Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard opened up about the continued comparisons between him and Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.

While Lillard was understanding of why some casual observers might link the two–and even in some cases believe that Curry influenced the Blazers guard–Lillard was frank in his assessment of his originality.

“I understand Steph has been playing for championships and has been on national TV countless times. They were building a dynasty. So naturally, when he’s making all these long 3s, everyone is going to pay attention to him. I get that,” the Blazers star told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. “Meanwhile, I’m in Portland and we’re not getting the exposure as some of the other big teams and so a lot of people didn’t know that I’ve been doing this. So I don’t try to convince people that I can do what Steph does. This is what I do.”

Although the Warriors spent the better part of the last decade as marquee contenders while Portland was often ousted in the early rounds, recent developments have seen a role reversal between the two franchises.

With Stephen Curry's Golden State undergoing a modest rebuild, Damian Lillard and the Blazers have taken center stage in the NBA, reaching the conference finals last season and further elevating Dame's reputation as a playoff hero. Even though they have yet to break through and win an elusive championship, Portland's place among NBA contenders should ensure that Lillard is recognized among fans as an elite player in his own right–regardless of any links to Curry.

Should he continue to produce, the only comparisons Lillard will receive will be among the all-time greats.

Lillard and the Blazers will look to finish a sweep of a short, two-game series in Oakland Sunday night against the Warriors. Portland took the first match between the two, 123-98, on Friday night.