Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will be out for an extended period after his abdominal surgery. It's a sad development for Rip City fans as the squad might miss the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2013, with both Lillard and sidekick CJ McCollum out of commission.
Lillard has always been at his best when the stakes are high. We don't need to jog far into our memory to recall his epic battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs. He particularly had a heated matchup with Russell Westbrook as they jawed at each other relentlessly. In the end, the Trail Blazers won the series, capped off by Lillard's iconic, in-your-face, IDGAF three-pointer at the buzzer.
In a feature story by ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Lillard said the rivalry brought out a different side of him.
“That was probably the most trash talk I've ever done in my life, like in the game, where we all was just kind of talking s*** to each other. Everybody on both teams. People was getting separated. People were saying stuff after the game in the media, stuff like that.”
Surely, the Trail Blazers star is not one to run his mouth a lot. He's the silent killer-type when he's on the floor. But Lillard does make sure the opponent knows when he makes a big shot with his Dame Time gesture.
“There are trash-talkers in the league. But in this era, it's more gestures.”
In the meantime, the Trail Blazers, who are currently at 10th place in the Western Conference, will definitely need more than gestures if they want to make it to the NBA Playoffs.
Follow Us
Subscribe