinking they're just going to be able to roll the ball out and win. That's something that usually got them into trouble in the past, but it looks like we shouldn't have to worry about it this season which would be a big time relief.
If we're being honest, these good vibes aren't just coming from Blake either. Just take a look/listen to how Malcolm Brogdon is talking
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This just continues to reinforce the idea that everyone, including the new guys, are all on the same page. I think when you make that jump into being a legit title contender and have a real chance at actually winning, it's much easier to get that important buy in. The Celts have a proven formula that works, so now it's about how these guys can fit into what's already going on to elevate them to that next level and actually finish the deal. You don't often hear guys of Brogdon's stature and skill level talk like this, but damn is it refreshing to hear.
We're officially under a week to go. Just get to me Tuesday already.