Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard was effusively appreciative of his head coach Terry Stotts, as he shared an Instagram post wishing him happy birthday with a caption explaining his road through the NBA.
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The 59-year-old coach has had the ultimate confidence in his young point guard, keeping him as his number one option on offense and even going as far as vouching for his All-Star bid. Their player-coach dynamic was perhaps the most underrated reason the Blazers thrived last season, getting as far as the Western Conference semifinals after losing four of his five starters during free agency.