Blake Griffin Injury: Updates on Clippers Star's Knee Injury

As of Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Clippers were sitting pretty as they held a 3-1 advantage in their first-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies.

However, after dropping Game 5, things suddenly aren't so cozy. To make matters worse, the Clippers' two star players, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, missed time in the fourth quarter with injuries.

Update: Monday, May 14 at 3:45 p.m. EST by Adam Wells

The Clippers were able to get past Memphis in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, but Blake Griffin's knee is still turning out to be problematic as they prepare for a series with San Antonio. 

According to Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News, Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro said that Griffin might not be ready for Game 1 on Tuesday night. 

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Vinny Del Negro says Blake Griffin (knee) not certain to play in Game 1. Said if it were regular season, Blake would get"a week or 2" off.

— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) May 14, 2012"

Considering the lack of depth on the Clippers' roster, if they are without Griffin for any length of time in this series then they are in trouble. 

Update: Friday, May 11 at 7:20 p.m. ET by Eric Ball

With the prospect of heading back to Memphis for a Game 7 looming, Griffin is going to suck it up and play through the pain in Game 6 according to Arash Markazi of ESPN L.A.:

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No surprise but Chris Paul and Blake Griffin will start despite injuries in Game 6 for the Clippers. espn.go.com/los-angeles/nb…

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 11, 2012"

It remains to be seen just how effective Griffin will be on his knee. Coach Vinny Del Negro has to do some serious juggling with the minutes of his two stars tonight.

Update: Thursday, May 10 at 8:40 p.m. ET by Tim Keeney 

The Clippers have announced (via Royce Young of cbssports.com) Blake Griffin—along with Chris Paul—is a game-time decision for Game 6, but head coach Vinny Del Negro thinks they'll be OK.

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"We had to get Chris out of there in the end -- he was hobbling a little bit," he said. "I expect them both to be fine. They were both able to go back in the game. They are going to be sore and injured and they are going to have to fight through it as best they can."

"

Sounds to me like Del Negro is willing to put his stars out there no matter what, but after being forced to sit Paul in crunch time during Game 5, we'll simply have to wait for real confirmation from Los Angeles. 

Update: Thursday, May 10 at 8:19 p.m. ET by Tim Keeney 

Griffin's status for Game 6 against the Grizzlies has yet to be officially announced, but the Clips have at least avoided one obstacle.

The news comes from ESPN's Chris Palmer, who says Griffin's MRI today went well:

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Blake Griffin had an MRI today which showed no structural damage to his knee.

— chris palmer (@ESPNChrisPalmer) May 11, 2012"

We'll continue to keep update as we learn more about the star power forward's status for Friday.

Griffin's injury in particular sounds somewhat troubling, as the second-year forward suffered a sprained left knee, according to Clippers reporter Madelyn Burke on Twitter.

There isn't yet any indication as to whether Griffin will have to miss any time, but at the very least, you would have to think that the injury could limit him moving forward.

Griffin has been a key cog all season long for Los Angeles, averaging nearly 21 points and 11 rebounds per game during the regular season and coming off a 30-point performance in Game 4 against Memphis.

Without the services of their star power forward, the Clippers' offensive dynamic completely changes, so fans will undoubtedly be eagerly anticipating any updates on his condition.

If he can't play then much of the offensive burden will fall on Paul, but with CP3 injured as well, players like Caron Butler and Mo Williams would have to step up.

Griffin will have an MRI on his injured knee on Thursday (via ESPN.com), and that should shed some more light on the severity of his injury. Griffin did return to the game after landing awkwardly on his left leg in the fourth quarter, albeit in obvious discomfort.

Continue to check back here for more news on Griffin's injury over the coming days, as well as his status for Game 6 and beyond.