The Portland Trail Blazers missed their chance to take a stranglehold 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets when they let Game 4 slip to their opponents, falling by a final score of 116-112. There will be no one more disappointed in the Blazers loss than the current face of the franchise, guard Damian Lillard. Lillard led off his postgame interview by revealing his feelings on the game:

The dynamic guard does just what NBA coaches love to see the leaders of their team do. Lillard does not lie to the interviewers and acknowledges that the loss hurts. Admitting this shows he genuinely cares about his team's progress, rather than just brushing it off as another loss.

However, Lillard knows that Portland will have to rebound quickly. They have no time to wallow in pity or else the team will have no chance at upsetting the number one seed in the Western Conference. Dame makes sure his team knows this in preparation for Game 5.

The fact that the Blazers have gotten this far is a testament to the team's resilience and Lillard's brilliance. Already, the Oakland native has had a 50 point playoff game to go along with a 37-foot game-winner that will be engraved in Blazer's fans minds forever.

Even in the absence of the team's third best player, Jusuf Nurkic, Portland has been a force. Game 5 will be the most important playoff game Lillard has probably ever played in his life. Win it, and he is one step closer to reaching the Western Conference Finals, where he has never reached. Lose it, and the Blazers will have an impossibly high peak to climb if they want to continue on their path to the championship.