Hard Work Paying off For Blake Griffin

Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin felt a sense of vindication after scoring a career-high 50 points against the Philadelphia 76ers.

He reached the milestone on a layup which was the game tying basket in the 133 – 132 Tuesday overtime win.

Blake Griffin also made the game-winning free throw for the Detroit Pistons. After the game, Blake Griffin spoke about his struggles over the last three seasons.

“You know, the past two, three years, all I hear about is how bad I am, and I’ve been hurt, I’ve had bad games,” Griffin said.

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“But we talked about it. This summer, being able to work out for the first time in three summers is huge, you know. The last three summers I was fighting and working as hard as I could to get healthy to be able to play.

“And this summer, I was able to really put time in and work on my game, work on my body, and I’ve always been a big believer in hard work pays off.”

Griffin’s 50 points were the most by a Pistons player since 2006, when Rip Hamilton had 51 against the Knicks.

As well as that, it was the first 40-point, 10 rebound game by a Detroit player since 1983, according to ESPN. Then, Isaiah Thomas had 46 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

Griffin tied his own career high with 5 three pointers and set another career best with 20 field goals. His 50 points on Tuesday night are the seventh most in Detroit Pistons franchise history.

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“He’s playing at a high level right now,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey said.

“Offensively and defensively, he’s out there talking and making decisions, communicating. He’s playing great. Of all the great players I’ve worked with, Dirk Nowitzki, Kyle Lowry, Kevin Garnett, Shawn Kemp, all those guys, he’s playing at that high level right now.

“And he’s just one of those guys that is taking it to another level, leading his team, putting them on his back, being a leader in the timeout. But again, that’s what we expect from Blake because he is that good of a player.”