Boston’s newest acquisition, Blake Griffin, is getting acclimated well with his new team.
In his first preseason game with the team versus the Charlotte Hornets, the veteran notched seven points and nine rebounds in sixteen minutes. With Robert Williams still out due to a knee injury, Griffin should see the court a lot despite just recently arriving.
According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe, the veteran praised the maturity of this Celtics squad and pointed out similarities of this team to his old Clippers team. Or shall we say, “Lob City.”
“The intensity in those (preseason) games and in practice and shootaround has been something I haven’t seen in a while,” said Griffin. “Probably since my Clipper days when we were really making a run for it. The maturity of this team, and some of us sat down in the meal room for probably 2½ hours and just talked, and more and more people came, and it was a group of like 10 of us.”
It should be no surprise how hungry the Celtics must be after making it all the way to the NBA Finals last season, but falling short to the Golden State Warriors in six games. To Griffin, this team is very ready.
“That’s something you don’t really see a lot, as well, on teams that I’ve been on,” said the veteran, throwing a little shade on the other teams he’s played for. “From those aspects, this team is very ready. We still have work to do like everybody else, but I’ve been impressed by where they’re at as a team.”
This team knows they have what it takes to get there again. Perhaps Griffin’s experience can propel Boston to the same feats this season and maybe beyond.
