In the Corona Bubble Damian Lillard is in absolute top form. Almost single-handedly, he is responsible for the play-off participation of the Portland Trail Blazers.
A boy from Oakland beats them all!
When the NBA moved to the Corona Bubble for the restart, the Portland Trail Blazers only had a ten percent chance of making the playoffs. That the Oregon franchise ended up fighting the Memphis Grizzlies to reach the playoffs is thanks to one man: Damian Lillard!
The 30-year-old averaged 51.3 points and nine assists in the last three games of the Regular Season alone. Almost single-handedly, he ensured that Portland reached the postseason for the seventh time in a row.
He even set a record that had been under the radar for many. After the Regular Season, the point guard had an outstanding three-way rate of 40.1 percent – with 10.1 attempts per game. The only player to have reached this level was Steph Curry, who managed the feat twice.
On a par with legend Chamberlain
But it is not the only elitist club that the superstar of the blazers could join. In the important 134-131 win against the Dallas Mavericks, he led his team to victory with 61 points. It was already the third game with over 60 points this season. He caught up with the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, the only player in NBA history to have done so.
“I’m very happy to be named in one sentence with him (Chamberlain, editor’s note), it’s a great honour,” he paid tribute to the legend and immediately added: “Luckily, two games of this game ended in a victory. Today (the win against the Mavericks) couldn’t have come at a better time.
This is Lillard’s second great strength. Besides his athletic quality, he’s also an absolute team player. His coach Terry Stotts also emphasized this after the Mavericks game in an interview with nbcsports: “His leadership and his game speak for themselves. He carries the whole team away.”
Lillard wants to emulate Nowitzki
The five-time All-Star is already used to being underestimated time and again. Before the season he signed a four-year contract for 196 million dollars. But the experts preferred to discuss the new power duo Kawhi Leonard and Paul George at the Los Angeles Clippers or how LeBron James and Anthony Davis should lead the Lakers back to fame and glory. The Brooklyn Nets’ chances with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were also a hot topic of conversation.
Lillard, on the other hand, remained true to himself. Instead of also looking for opportunities that could increase his chances of winning the championship ring, he stayed in Portland and emulated one of his idols – Dirk Nowitzki. “I respect what Dirk did. I acknowledge that and I think to myself, “It’s worth it. It was worth it for Dirk, too’. For that (the 2011 title and loyalty to the Mavs, editor’s note) he will always be respected in Dallas and the league.