Clippers’ Blake Griffin makes Phoenix take notice

The Suns have seen the video of this new and even scarier version of Blake Griffin, and it has forced Phoenix to take notice of the Clippers power forward that much more.

Three games into the regular season is indeed a small sample size, but Griffin has been playing some of the best basketball in the NBA, looking like an unstoppable force.

He’s averaging 32 points per game, third-best in the league heading into Monday night’s game, and 9.0 rebounds.

He’s making 64.4% of his shots, ninth-best in the league, and has a player efficiency rating of 37.83, third-best in the league.

This is what the Suns will have to contend with when they face Griffin and the Clippers (3-0) Monday night at Staples Center.

“He’s been pretty good the last couple of years,” Suns Coach Jeff Hornacek said, chuckling, after his team’s shoot-around earlier in the day. “The shot looks like it goes in every time from watching tape. He’s making that shot easy and without much hesitation. He’s just catching it and shooting it.

“Again, he’s been in the league long enough now and doubled enough and seeing all different things that [the Clippers] just go to option two. Blake seems to say, ‘If they are going to cut me off here, I’m going to spin and go there.’ That’s what makes these guys great players.”

Griffin seems to have had his way with the Suns in general over the past few games.

During the Clippers’ seven-game win streak over the Suns, Griffin has averaged 27.8 points on 61% shooting in six of those wins.

“We talk about it and the whole hard part is the analytics that you are looking at and you say, ‘OK, make him shoot that shot.’ But for some reason against us, he makes them all,” Hornacek said. “We don’t want to give him anything because we know he’ll make them. You try to keep him off the [free-throw] line.

“He’s powerful. He can go in there strong. He’s just a tough guy for us to guard. So we’re going to have to fight him the whole night and then have other guys help.”

Twitter:@BA_Turner