Oklahoma City Thunder: Clippers' Blake Griffin back on home crowd's good side

Most important, Griffin is willing to defer more frequently, an obvious adjustment given the Clippers finished 32-50 his rookie season and he is now surrounded by a far superior supporting cast.

“Blake wants to do everything right,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said during pregame.

Thunder coach Scott Brooks said no longer does Griffin have to try to be Superman.

“Athletically, I don't think he has to rely on that as much as he did early on,” Brooks said. “You can just see the game is slowing down for him and he still has plenty of room to grow, which is scary.”

Griffin's numbers are down from his rookie season when he averaged 22.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists, but his team's success rate has improved immensely.

“I think he's gotten better,” Brooks said of Griffin. “He knows the league. He knows the defenses that are being thrown against him. He knows the offensive tendencies of his opponent. I think that just goes along with being in the league and studying and watching and playing and listening to your coaches.”