Clippers' Griffin: 'We haven't done anything and we know that'

Two division titles and four straight playoff performances don't amount to much in the mind of Los Angeles Clippers power forward Blake Griffin.

Even after a productive offseason that saw the Clippers overhaul one of the league's worst bench units from a season ago, Griffin still finds no reason to brag nor deserve recognition.

Griffin gave a humble account of his team in an interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.

"We've all been together and we've won two division titles ... that's not getting it done and I think if you talk to our team, everybody will say that," Griffin said. "At the same time though, yeah it does motivate you because you want that respect. But you have to earn that respect and I think we're still in the process of earning that respect and we have to accomplish something."

He added, "For us, we haven't done anything and we know that."

The Clippers are known for their arrogance, a reputation that stems from their showing up opponents with high-flying dunks, head coach Doc Rivers' incessant nagging toward referees, and Chris Paul's bitter brand of hard-nosed leadership.

Moreover, these sentiments are exacerbated by the Clippers' lack of postseason success. There's a perception that they haven't accomplished enough to warrant their swagger.

That's exactly what Griffin is refuting and, in his own words, respect is earned, not given.

To the Clippers' credit, they have been successful over the past four seasons, owing mostly to the superstar combination of Griffin and Paul. They also stood at the precipice of their first-ever Western Conference finals appearance this summer, staking a 3-1 series lead against the Houston Rockets in the conference semifinals before squandering their next three games.

Defeating the mighty San Antonio Spurs in a thrilling seven-game series in the first round, it seemed, was all for naught.

The Clippers revamped their roster over the summer and their new acquisitions could spur them toward making a long-overdue championship run. If they reach that goal, respect is bound to follow.

"No one is going to give you the title until you've actually earned it and we haven't earned that title of being a contender yet because we haven't even been to the Western Conference Finals yet," Griffin said. "That's the fight though, that's the battle that we have to overcome and I think we're all ready for that."