Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers has become legendary in the NBA this year for his thunderous dunks and an intense, aggressive playing style that's at once awe inspiring and, at times, frightening.

On Sunday, the 6-foot-10, 250-pound 22-year-old forward-center nearly left his sneakers while executing a vicious dunk on Marcin Gortat of the Phoenix Suns. He then came very close to erupting after being whistled for an offensive foul. Griffin has a habit of chewing on his mouthpiece after big plays as if he were gnawing on carrion.

This unusually exciting and aggressive style has helped Griffin become the first NBA rookie to be named to the All-Star game in 13 years. But it's also raised an interesting question: why does he play that way?

Griffin was raised in Oklahoma City by a pair of churchgoing schoolteachers who home-schooled him until junior high. Jeff Capel, who coached Griffin at Oklahoma, said there's a perception that many great NBA players came from poverty, that their tough upbringings made them hungrier and that this hunger manifests itself on the court. But even though that's not the case with Griffin, he said, "he's just as hungry as anyone else in that league."

One possible explanation for Griffin's fire is a trait that's been front and center in this year's NCAA tournament: The fact that Griffin has an older brother who plays, too. Taylor Griffin, two years Blake's senior, also played at Oklahoma. He was drafted 48th overall by the Phoenix Suns in 2009 but was waived in 2010 and now plays in Belgium.