Griffin: Clippers growing together is 'opposite of how we did it in past years'

The Los Angeles Clippers began this season on a four-game win streak, talking openly about how different things felt with Chris Paul gone and the team charting a new path. Then things promptly went to hell, with injuries piling up at a comical rate and the Clippers losing 18 of their next 25 games.

Most observers buried them at that point, expecting them to deal the likes of DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams and tank for a high lottery pick. Instead, they've reeled off a 12-3 run behind a nuclear Williams, a now-healthy Blake Griffin and Milos Teodosic, and a cadre of two-way guys and minimum-salaried role players like C.J. Williams, Tyrone Wallace, Willie Reed, and Jawun Evans.

Griffin and Paul never quite clicked, on or off the court, in their six seasons together. And, while those Clippers teams still routinely won 50-plus games and never finished lower than fifth in the West, Griffin seems happier with this current iteration.

"I'm having a blast," Griffin told ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz.

"We're growing together as a team, instead of starting out the season close and growing apart, which is kind of the opposite of how we did it in past years."

The Clippers now sit tied for sixth in the West, having notched three combined wins over the conference's top two teams in the past month. And Monday night's tempestuous win over Paul's Houston Rockets was the latest in a string of galvanizing performances for the suddenly scrappy outfit.

"It's a fun team, man," Griffin said. "Everybody trusts and enjoys playing with each other. It's fun to play a game like (Monday night) in an emotional atmosphere like that, and not run from it. It's fun trying to win games however we can, whether there are injuries. And it's fun figuring it out as we go."