Clippers' Blake Griffin fouls out, douses Warriors fan with water
After fouling out of a 109-105 Game 1 to the Warriors, Clippers forward Blake Griffin spilled water on a Warriors fan seated courtside as he reacted to a JumboTron replay of his sixth foul.
The water-logged fan's companion immediately began laughing at him following the sequence, which ended with Griffin tossing his cup towards the sideline. Both young men, dressed in Warriors t-shirts, were sitting adjacent to the Clippers bench and had been cheering Griffin's ejection.
"I heard [the fan] say something," Griffin told reporters after the game. "I didn't know exactly what I did. [The cup] wasn't full. ... I took my mouthpiece out and I picked up the cup. If I did [spill on him], I apologize."
The sixth foul came as Griffin slapped at David Lee during a Warriors possession. At the time of the foul, the score was tied at 105 with less than a minute remaining in regulation. L.A. came up empty on its four possessions following Griffin's early exit.
"I wasn't happy with [the call]" Griffin said. "After I had time to think about it, I have to be smarter in that situation. Knowing that I had five [fouls], that late in the game, that close of a game."
Griffin finished with 16 points (on 6-for-13 shooting), three rebounds and three assists in just 19 minutes of action. He fouled out of just four games all season, playing less than 20 minutes just once during 80 appearances.
"You just have to adjust [to the calls]," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "Unfortunately for [Griffin], I thought he was going to have a really good game. It looked like he was going to play well. It's tough to get your rhythm when you go in and out like that and you only play 19 minutes. I'm sure Blake would like to have some of those fouls back. You can't waste fouls."
Yahoo Sports reports that the two fans, Will Meldman and Justin Wolf, disagreed about whether Griffin's action was intentional.
Klay Thompson led the Warriors with 22 points (on 7-for-20 shooting), seven rebounds and five assists. David Lee added 20 points (on 8-for-13 shooting), 13 rebounds and three assists in the win.
Paul led the Clippers with a game-high 28 points (on 10-for-23 shooting), eight assists, seven rebounds and four steals, but he committed a late turnover and missed two free throws in the game's closing minute.
Golden State, the West's No. 6 seed, now holds a 1-0 series lead over the Clippers, the West's No. 3 seed. Game 2 is set for Monday in Los Angeles.
