The unsung hero has been a staple of our culture for generations. For every Paul Simon, there's an Art Garfunkel, a John Oates for Daryl Hall, a Watson for Holmes, a Clark for Lewis, a Kato to the Green Hornet, and, of course, every member of a 90's boy band who didn't totally reinvent his image by starring in Alpha Dog and and isn't crossing his fingers for some sort of reunion tour to reignite their stardom so they don't have to resort to starring in a V-h1 reality dating show. The world of NBA basketball is no different.
Unsung heroes can be found all over the NBA. Examples include Kevin Love in Minnesota, LaMarcus Aldridge in Portland, Zach Randolph in Memphis, and Andrea Bargnani in Toronto. Love is leading the league in double-doubles while his team rests comfortably at the bottom of the Western Conference. Aldridge, a sudden superstar for an injury-riddled Blazers squad, now has a newfound post game to complement his finesse-laden face up game. ZBo is averaging 20 points and 13 boards a game without being the focal point of the Memphis offense. (Yes, they do have an offense this season as opposed to two years ago when their offensive set consisted of Conley, Mayo, and Gay playing one-on-one ball and hoping for the best.) And then there is Bargnani, who has got to be wondering why the only national press the Raptors get involve DeMar DeRozan replacing Brandon Jennings in the dunk contest, and the infamous title of being "Chris Bosh's former team." By the way, for anyone who thought Chris Bosh being soft had to do with the Canadian air, it looks like we see things all too clearly now. Got to protect those legs, Chris. Anyway, I wanted to take the time to applaud whom I consider to be one of the most underrated players in the NBA this season: Eric Gordon.
Now, I know what you're thinking, "This guy's nuts, there's a big reason that the Clip-show is semi-relevant again, and you can find him nightly on Sportscenter's top plays and in the nightmares of Timofey Mozgov." Blake Griffin is a freak of nature and has the skills set, heart, drive, and humility to be one of the NBA's greats. I have nothing but respect for Blake, and will give him due credit for revitalizing a franchise (and making Baron Davis want to play basketball again), but Eric Gordon has been equally important to the Clippers' recent success. Unfortunately, his contributions have been overshadowed by Griffin's breakout rookie season.
Gordon is averaging career highs in points per game (24), assists per game (5), and even rebounds per game at a still modest 3.1. Gordon and the rest of the team have also bought into defense a bit more this season, and improvement I feel can be attributed to the philosophy of new coach, Vinny Del Negro. Gordon's improvement on both sides of the ball can also be attributed to his time spent with Coach K and the rest of the championship FIBA team. It seems as though every player involved is having a terrific season coming off their summer games.
Griffin and Gordon, or as I call them, "G-Unit" (Okay that's lame. Forget I said that), account for just under half of the team's total points per game, and with the exception of both sometimes being turnover prone late in tight games, they usually have their hand in the majority of good play that Clipper-nation has seen of late.
Gordon suffered a wrist injury that will sideline him for 3-4 weeks. The Clippers have not won since his absence. Without Gordon in the lineup, teams can freely double Griffin, and the Clips have no other player who can consistently create their own shot and make teams regret leaving one man open. The Clippers' playoff chances took a big hit this past week with the news of Gordon's absence being more extended than previously thought. In order for the Clips to keep their playoff hopes alive, Gordon will need to come back healthy and stronger than ever to help Paul Simon- I mean, Blake Griffin lead this team into their, dare I say, bright future.
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