Portland Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins had a feeling star point guard Damian Lillard was going to go off on Sunday in Game 1 of the team's first round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Blazers entered Sunday 0-10 in their last 10 playoff games. Lillard didn't play up to his usual standards in the 2018 playoffs and was the subject of a lot of criticism from pundits.
Lillard and the Blazers spoke all season how they wanted to atone for what happened in the 2018 postseason. Collins says Lillard had a look in his eyes before Game 1 started, so he knew the superstar was going to have a good game.
“He kind of had this look in his eyes,” Zach Collins said, via Jason Quick of The Athletic. “He was a little more serious than usual. You could tell he was ready. It almost looked like he couldn’t wait to get out there, like he was kind of caged up.”
Damian Lillard led the Blazers to a huge Game 1 win. The All-Star guard finished with 30 points, four rebounds and four assists while shooting 9-of-21 from the field, 5-of-11 from beyond the arc and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Snapping a 10-game playoff losing streak had to feel really good for the Blazers. Now, they will look to win the series against the Thunder and advance to the second round for the first time since 2016.
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