(Photo : Steve Dykes/Getty Images) PORTLAND, OREGON – Damian Lillard (#0) of the Portland Trail Blazers drives to the basket on Jerami Grant (#9) and Paul George (#13) of the Oklahoma City Thunder throughout the second half of Game Five of the Western Conference quarterfinals throughout the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on April 23, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. The Blazers gained 118-115.
Damian Lillard doesn’t have an MVP award, however no one can argue towards the legacy he left with the Portland Trail Blazers, his dwelling for 11 years.
It’s the Milwaukee Bucks followers now who get pleasure from Dame Time after shifting to the East initially of the present season.
Blazers followers will see him once more on Wednesday, however on the different finish of the courtroom, carrying a special jersey.
The Damian Lillard-Portland Trail Blazers reunion will likely be emotional whether or not you might be from Rip City or not.
The eight-time All-Star can fill one documentary with all of the memorable video games and off-the-court moments he created whereas carrying the Blazers jersey.
Each Portland fan has their favourite, however listed below are the Top 5 Damian Lillard moments with the Blazers:
1. Playoff-clinching successful shot vs Rockets
The Houston Rockets had been coming into a brand new period within the 2013-2014 season after signing Dwight Howard to staff up with James Harden.
Dame performed a spoiler on their dream playoff run after devastating the Rockets’ protection inside and out of doors.
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The Rockets had been trailing 2-3 within the sequence and hoping to carry it again dwelling in Texas. They had been up 98-96 with 0.9 seconds, Blazers possession.
Dame Time occurred. He caught the ball in rhythm, his shot uncontested. The ball didn’t even hit the online.
It was pandemonium on the Rose Garden. Dame’s shot shocked the basketball world.
2. When he made Austin Rivers thank God
It is a nightmare guarding Dame one-on-one. He can hit a shot anyplace within the courtroom. Even from the half courtroom, as he is proven within the All-Star Game final 12 months.
Austin Rivers and the Denver Nuggets had been put inside a torture chamber after they performed within the first spherical of the 2021 playoffs.
He scored 55 factors within the sport, and the Nuggets wanted double additional time to place down the Blazers for good for a 3-2 sequence lead.
Denver needed to endure the barrage of three factors from Dame ranging from the final two minutes to the ultimate whistle. Rivers, his defender within the fourth quarter and OT interval, was even caught thanking God after he missed one shot. A sigh of reduction for him.
“Bro….he was not missing for s–t,” Rivers wrote on Instagram. “1 [hand] in his face, 2 hands in his face. Lol I’m like wtf is this. Banking threes and s–t. In all seriousness, it’s really fun to guard him. He’s as tough as they come. No lie.”
3. Walk off three vs Paul George, Russell Westbrook
This one is similar to a protagonist in a movie strolling away from an explosion.
Dame and some Oklahoma City Thunder gamers had been speaking trash of their first-round 2019 playoffs match. The then-Blazers star had the final snicker.
He hit a walk-off three to finish the sequence, 4-1, from the emblem on the precise aspect of the courtroom.
His shot was good, however his response throughout the celebration was higher.
4. Career excessive (71 factors) vs Rockets
Kobe Bryant’s 81 factors file stays untouchable, however Lillard got here near it final season when he scored 71 towards the Rockets to his profession excessive and Blazers file.
He transformed 13 three-point photographs on 22/38 capturing. It was the fifth time in his profession that he scored greater than 60 factors, subsequent to Kobe Bryant with six and Wilt Chamberlain with 32.
LEGENDARY. #RipCity pic.twitter.com/BaYNtlqSMK
— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) February 27, 2023
5. Becoming the staff’s All-Time prime scorer
Clyde Drexler’s scoring file and legacy as Blazers’ legend appeared untouchable, however Lillard’s rise into an excellent scorer erased that.
On December 20, 2022, he turned the staff’s all-time scoring chief in a loss to the Thunder.
He left the franchise with 19,376 whole factors, a file that will stay untouched for many years except one other participant as particular as Dame comes.
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