Sick of hard fouls, Clippers’ Blake Griffin says he might lose his cool

The hard fouls and the constant pounding inside the paint have finally caught up to Clippers’ star power forward Blake Griffin.

After Griffin took a hard foul against Utah Jazz’s Trevor Booker on Friday, he grabbed the back of Booker’s head. During post-game interviews, he acknowledged that he considered taking his retaliation further.

“I was going to and then thought, it’s preseason, it’s not worth it,” Griffin said Friday. “That’s nothing personal to waste it on.”

Griffin, however, added that he might not show so much restraint in the future.

“It’s more about standing up for yourself,” he said. “There are times when hard fouls are just a part of the game, and then there’s times when they’re a little bit further than that.”

Since Griffin was selected by the Clippers as the No.1 overall pick in the 2009 draft, there have been many instances where he was fouled hard, too hard, and has had to decide whether to keep his cool or teach the aggressor a lesson. He’s often decided to keep his cool.

After Robin Lopez clotheslined Griffin in 2012, Lakers’ superstar Kobe Bryant weighed in on the conversation, saying that he would have responded with force.

“I’d smack the ... out of somebody,” Bryant told ESPNLosAngeles.com in 2012. “I’ve known him for a while and he’s a really nice guy so I don’t know if he’d want to do that. But I would. I would’ve done it early in the year.”

Griffin, for the most part, has shown a lot of restraint in both his actions and his words. When commenting on Lopez’s foul after a practice in 2012, Griffin was very calm and level-headed.

“I’m not going to say anything,” he said. “I’m not going to do anything.”

That approach keeps him on the court, but some players might argue that his approach also makes him vulnerable to continually receiving those hard fouls.

In 2012, as Griffin drove down the lane, Jason Smith essentially tackled Griffin to the ground, not even making an attempt at the ball. In 2013, Serge Ibaka swung his arm at Griffin as they battled for position down low. In 2014, Greg Oden shoved Griffin in the chest as he elevated for a dunk.

Of course, those are only a few examples of the hits that Griffin has taken. Here’s a look at some more.

Different players handle these situations differently. Shaquille O’Neal made it very clear that he’s not a player to be messed with. Bryant, too, said that early in his career he decided to let it be known that he will not stand for inappropriate fouls.

After years of punishment, it seems as though Griffin has reached his breaking point. This is the first time he has taken this tone.

“He’s getting real close to it,” Clippers’ point guard Chris Paul said of Griffin retaliating. “I’m glad [he didn’t] because we need him. A lot of times in those situations, we need him a lot more than the other team needs the person that usually [fouls him].”

Paul went on to call Griffin’s restraint one of the most selfless things that he does on the court.

“Even though he wants to react personally, he sacrifices for the team,” Paul said.

That may have been Griffin’s modus operandi in the past. But if Griffin continues to be the recipient of dirty and dangerous fouls, the team may very soon be making a sacrifice for him.