It has been a while since I have watched an NBA game and thought, “This guy is not going to let his team lose NO MATTER WHAT.” That is exactly how Damian Lillard made me feel as I sat on my couch watching the stone-cold killer in Number 0 erupt for 61 points to put his Trailblazers in the driving seat for a possible playoff run. Honestly, it felt like I was watching Kobe again. 

I texted a friend around when the fourth quarter started and said, “Dame is not losing this one.” He just had that look in his eyes, and everytime he shot the ball, it looked like it was coming off his hands perfectly. Yes, he made an absurd nine threes, but it was the way he tactically got every single one of his 61 points. 

18 free throws attempted, 18 free throws made. Every free throw earned. The way he would come off a dribble handoff at the three point line, into a screen, and the moment he felt contact on his hip, he stops, baits the defender into the contact, forcing the referee to blow his whistle. Three free throws, three points. 

It is extremely James Harden-esque of Dame, playing for the whistle, and it doesn’t always make for the best basketball content, but on August 11, seeing Dame Dolla put his team on his back to scrap for a win against a tough, talented Mavs team, I was loving every second of it. 

He just has the ability to get to his spot whenever he wants. If he dribbles up the court thinking “I want to shoot a three,” he can get that shot up. If he wants to get to the rim, or step back for a midrange J, he can do that too. And don’t blame the Mavericks, they were doing their best out there, I promise you. But when a guy can launch from 30 feet consistently like Damian Lillard can, there isn’t much a defense can do.

You just knew it was his night when his 32 footer with the shot clock winding down bounced off the back rim, took flight to the point where it went so high the cameraman had to zoom out to capture the ball in the screen, and back down seamlessly through the net. The absolute definition of “Shooter’s Touch.” 

I don’t know how you can root against Dame. His commitment to the city of Portland, his humble manner that’s a product of his upbringing, the way he carries himself on and off the court. If I am a diehard Blazers fan, there aren’t a lot of things I wouldn’t do for that man, because he has kept the Blazers relevant since Brandon Roy left. He is everything you want in your franchise player. 

As impressive as he has been, as impressive as his 112 points in his last two games (!!) has been, I am not ready to crown him as the best point guard in the league. There is still that “Baby-Faced Assassin” guy south of Portland, playing golf down in the sunny Bay Area, who honestly puts more fear in my heart than any player I have ever seen. But Logo Lillard is on his heels.

I need to see it in the playoffs. He still needs to prove it on the biggest stage. But if I am a sports better right now, I am putting all my chips on Damian Lillard, because he simply will not let his team fall short of the playoffs. He wants that 8-seed matchup against the Lakers, and I know for a fact LeBron and Anthony Davis are somewhere in the bubble hoping Dame falls short, because I know I would be. That guy is scary, and anything can happen in “Bubble Basketball.”

 

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