Damian Lillard believes the Portland Trail Blazers could have defeated the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 Western Conference Finals had they had Carmelo Anthony on the roster. Portland wound up getting swept by Golden State last season, in part because the Blazers were playing without center Jusuf Nurkic.

While it may be a stretch to say Anthony would have been the difference in that series, Melo has turned out to be a great addition for the Blazers, who are inching closer and closer to that eighth spot in the West. While he's glad Anthony is on the team now, Lillard can't help but wonder how far Portland could have gone in past postseason runs had they had Anthony:

https://twitter.com/highkin/status/1291833363049746432

Anthony was linked to the Blazers in 2017 when he was traded by the New York Knicks to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The veteran played one season with the Thunder before getting traded to the Atlanta Hawks, only to be released so he could sign with the Houston Rockets. He played just 10 games with the Rockets, and it took him a long time before finding a new home in Portland.

Anthony has appeared in 54 games for the Blazers this season. He's averaging 15.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from beyond the arc and 83.7 percent from the free-throw line.

As of this writing, the Blazers are 3-1 down in Orlando, Florida. Anthony is putting up 14.0 points per game and shooting 50.0 percent from 3. He has already hit a few clutch shots from deep at Disney World.

The Blazers are back in action on Saturday when they take on Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers. It's another opportunity to get the eighth seed and set up a first-round matchup against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs.