In one 12 second possession, the Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard changed the course of a franchise forever. Almost all NBA fans know what happened. In Game 5 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals, Lillard drained an impossible-looking bomb to send the Oklahoma City Thunder home. Lillard had an interesting response when Brian Berger of Sports Business Radio asked him about it, shouting out Seattle.
Berger- “You kinda changed the fortune of a franchise with that shot, huh?”
Lillard-“Yeah, that was for Seattle.”
Here's a little background to understand Lillard's barb. Before becoming the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team was the Seattle Supersonics. Even though the team boasted plenty of dedicated fans, the team was sold and relocated after 41 years.
Sonics fans were devastated by the transfer. OKC soon rose to relevancy on the shoulders of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.
However, the Lillard shot shattered the future of the franchise. After losing in the first round, the Thunder took a good hard look at themselves and decided they had reached their peak.
Within a few months, Paul George was a Los Angeles Clipper. Westbrook was a Houston Rocket weeks later. The entire franchise was dismantled and is now in full rebuild mode.
Lillard not only did Portland proud but also exacted a little revenge for Seattle. While the city might never get the team back, some fans will take solace that OKC could do no better than Seattle did, at least up to now.
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