Detroit Pistons: One year ago today Blake Griffin showed who he really was

One year ago today the Detroit Pistons were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs, but were lead by their fearless star.

Fans never expected the Detroit Pistons to win their first round playoff match up against the Milwaukee Bucks. Depending on who you ask, most people didn’t even anticipate they’d win a single game.

The odds were too insurmountable and ultimately a crippled Pistons team was never going to have enough left in the tank to pull off anything substantial.

After missing the first two games of the series with a knee injury, Blake Griffin returned to action in game three where he poured on 27 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists on 41.7 percent shooting.

Despite holding Giannis to just 14 points, the Pistons were too over-matched against a 60-win Bucks team.

It was clear that he was having trouble with mobility, and there were a few moments throughout the game where fans held their breath in fear that he had re-aggravated his injury.

Griffin had spent the last several months willing Detroit into a playoff position. The season that he had warranted an All-Star appearance as well as a place on the Third All-NBA Team. He averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists on .462/.362/.753 shooting splits.

Heading into game four the hope was that the Pistons would at least be able to keep it close. Their closest margin of defeat was in game three when they lost by 16, after losing game two by 21 and game one by 35.

Detroit found themselves with an early 13-8 lead when Griffin caught a solid screen from Andre Drummond, drove to the basket, ball faked, and laid it up at the rim. His explosiveness and his quickness appeared to be on point.

At this point, the Pistons 7 point lead was their largest lead of the entire series.

As the first quarter moved along, Griffin’s court vision was as sharp as it had been all season, and the team as a whole was roll, jumping out to an 18-8 lead.

Giannis begins to move towards the basket in transition but is met by both Wayne Ellington and Bruce Brown at the rim. The shot falls off the backboard and is tipped back out to Ellington who finds Griffin on the opposite end of the floor. Then, it happens..

Up until this point, Pistons fans had virtually nothing to get excited about during this series. The way he landed sparked concerns over his health, but he was able to battle through it. The arena was as loud as it had ever been.

The Bucks quickly surged and found themselves in the lead, and Griffin only hit one more shot during the first half. Detroit was determined to come away with at least one win in the series, and it showed.

With the ball in his hands, the team was playing well. He knocked down a few more three-pointers in the third quarter to keep the game within reach, but the sheer dominance of Milwaukee’s offense was too much to overcome.

When the fourth quarter arrived, Griffin fouled out after putting up 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists on 53.3 percent shooting and 66.7 percent from three.

He left the floor and we knew what came next. The game, the series, and the season was over. But the fans had to shown their appreciation one last time.

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The grit and determination that he showed us to close out the season was everything that Pistons fans have come to love from their players. The dedication the chasing a championship, no matter the odds, means everything to us.

It wound up having an effect on his ability to play this season, and he was eventually forced to undergo season ending surgery on that same knee.

But to this day, on the one year anniversary of game four, the memory of Blake’s strong performance is still fresh in our minds.