AUBURN HILLS – Blake Griffin’s fifth All-NBA honor was fully deserved but hardly assured.
It was arguably the greatest individual season in Pistons history and it was the overriding reason they made the playoffs in Dwane Casey’s first season. For that alone, it was deserved. Never mind what Griffin meant to the culture Casey arrived intent on establishing or how his evolution as a player opens up Casey’s playbook and expands the front office’s flexibility in roster management.
Yet it didn’t come with the benefit of much national television exposure. And that made it a coin flip whether Griffin’s dominance penetrated the consciousness of enough voters to make an impact.