Griffin's high-octane game fuels Pistons playoff hopes

Detroit star putting injuries behind him to reclaim his place among NBA's elite

DETROIT - Blake Griffin doesn't need to jump over any cars to be a hit in the Motor City.

A year after arriving in Detroit with his career at a crossroads, a more earthbound Griffin is doing all he can to shake the Pistons out of their decade-long malaise.

"He does a little bit of everything for us. Probably one of our better pick-and-roll players, passers, scorers, a leader by example ... just so many things," Detroit coach Dwane Casey said.

"His basketball intellect, for me, is one that's been the most impressive of our players. I didn't know that about Blake, because when you think about him, you think about the high-flying dunker and the muscular guy in the post, but there's a lot more to that than just his dunking and athleticism."

A month shy of his 30th birthday, there are fewer above-the-rim highlights, but Griffin's first full season with Detroit has been one of his best. He's averaging a career-high 26.3 points per game while making strides as a perimeter shooter, and he earned his first All-Star selection since 2015.

Most importantly, he's been able to stay healthy, and although the Pistons still have a losing record, they're in the playoff race, largely because of Griffin.

"As a player, you always believe in yourself," Griffin said. "I knew I had another level to go to, and being healthy was part of that. But at the beginning of the year, my goal wasn't to only make the All-Star team. It's much more than that."

In July 2017, Griffin agreed to a five-year $171 million deal with the Clippers, the team that drafted him with the first overall pick in 2009.

Less than a year later, he was abruptly traded - from glitzy Los Angeles to a Detroit franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since 2008.

It was a risky move for the Pistons, given Griffin's high salary and the fact that he has only three seasons with more than 67 games played. They gave up a first-round draft pick in the trade, and when they missed the playoffs anyway, that was the end of Stan Van Gundy's tenure as coach and president of basketball operations.

For Griffin, it was an inauspicious start to his Detroit career, and there's been frustration this season as well.

The Pistons are 26-30, tied for the final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference. Even if they make the playoffs, they don't look like a team ready to make a run.