No Subject

Q: Can you tell us a little about how your play has been this month and
your experience in the NBA this season?

Griffin: This season has been great. I've definitely been blessed to
play with a group of guys around me that take a lot of the pressure off
other guys. I play with Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce and Kenny
Anderson, and they're such great players. They attract a lot of
assignments from other teams, so that leaves me free to do other things.

Q: Having gone through the CBA and the route you've taken to get here,
how do you think your situation differs from a lot of other rookies who
either came straight from college or maybe spent a year in college or
out of high school?

Griffin: Mine took a littler longer than coming straight out of high
school or college. We all took different routes. I gained a little more
experience because, of course, I was older, and I was playing under NBA
rules playing in the CBA, playing with good competition. But, you know,
the guys that are coming out of high school and college are definitely
getting hands-on experience and you can't really beat that.

Q: You had mentioned that you are playing with a group of guys who take
the pressure off of you. How do you think that would differ from a guy
like Lamar Odom or some other rookies who are expected to come in and be
that impact type of guy?

Griffin: I'm sure it's tough for guys like that and it's probably a
little harder because they feel they have to carry their teams. They
have so much to do with their team's success. You have to credit them
for playing that well. But at the same time they're getting their
experience. I'm sure that Lamar is getting his minutes on the court and
getting the ball in his hands where he can learn what to do and what not
to do. Like I said, you really can't beat that type of training.

Q: How much were you expecting to play this year after you knew you had
made the team?

Griffin: Well, I really didn't know what to expect to tell the truth. I
was just glad to be on the roster. I was glad to make the team. I really
wasn't like, "I hope I start," or "I hope I play a lot of minutes."
Whenever the coach called on me I just wanted to be ready.

Q: Now that you've been in the league for a month, do you find that
teams know more about you and are playing you different, and how so?

Griffin: Well I remember in the first couple of games, I could get to
the basket easier. I think now they are shutting down the lane a little
bit, whereas before, I could get to the basket.

Q: Did you have any idea that at this point in the season you'd be
leading the team in minutes played, shooting percentage, steals and
rebounds? You're 6-5 and you're leading the team in rebounds. How is
that possible?

Griffin: Well first of all, Coach puts me on the court, and I do play a
lot of minutes. Teams usually don't focus on me. I'm tall and Antoine
(Walker and the others), they get a lot of attention. I just try and
play hard, and I guess sometime I'm at the right spot at the right time
for the board.

Q: Is rebounding always been something that comes easily to you?

Griffin: Rebounding hasn't come easy, but I think I've always had a
knack for the ball and just been in the right spot or kind of guessing
where the ball is going to come off the rim.

Q: Because of your early success this season and the fact that you're
one of the only rookies on the team, have some of the younger players
that have been in the league just a few years, such as Paul Pierce,
Danny Fortson, Tony Battie, given you some sort of advice on how to
handle NBA life?

Griffin: Not really, I'm older than most of the guys on the team, even
though they have been in the league longer than I have. Over that last
few years I've grown up. I have a family of my own, and playing in the
CBA, you learn how to adapt. I pretty much knew what to expect and how
to handle myself.

Q: Was there a low point along the way in your CBA and minor league
career, when you thought maybe this day would never happen? How did you
keep that spirit going so that this day could come to fruition?

Griffin: Well it was tough. But I think through a lot of prayer and a
lot of support from my family, especially my father being there and
encouraging me not to give up. Of course, I would have my days when I
felt frustrated and my future didn't look bright for the NBA. I believe
the Lord helped me through those times and definitely my family helped
me.

Q: Who spotted you first in the Celtics' organization? Was it (head
scout) Leo Papile? How did you get here in Boston?

Griffin: I played up here in Connecticut in the CBA, and that's the only
CBA team on the East Coast. We had a lot of scouts from the East Coast
teams come because it was convenient. Boston was right down the street
so they would have a scout there, so they saw me play a lot. They
invited me to the summer league. I was supposed to go to Miami, but my
agent set up a mini-camp, a four-day mini-camp, while I was playing in
the USBL. After the USBL season was over, Boston had another camp for
their summer league and I got invited back to that. They got a chance to
see me in LA and Boston.

Q: Do you think your scrappy style is a perfect fit for Boston? Do you
think this is the team and the style that accentuates your game the best
or do you think you could have done this in just about any system?

Griffin: I don't know. All I know is that the Lord has blessed me to be
in Boston. I don't question if I would be on another team or not. And I
really don't care. I'm just happy to be in Boston. I think it's a
perfect fit for me and I've been blessed to be here.