Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard revealed his thought process in the clutch, a time all too familiar to the All-Star, which has been dubbed as “Dame Time” for the last few seasons.

“Usually when I'm in those moments, I'm like telling myself I'm about to come up big,” Damian Lillard told TNT's Ernie Johnson during an interview for NBA Together. “…In my heart I know that I work really hard, on the court, and I go work hard in my conditioning and then I go work hard in the weight room.

I know that I treat people the right way. I know that I do things the right way. I'm not perfect, but I know that I've done everything to give myself the best chance to be successful. I don't go into those moments thinking about what the negative outcome could be — it just doesn't cross my mind, so I always feel like I'm coming up big.”

Much of the Blazers guard's clutch comes from the faith in his preparation. Knowing he's put in the work to make those shots in big moments goes a long way to establish his confidence and giving him the mettle to take the shots at the end of the game.

Not only is it part of his self-confidence, but also the confidence that his teammates have in him to take and make those big shots.

Feeling like he has the backing of other capable guys like CJ McCollum and Carmelo Anthony, who has had the most game-winners of all active players, plays a big role when it comes to Lillard turning into Dame Time in the clutch.