Spurs’ ‘Bruise Brother’ says NBA too soft Former ‘Bruise Brother’ says today’s NBA too soft for his liking

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Paul Griffin loves his adopted hometown, his old team and its players, both past and present.

But the former Spurs power forward who donned the silver and black from 1979-83 is no fan of the current NBA.

Or at least one facet of it.

“I think the referees are way too involved in the game these days,” Griffin said. “They control the game too much, slow it down too much.

“It used to be more physical. If you knocked somebody down, you weren’t given all these flagrant fouls and technicals. If a little guy came in (the lane), he knew he might be looking up at the ceiling before the play was over.”

Spoken like a true “Bruise Brothers” original.

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Paul Griffin, who played with the San Antonio Spurs from 1979-83, still has his old jersey and lives in San Antonio. Paul Griffin, who played with the San Antonio Spurs from 1979-83, still has his old jersey and lives in San Antonio. Photo: Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News Photo: Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 36 Caption Close Spurs’ ‘Bruise Brother’ says NBA too soft 1 / 36 Back to Gallery

Griffin was a founding member of the Spurs’ group that earned the popular nickname for its physical play.

He joined five other players — Dave Corzine, Mark Olberding, the late Kevin Restani, George Johnson and Reggie Johnson — in forming a beloved troup that took pride in rattling the bones of opposing players who tried to establish position inside the paint.

A former Express-News sports columnist is credited for coining the nickname, which played off “The Blues Brothers” movie that was a smash hit the summer prior to the 1980-81 season.

Griffin had been acquired by the Spurs from the New Orleans Jazz the year before. He knew little about the team or the city.

That all changed pretty quickly.

“We were a pretty close-knit team,” said Griffin, one of several former Spurs players still living in the San Antonio area. “We hung out together. I enjoyed playing with all of them.”

A former star at Western Michigan where he helped the Broncos to their first NCAA tournament berth and Sweet 16 appearance in 1976, Griffin was a role player, a banger down low who came off the bench to provide muscle.

He averaged 5.3 points and 5.2 rebounds a game in his four seasons in San Antonio and played on some good teams coached by Stan Albeck, a member of the S.A. Sports Hall of Fame.

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“He was a decent defender and good rebounder who fit right in with that (Bruise Brothers) group,” Bob Bass, 86, a former coach and general manager of the Spurs, said of Griffin. “He was one of those pick-and-roll guys who would go to the offensive and defensive boards. That was a real asset to the team. And he was good in the locker room.

“I liked him. I went quail hunting with him a couple of times.”

Twice the Spurs — with Griffin playing a key bench role — made it to the Western Conference finals, losing both times to a Los Angeles Lakers team with a star-studded lineup that included Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson and James Worthy.

“We just couldn’t get past them,” Griffin said. “On paper they should have beaten us pretty easily. But we played them tough.”

The Spurs had their own explosive lineup headed by George Gervin and Mike Mitchell. Two of the Bruise Brothers, Corzine and Olberding, were dealt to Chicago before the 1982-83 season for 7-foot-2 center Artis Gilmore in an effort to combat the Lakers’ strong front line.

To no avail.

“I played on some really good teams,” Griffin said. “I played with a great bunch of guys, great coaches, great city, great fans. You couldn’t ask for a much better situation than I had here. It was the best thing to happen to me professionally.”

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Griffin retired following the 1982-83 season after blowing out his knee and undergoing three surgeries to repair it.

“I was 29 years old and figured I still had a lot of walking to do,” he said. “I saw the handwriting on the wall.”

A native of Shelby, Michigan, Griffin decided he liked the Texas winters and settled in San Antonio, where he has lived ever since and worked in the title insurance business.

Griffin, 61, and his wife Kim raised two sons and a daughter, all of whom earned athletic scholarships in college.

He spends summers now at a house on Lake Michigan, but San Antonio remains home. He said he still is recognized at local restaurants and the grocery store by longtime Spurs fans, who have never forgotten his days as a Bruise Brothers original.

Griffin said the promotion, highlighted by a poster giveaway by a local shoe store featuring the six players wearing fedoras, ties and sunglasses, “was great, but it didn’t change our style of play.”

He said he, Restani, Corzine and Olberding formed the group’s nucleus. Reggie Johnson and especially George Johnson, a fearsome shot blocker, “were more finesse players.”

Griffin said he’s a huge fan of the Tim Duncan-era Spurs and goes to “10-15 games a year.”

As for the Bruise Brothers, they couldn’t have existed in today’s NBA, Griffin said. Not with the way the referees call the game.

“They overdo it,” Griffin said. “I guess they’re just trying to protect their multimillion dollar players. We didn’t have too many of those back when I played.”

jwhisler@express-news.net

Twitter: @johnfwhisler