When Blake Griffin was bought out by the Detroit Pistons and went off to join a super team in Brooklyn, it looked like he might finally make it to the Conference Finals and maybe even get his ring.
But injuries and some stellar play from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton ensured that Blake would once again come up short, which is pretty much the theme of his career.
Blake Griffin is now 30-35 in the playoffs overall and has yet to even make a Conference Finals even though he was on some very good teams in Los Angeles before joining the Pistons.
His one trip to the playoffs with Detroit ended in a sweep, but Griffin must have thought he’d finally break through after joining Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
It was not to be yet again and you now have to wonder where Griffin goes next and whether he will ever make a Conference Finals in his career.
Will the Detroit Pistons beat Blake Griffin to the Conference Finals?
Blake is an unrestricted free agent so he can join any team he wants this offseason. He’ll almost certainly do what he did in Brooklyn, which is to take a minimum deal from a team that is already very good.
I’m sure there will be some mutual interest in retaining him in Brooklyn, but if not, Blake Griffin will go off to join some other super team.
The Detroit Pistons won 20 games this season, so it’s not as if they are knocking on the door of the Finals themselves, but they have an up and coming team with two All-Rookies in Saddiq Bey and Isaiah Stewart and a very good forward in Jerami Grant.
With some luck and the right pick in the NBA Draft, the Pistons could sniff the playoffs as soon as next season.
The following offseason Detroit will not only be loaded with young talent but will be flush with cap space after Blake’s disastrous contract is finally off the books.
The Detroit Pistons will be a player in free agency and trades after this season and could end up being a team like Atlanta that just needs a star to make the leap into the playoffs.
Depending on what team Blake Griffin joins, I could totally see the Detroit Pistons getting to the Conference Finals before him, as Griffin seems to bring bad playoff luck wherever he goes.