Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard had the opportunity to relive one of the fondest memories of his career on Sunday.
Lillard dissected his thought process during his staggering buzzer-beater to send the Oklahoma City Thunder packing during the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. He also reflected on the aftermath of the shot, from waving “bye bye” in the direction of OKC's bench to creating one of the most memeable moments of the NBA season when he glared into the camera.
“I just looked at the camera. I didn’t even mean to make a face.” 🤣🤣
–@Dame_Lillard recalls his series-clinching shot vs. OKC on @KristenLedlow's & @Candace_Parker's podcast ➡️ https://t.co/hjXZbl5XGG pic.twitter.com/UOxV3hkp0Q
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 5, 2020
The shot itself had sheer shock value in the sense that Lillard launched from beyond area code range over an elite defender in Paul George. But the fact it ended the series and also capped a 50-point night make this one of the most notable shots in recent NBA history.
Of course, the reaction and scrum of Trail Blazers piling on Lillard also gave fans an epic cameo reminiscent of something out of “The Office.”
Lillard's dagger also gave him a second series-winning jumper in his career, as he hit a three-pointer to defeat the Houston Rockets in Game 6 of the 2014 playoffs to give the Trail Blazers their first series victory in 14 years.
This season has not given Lillard or Trail Blazers fans nearly as much to cheer about, as Portland was 29-37 prior to the suspension of play due to the coronavirus pandemic. Though, the fault certainly does not lie with Lillard.
“Dame” was averaging 28.9 points, 7.9 assists and 4.3 rebounds through his first 58 games, also ranking fifth in the NBA in win shares, per Basketball Reference.
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