Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard's superhuman performance inside the bubble in Orlando has earned the praise and respect of Brooklyn Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn.
Following the Blazers' down-to-the-wire 134-133 win over the Nets on Thursday, Vaughn described Lillard as a transcendent talent who has been changing the game. The 45-year-old player-turned-coach was particularly in awe of the 8-time All-Star's range and courage to take those deep shots.
Jacque Vaughn on trying to defend Dame: “We gave him the full boat tonight. What a compliment. What a player. He’s changing the game — the ability to cross half-court and shoot the basketball with ease and accuracy. You give him a lot of credit.”
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) August 14, 2020
Following back-to-back scoring explosions against the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks, Damian Lillard torched the Nets with 42 points on a brilliant 13-for-22 shooting from the field and 8-of-14 from past the arc. The 30-year-old Oakland-native also scattered 12 assists, three rebounds, and two steals in 44 minutes of play.
The 6-foot-2 scorer also showcased his “Logo Lillard” form against Brooklyn, taking the Nets defense by surprise in the fourth period by uncorking another long-range bomb near halfcourt.
DAME FROM THE LOGO! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3jH7yD9y6E
— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 14, 2020
To Jacque Vaughn's credit, he did come prepared against the red-hot Blazers and its superstar guard. The Nets put multiple defenders against Damian Lillard and even trapped him consistently as he was about to enter the halfcourt line.
Still, the Nets' defense seemed helpless against Dame, who managed to find his open teammates each time he was in a pinch. The tight coverage didn't seem to bother Damian Lillard as much, claiming he stayed locked-in regardless of how far away he was from the basket.
While Damian Lillard's ridiculous total of 154 points in three games is indeed one for the books, it's his efficiency that truly is mind-boggling. The Blazers' best player shot an average of 56 percent from the field in those three games (46-of-82) and 4.8.8 percent from downtown (21-for-43).
The Blazers and Damian Lillard now have to win two games against the Memphis Grizzlies to set up a date with the top-seed Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
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