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Niyo: Funnyman Griffin embraces no-nonsense leadership role with Pistons

Auburn Hills — Whether or not this second act of Blake Griffin’s career ends with a different sort of punchline than the first, know this: There are bound to be jokes.

But as another NBA season tips off, with Griffin stepping into the spotlight on a second-city stage no one’s mistaking for Los Angeles, the good news is the Pistons’ first genuine celebrity in years seems to understand what this stand-up routine requires.

It’s not so much a tough crowd — or even a full house — as it is a skeptical audience in Detroit, and for a franchise that has spent most of the last decade as a league laughingstock, a sense of humor certainly doesn’t hurt.