The Los Angeles Clippers still have home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round of the NBA playoffs. However, they are without superstar forward Blake Griffin, who is ruled out of the postseason with an injury, and he might have played his last game for the Clippers.
According to ESPN, Blake Griffin will officially miss the rest of the 2017 NBA playoffs with a big toe injury. He suffered the injury in the second quarter of the Clippers' Game 3 win over the Jazz last Friday after he stepped on teammate Marreese Speights' foot. He tried to play through it but he landed awkwardly three minutes later that might have aggravated the injury.
Clippers head coach Doc Rivers believe that a surgery in the offseason might be necessary but Blake Griffin will visit a foot and ankle specialist in Los Angeles on Monday. The Clippers lost to the Jazz in Game 4 and they head into Game 5 on Tuesday with tied at 2-2.
It's the second straight postseason wherein Blake Griffin suffered an injury. He re-injured his quadriceps last season against the Portland Trail Blazers as the Clippers ended up losing the series 4-2. Now that his season is over, many people believe that he has played his last game for the Clippers.
Blake Griffin is expected to opt-out of his contract at the end of the season and become a free agent. Despite his injury history, Griffin is a superstar in the league and he is one of the best players when healthy.
Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer noted that the Clippers have explored trading Blake Griffin in the past couple of seasons. The 28-year-old superstar can choose his next team this summer and he has been linked to teams such as the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Clippers are in a tight spot since they appear to be heading for a rebuild if they cannot get past the Jazz in the first round. Besides Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick are free agents and they could all sign with different teams this summer.
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