The Los Angeles Clippers are playing the best basketball the franchise has ever played, and while Chris Paul's late game heroics in Game 7 against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs are what brought them to the next round, no one can overlook the brilliance that Blake Griffin has displayed.

With Paul sidelined by a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the Clippers second round series opener against the Houston Rockets on the road, Griffin took over facilitating duties, basically running the point. But that's far from all that he did as he finished with his second straight triple-double, and his third in just eight playoff games so far.

His 26 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists in Game 1 put him in elite company. As tweeted by NBA on ESPN, Griffin became just the third non-guard in league history with back-to-back playoff triple-doubles. Celtic great John Havlicek did it back in 1968, and Wilt Chamberlain did it twice in 1967. He also became the first player to accomplish the feat since Jason Kidd did for the New Jersey Nets back in 2002.

Through eight games in the playoffs, the dynamic big man, who missed a substantial chunk of the regular season with a staph infection in his right elbow, is averaging 27 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists. He's the first one to average at least 24, 13, and 8 since Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson did it in way back in 1963.

"He makes plays for everybody. He knows when to score, knows when to set teammates up. That's why he's at the top of the charts," teammate Jamal Crawford said. "I think the world is seeing how good he is. I think there's still levels for him to go. He's only 26, but he's as good as there is in the league."