Blake Griffin says he'll 'probably' retaliate if he keeps getting flagrantly fouled

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin took a hard, mid-air foul from Utah Jazz forward Trevor Booker in a preseason tilt Friday night, the latest in a curiously long line of flagrants directed towards the four-time All-Star.

It's difficult to pinpoint the reasons Griffin has become a target for these reckless hits, aside from the fact that he happens to go airborne and/or barrel towards the rim at an elevated frequency. Some guys can be diverted by a light foul, or by having an arm or a body in their path. Blake Griffin isn't one of those guys.

But he's clearly getting frustrated by the mounting number of hard fouls. According to ESPN's Arash Markazi, Griffin says that the pattern, if it continues, will likely result in him fighting back.

"Yeah, probably," Griffin said of taking retaliatory measures in the future, before adding, "I'm not going to do it for no reason or if it's not warranted."

He almost got there Friday night, when after the foul, Griffin grabbed the back of Booker's head and locked him in a sort of seething staring match, before the two were pulled apart by their teammates.

"I was going to (retaliate), but then I thought, 'It's preseason,'" Griffin said. "It's not worth it. That's not the person I want to waste it on."

"He's getting real close to it," said teammate Chris Paul said of Griffin's boiling point. "I'm glad [he didn't retaliate] because we need him. A lot of times in those situations, we need him a lot more than the other team needs the person that usually [aggravates him]. It's tough. Blake is unbelievable to show that patience. I think that's one of the most selfless things that he does all season long because even though he wants to react personally, he sacrifices for the team."

"You don't ever want him to do anything," said Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, "but he gets hit with more cheap shots than anybody in the league. I don't even think it's close."

"You're not going to please everybody," said Griffin, "but I just got to do whatever I think is right and use my judgment."