Blake Griffin and Taylor Griffin

 

For the past two years, Blake Griffin has been considered the best dunker in the NBA by most fans and reporters. He is also very popular among fans in our 7th grade media lit class, 75% of fans said that they like Blake Griffin including Tristen and I. His highlight reel dunks and flashy play make him an exciting player to watch.

Out of all the people we interviewed, all of them had good reviews about Blake Griffin. Sergio Menezes of Stoller Middle School said, “I like how he is 75% white and there are not that many white people in the NBA.” He also said “I like his flashiness and swag on his dunks.” Michael Muller of Stoller Middle School said, “I think that he is the best power forward in the NBA and I think that his dunk over Kendrick Perkins was the best dunk in NBA history.” Ryan Kister of Stoller Middle School said, “His dunks are amazing and he is a very raw player.”  Avery Masanga of Stoller Middle School says, “I think that he is a good low post player and a great dunker.” Vladik Katin of Stoller Middle School said, “I think that he is great and he is a very powerful dunker.”

In my opinion, I think that Blake Griffin is a great dunker and a nice person. I met him in February when I went to a Blazers vs. Clippers game. He greeted me nicely and gave me his autograph three times. Tristen thinks that although he does not like the Clippers, he likes Blake Griffin as a player and he thinks he is the best dunker in the NBA. Although he did not start the 2012 NBA All Star Game, in my opinion, he should have. Not only is he a great player in my opinion he is also a great humanitarian. He has participated in many NBA Cares events such as the all-star event where the players helped paint a worn down building in Orlando, Florida.

Blake Griffin has also had some hard times to overcome during his time in the NBA. He lost his childhood friend Wilson Holloway to cancer on February 17, 2011. He was told about Holloway's death after a game vs the Timberwolves and he was seen crying in the Clippers locker room. He donated 2,000 dollars to help pay for Wilson Holloway's funeral.

During all star weekend 2011, Blake Griffin did what I consider the best dunk in NBA history. A new Kia Optima was brought out underneath the basket. Then so did Blake Griffin. He then completely jumped over the car and slam dunked the ball into the basket. He then won the slam dunk contest that year by unanimous fan vote.

In my opinion, Blake Griffin also cares about his family, he trains every offseason with his older brother Taylor who plays for the Dakota Wizards of the NBA Development League. He also gave money to his parents to buy a bigger house in 2011.

Not only do people in our media lit class think that Blake Griffin is a great player other people do to. Aroon Nagappan of International School Of Beaverton said “I think that Blake Griffin is a exciting player to watch and he has had many highlight reel dunks that excite the croud and all of his teammates. They motivate his teammates to play better.” He also said “If Blake Griffin develops a good and consistent jump shot, he will be unstoppable.” Michael Poon of Stoller Middle School said “I think that he is an amazing player that not only is good at dunking, he can also score in bunches.” Michaels comment is backed up by the fact that Blake Griffin’s career point average is 20.7 points which is very high compared to the league average of 10.4.

Although he has only been in the NBA for two years, Tristen and I believe that he could become a NBA legend in the making if he works on his game this summer. That will make his popularity increase and make him a worldwide sensation among fans. In the meantime, we believe that he should work on his game wih Chris Paul so they could become an excellent one two punch for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Blake Griffin is not the only Griffin in professional basketball. HIs brother Taylor was also a standout at the University of Oklahoma. He averaged 10.2 points and 8.6 rebounds his senior year in 2009. He was drafted with the 48th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Although he only averaged 1.3 points per game his rookie season for the Suns, he is still working on his game. He is currently a starting forward for the NBDL’s Dakota Wizards.  Aroon Nagappan said “although Taylor Griffin is not as good as Blake Griffin, he is still a good basketball player and it would be cool if he was on the same team as Blake in the future.” Sergio Menezes said “If Taylor Griffin and Blake Griffin joined the same team in the future, they would become a dynamic duo.

The brothers both played for their father Tommy Griffin in high school at Southwest Christian Academy in Oklahoma. They both averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds but Blake was named MVP of Oklahoma high school basketball as a senior in 2007. Tommy Griffin said “I am so proud of my sons and I hope that they join the same NBA team someday in the future. We believe that the Griffin brothers are great basketball player and nice people. Although I have only met Blake Griffin, to meet both of them and spend a day with both of them would be a dream come true for me. It is yet to be known what the future holds for the Griffin brothers but Tristen and I both know one thing, their future will have something to do with professional basketball.

By:Jonah Han and Tristen Walker   Word Count:1,000