Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard has gained a new fan in Skip Bayless.
Bayless boldly proclaimed Lillard is a better all-around player than Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook during the April 24 episode of FOX's “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.”
"All Damian Lillard did last night was prove once again, maybe once and for all, he's just a better basketball player than Russell Westbrook. … Lillard is a better leader, closer, shooter, creative passer and all-around point guard than Westbrook." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/ynpB7m6zp8
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) April 24, 2019
Bayless' comments come in the wake of Lillard's amazing 50-point performance in Game 5 of the Western Conference first-round playoff matchup between the Blazers and Thunder.
Lillard drained a 37-foot three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Paul George as time expired. Portland won Game 5, 118-115. The Blazers will face the winner of the San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets playoff series.
Lillard also scored 34 points in the first half of Game 5 against Oklahoma City. According to the Blazers' official Twitter account, that was the most a player has scored in a playoff half in 14 years. Former Dallas Mavericks point guard Steve Nash scored 35 points in a half back in 2005.
The Lillard vs. Westbrook matchup was one of the most intriguing storylines of the series. It pitted two high-scoring point guards who can deliver in the clutch.
Which guard would you rather build your franchise around?
RT for Damian Lillard
LIKE for Russell Westbrook pic.twitter.com/dLWJrUESYy— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) April 22, 2019
Lillard told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes on Tuesday he had no personal vendetta against Westbrook.
I took it personal from the jump, but not in the sense of a one-on-one battle with Russ.
Throughout the series, I never bought into the discussion of what people on the outside were saying about our so-called beef.
It was never personal with me. I wasn't going to come down and try to match him shot for shot. I was trying to win.
Lillard averaged 33.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists against the Thunder. On the other hand, Westbrook averaged 22.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 10.6 assists against the Blazers.
Is Lillard the better player? Bayless certainly thinks so. If we were to use their first-round playoff series as a barometer, Westbrook was the better passer and rebounder by a mile. He's an automatic triple-double machine. Let's not forget he was the 2017 NBA MVP.
On the other hand, Lillard is arguably the better scorer. The best way to settle the argument is to witness more playoff battles between the two in the future.
We get the feeling this won't be the last time.
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