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Zach Randolph recalls his matchups with Blake Griffin: 'It was personal'

Originally posted on Basketball Network | By Adel Ahmad | Last updated Nov 17, 2024 4:50 AM ET

There are player rivalries in the NBA that form out of playing styles or being the best at a particular position. However, there are also those that breed naturally.

Zach Randolph's rivalry with Blake Griffin may not always be in the spotlight when we talk about famous NBA player showdowns, but it stands out for those who saw it.

The rivalry

The gritty, bruising style of play that defined Randolph's career made him a unique force in the league, especially during his years with the Memphis Grizzlies.

From a tumultuous stint with the Portland Trail Blazers, where his toughness was often overshadowed by his team's internal struggles, it was in Memphis where "Z-Bo" truly became a household name, thanks to his relentless play and his leadership on the floor.

However, his biggest rival during his time with the Grizzlies came in the form of Blake Griffin, a rising star for the Los Angeles Clippers.

During the 2010s, when the Grizzlies and the Clippers were frequent playoff contenders, the games between these two teams were always a contest. And at the center of this rivalry was the battle between Randolph and Griffin.

Both players played power forward, but their styles couldn't have been more different. Griffin had explosive athleticism and technique at the rim. Meanwhile, Randolph was a bruising, methodical presence in the post and relied on a more calculated, physical approach to the game.

Zach Randolph was such a problem. He was a skilled bully.

Great foot work, great touch all the way out to 15-20 feet, went at all the great PF’s whenever he got a chance, knew how to use his body and strength. Lethal face up game. Monster on the boards. pic.twitter.com/lV3MZgENoO
— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) September 1, 2021

The contrast in styles only heightened the drama, and Randolph remembers those battles as some of the most intense of his career.

"Man, that sh*t was alive," said the Grizzlies icon. "Going against Blake, and you know me and Blake, we kind of play the same position, and I was with the Clippers before I got traded in '09 from the Clippers to Memphis, so he came in, not so really personal, but it was personal."

Two forces collide

The real heat between Randolph and Griffin was felt during the 2013 NBA playoffs, a series that brought their rivalry to its boiling point.

Emotions ran high in the first-round matchup between the Grizzlies and the Clippers. In Game 6, Zach and Blake were entangled under the basket and crashed on the floor like a wrestling duel. No. 50 was never one to back down, and it quickly became clear that neither player was going to give an inch.

"I'm like a chameleon; I adapt. So I'm a play nice with you, but if you get on that, I'm on that, so I guess he comes into the into the league... He was coming with guys that got him hyped up, so we just battled... It was great battles; you know he was a strong force; I was a strong force, so it was like sh*t, I ain't going; you feel me," Randolph said.

The Grizzlies forward, always the hard-nosed competitor, wasn't about to let Griffin's flashy game overshadow his own, especially because he was traded from Los Angeles to Memphis in the summer of 2009 to accommodate the high-flying No. 32 as the starting power forward.

In 23 games against Blake, "Z-Bo" averaged 16.1 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Griffin put up 17.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in those matchups.

This article first appeared on Basketball Network and was syndicated with permission.

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