Blake Griffin proved again Saturday night that he's slightly ahead of John Wall in the NBA's Rookie of the Year race. (Photo: Associated Press)

In case there was any lingering doubt, or any sort of belief among even the most berserk Wizards supporters that John Wall still had a shot at this year's NBA Rookie of the Year Award, Blake Griffin put paid to that in the first quarter of Saturday night's 122-101 victory by the Los Angeles Clippers over Wall's Wizards. After the first 12 minutes of play, the stat lines read as follows:

Griffin: 4-for-7 field goals, 8-for-9 free throws, 16 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

Wall: 5-for-9 FG field goals, 2-for-4 free throws, 12 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds.

The stats don't appear to be so disparate, but on the floor it was plain to see who the more polished first-year man was. Griffin displayed a variety of low-post moves, including a spinning right-handed hook shot that would be the envy of any NBA power forward not named Tim Duncan, as well as an up-and-under swim move that would make an NFL defensive end proud.

During that all-conquering first quarter, it seemed that there would only be two outcomes whenever Griffin got into the low post: he would either score from the field or score from the line. Trevor Booker, Griffin's initial marker, had picked up two fouls 4:07 into the game. When Wizards coach Flip Saunders, forced to pick from a depth-challenged lineup (more on that later), threw Yi Jianlian into the fray, Griffin drew three fouls on the Chinese sub in the space of 2:33. Until Wall hit two free throws with 2:29 left to go in the first half, Griffin himself had shot more foul shots (11), than the entire Wizards team (10).

And if you wanted a moment that encapsulated the whole evening, there it was with 2:40 left in the second quarter: Wall driving to the bucket, looking to go over Griffin, and Griffin reaching out his hand and driving the ball (and Wall with it) to the floor, cleanly, I hasten to add.

"I got a couple of questionable calls that I didn't agree with," said an obviously frustrated Booker in the locker room after the game. "Sometimes it goes that way."

"Blake got a lot of calls, got our guys in foul trouble," said Josh Howard, who returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous three games, when he was asked if Griffin physically beat down his opponents. "I wouldn't consider that physicality."

Wall has shown a tendency throughout this season to go into hero mode when he feels that things are beginning to slip away from the Wizards, and with his team trailing by as many as 19 points in the first quarter, he shifted into overdrive very quickly, as the 9-to-2 shots to assists ratio after 12 minutes can attest. Though the final statistics show that Wall fought Griffin to a standstill (the Clipper outscored the Wizard 26-25, assists and rebounds went 8-2 and 7-5 in the other direction), the fact of the matter was that Wall was outdone in terms of efficiency by his old Kentucky teammate, Eric Bledsoe. Where Wall needed 33 shots (23 field goals, of which he made 9, and 10 free throws, of which he made 7) to score 25 points, Bledsoe required just 23 shots (14 field goal attempts, of which he made 9, and 9 free throws, of which he made 5) to score 23 points. Griffin, for the record, needed 28 shots to score his 26 points.

"I know the type of player he is," Wall said of Bledsoe. "He wants to push the ball back at you. If he sees any lanes or any gaps, he's going to explode at you."

Bledsoe's performance, not to mention the 17 rebounds grabbed by DeAndre Jordan Saturday night underscores another, often-unmentioned advantage Blake Grffin has in this hypothetical duel with Wall: Griffin's working with better teammates. It was obvious Saturday, as the Wizards were missing Andray Blatche (shoulder), Rashard Lewis (knee), and Cartier Martin (knee), but even if all three had played, given their body of work over the course of this season, it seems unlikely that there would have been a significant change in events. For example, the front line of Griffin, Jordan, Chris Kaman, Ryan Gomes, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Jamario Moon helped the Clippers outrebound the Wizards (led by Booker, JaVale McGee, Howard, YI, Maurice Evans, Kevin Seraphin, and Hamady N'Diaye) 50-38. Considering the Wizards came into Saturday night averaging 40.7 rebounds per game, it's hard to see how such a difference could be negated.

"It's tough being shorthanded," Wall said. "It's a great opportunity for young guys to get an opportunity to play. It's tough not having everybody out there, but whoever is out there, you have to play with them."

So no, this battle is not exactly being fought on equal footing. Wall was thrown into the deep end of a disintegrating team whose official disintegration was not yet complete by the time he arrived. Since the trade of  the still-largely-popular Gilbert Arenas to Orlando back in December, and with an ever-changing cast of characters around him, Wall has had to learn to be The Man on the fly, a task which, luckily for everyone who has a stake in the Wizards future, he has warmed to rather well.

Griffin, on the other hand, has flown under the radar by comparison. The old sobriquet that used to be applied to the Chicago White Sox -- "The Second City's Second Team" -- fits the Clippers perfectly when it comes to the pecking order of Los Angeles basketball (In fact, if you throw UCLA in there, the Clippers come in a distant third in the hearts and minds of that city's hoopheads). Having missed all of the 2009-10 season with a broken kneecap, Griffin has had to deal with jokes, some springing from genuine concern for his well-being, but most coming from incredulity at the sorry state and luck of the Clippers franchise, that his career might end at any moment. To his credit, he doesn't appear to be letting all that bother them.

"I'm trying to stay aggressive and keep getting to the hole," Griffin said after the game Saturday. "Mentally the injury [last year] really made me focus on getting better for this year. I was able to push myself and it has really made me appreciate playing every day now, and I am having a blast doing it. It really is a blast to be on the court and I cherish that feeling."

NBA Commissioner David Stern no doubt will hear their sound bites with a sigh of relief and consider the future of his league in good hands, despite the pending labor strife scheduled to begin after this season. That larger uncertainty mirrors what's coming in both young men's careers. It is very much an open question as to whether Wall and Griffin will end their careers where they started them (A big-money move by Griffin when he hits free agency, barring severe injury, is already being whispered as a fait accompli in some quarters).

But until those days arrive, all that John Wall and Blake Griffin are left with is their fledgling careers, and their many early challenges. And there is no shame in admitting that the out-of-towner is just a little farther along in dealing with both.