Blake Griffin got swallowed up by the Warriors’ swarming defense

Less than two minutes into the the first quarter of the Clippers’ 115-98 loss to Golden State on Wednesday, Blake Griffin committed his first turnover: a bail-out pass that was picked off by Stephen Curry.

Later in the first period, Griffin corralled an offensive rebound off a missed DeAndre Jordan free throw. But instead of re-setting the offense through Chris Paul, he dribbled out, then got stuck in the low post and called for a three-second violation. And on the very next possession, Griffin attacked Draymond Green, whose presence forced a deflected pass recovered by the Warriors.

In all, Griffin finished with seven turnovers — five in the first quarter — and made just five of his 20 field goal attempts. For the Clippers to win, and win big, Griffin has to win his individual matchup handily. But on Wednesday, Green torched the Clippers on offense for 22 points (8-for-10 shooting, 3 for 5 from downtown) and tormented Griffin on defense.

The Warriors outscored the Clippers by 25 points with Green on the floor, a better plus-minus than any other player to see the court. Green’s defensive versatility (along with the Warriors’ infinite switchability) was on full display as he gave Griffin nightmares.

Griffin opened the second half the same way he opened the first: with a turnover. Only this time, it was Klay Thompson defending him on the low block, not Green, Zaza Pachulia, or Kevin Durant.

The vaunted Warriors defense is built on each player’s ability to switch on screens at any given moment. Here, the Clippers got what they wanted. Griffin got solid post position on Thompson after Draymond Green switched onto J.J. Redick.

But Thompson bodied up on Griffin’s first dribble, and then Durant stepped over from the opposite side, using his 7’4 wingspan to block the passing lane to the corner. Griffin committed the cardinal sin of jump passing, and you can hear a sigh of frustration when his last-ditch effort to CP3 was picked off by Curry yet again.

Another example of the Warriors’ defensive versatility that gave Griffin fits happened in the fourth quarter. Thompson, again, found himself switching in a Clippers screen. This time, Griffin caught the ball at the elbow, and when he forced Thompson into the paint, Pachulia came to help on the jump shot.

On the next Clippers possession, Griffin bullied Shaun Livingston to the paint before both Green and Pachulia smothered him, resulting in a blocked shot.

The Warriors aren’t just versatile enough to switch on screens. They know exactly when to help, and they’re doing it like clockwork.

Draymond Green made Griffin take some tough shots.

Green is one of the best individual defenders in the NBA because he forces players to take uncomfortable shots. Here, Griffin backed him into ideal position just a few feet from the basket. But Green stayed upright, kept his hands high, and forced Griffin to take a tough, contested hook shot from the restricted area.

Later in the game, Green and Griffin were matched with each other once again. Griffin got decent post position and could have bullied any other defender into the paint for an easy finish at the rim.

But no one is bullying Draymond Green on the court. So instead of attacking him, Griffin dribbled at an angle away from the rim to take a fading foul-line jump shot.

Rebound Golden State.

Green is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate, and his individual defense across multiple positions is the foundation on which the Warriors’ defensive scheme is built. He showed just how good of a defender he is on Wednesday night.

Blake Griffin made just three of his 12 shot attempts outside the paint. This season, he’s shooting a respectable 42.7 percent on shots between 15 and 19 feet from the basket. But the Warriors dared him to shoot the mid-range jumper on Wednesday, and the plan worked to perfection.

Here, Durant showed no respect for Griffin’s long-range shooting ability. The Clippers forward worked hard on improving his jump shot, but when it’s not falling, he becomes a one-dimensional finisher at the rim.

The Warriors/ defensive versatility gave Griffin some issues all game long, but he shot himself in the foot by missing 75 percent of his shots outside the paint. After a promising start to the season, the Clippers have skidded, dropping five of their last seven games. And if Griffin can’t get his mojo back, a long-awaited Clippers Western Conference Finals appearance could be in jeopardy.