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Blake Griffin could be more at center of Clippers’ small-ball setup

Clippers forward Blake Griffin tries to pass the ball as Wizards guard Bradley Beal, left, and forward Jared Dudley double team him during the second half.

Clippers forward Blake Griffin tries to pass the ball as Wizards guard Bradley Beal, left, and forward Jared Dudley double team him during the second half.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
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Eric Smith, the Clippers’ public-address announcer, is telling only part of the story before games when he introduces Blake Griffin at forward.

Griffin also played some center Sunday as part of a new small-ball lineup, one Coach Doc Rivers said he intended to use at times in the playoffs.

Having the mobile Griffin at center allows the Clippers to switch all five players defensively, an option they do not have when traditional backup center Cole Aldrich is on the court. It’s a setup that could help them match up better against potential playoff opponents Memphis, Portland and Golden State, which feature their own small-ball alignments.

Using Griffin at center also allows the Clippers to stagger their starters, ensuring that Griffin or center DeAndre Jordan is on the court at all times. And the Clippers can utilize Griffin’s superior passing skills with four smaller teammates.

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“We’ll be able to switch a lot more, spread the floor a lot more with Blake at the five, Jeff [Green] at the four, things like that,” Jordan said Monday. “Just using different combinations of different players together is something that’s going to help us.”

The Clippers had intended to primarily use Josh Smith as their small-ball center this season before his sagging production led them to trade him to Houston in January. Rivers said he had also hoped to feature Griffin at that position before quadriceps and hand injuries forced Griffin to sit out 45 games.

The new look is not going to fundamentally change the way the Clippers use Griffin.

“I want to see him at his normal position 95% of the time,” Rivers said, “but yeah, I want to see him at the five at times, too.”

Griffin played center in the second quarter Sunday against the Washington Wizards alongside Green, Wesley Johnson, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers. He manned the position again briefly in the fourth quarter when Rivers removed Jordan so the Wizards could not foul Jordan away from the ball and send him to the free-throw line.

It was not always an easy transition for Griffin. He was occasionally in the wrong spot on offense and probably needed to roll more toward the basket as opposed to lingering on the perimeter, but he’s got six more regular-season games to figure out the nuances.

Rivers said Griffin’s quadriceps felt fine Monday after his first game back following an absence of more than three months. The coach cautioned that a bigger test could come after Griffin plays a couple of more games this week.

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Etc.

Ben Bolch and Lindsey Thiry break down Blake Griffin’s return in the Clippers’ 114-109 victory over the Wizards. 

Rivers said he doubted veteran forward Paul Pierce could play Tuesday against the Lakers because of lingering discomfort from the ankle injury he suffered last week against Boston.

Rivers said he might rest a few of the starters Wednesday during the Clippers’ second game against the Lakers in as many days. He sat Jordan, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick on Thursday in a similar situation against Oklahoma City.

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