Blake Griffin: 'I'm sick and tired of taking hard hits'

Like Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin has had enough of being on the receiving end of hard fouls.

After having his nose bloodied by the Pistons’ Charlie Villanueva on Sunday night, the Bulls' Rose said, “I’m sick and tired of people trying to take cheap shots. ... He didn't even aim for the ball. At least go for the ball. I felt like he didn't and that's the reason why I got mad a little bit.”

Without mentioning a specific incident, the Clippers' Griffin said, per the Orange County Register, “I’m definitely sick of taking hard hits. ... There’s a point, I can’t remember what game it was, in my mind where I thought this is kind of ridiculous. I’m sick of it, but it’s going to keep on happening.”

The “most notable foul Griffin has taken this season happened at New Orleans, where Jason Smith shouldered Griffin to the ground on a fast break, earning an ejection and suspension,” according to the Register. But Griffin is often hammered around the rim.

“It’s affected me this year a lot, especially with the referees,” he said. “I’m just getting frustrated and getting my self in trouble with officials.” Griffin has accumulated 11 technical fouls this season, one of which has been rescinded.

While Griffin is not the most popular player in the league among his peers, he puts some of the blame on his poor free-throw shooting—he shoots about 51 percent from the foul line. “I’m sure if I was shooting better from the free-throw line, it wouldn’t be such a big deal,” he said. “It probably could eliminate some of them, so I guess it’s kind of my own fault in a sense.”

Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro doesn’t see things getting less physical for Griffin anytime soon.

“As we get into the end of the season and into the playoffs, it’s going to step up even a little more,” Del Negro said, according to the Register.