Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum made a promise to himself after his team was swept out of the first round by the New Orleans Pelicans. Following a disappointing exit and a promise to Jennifer later, the shifty guard swore to himself he'd no longer be bounced out this early from the NBA playoffs.

“We got swept last year. It was on TV every day. They talked about me getting traded, how we can't win together,” said McCollum, recalling his postseason fate last season, according to Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. “I was able to fly to Europe to see my brother play because the season ended so early. I told him this year, I ain't going to be able to make it.”

McCollum's older brother; Errick, is a prominent player himself — mostly known for scoring 82 points in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2015 while leading the league in scoring that year.

Scoring runs in the veins of the McCollum family, as Errick, now a member of Unics Kazan in Russia, has four scoring titles to his name in three different countries — an inspiration of sorts for the younger CJ.

The Blazers two-guard dropped a team-high 27 points on Sunday in 42 minutes, now more likely to expand his postseason life with a 3-1 lead on the Oklahoma City Thunder, heading back to the Moda Center for a Game 5 as potential closeout affair.