MEMPHIS – It has been a charmed life, for the most part, since Damian Lillard landed in Portland three summers ago. Unanimous Rookie of the Year. Two-time All-Star. NBA playoff hero. And enough endorsements and shoe contracts to ensure he never has to work again. But now, as the Portland Trail Blazers prepare to fly home from Memphis with an 0-2 deficit that feels more like 0-20, nothing at all is comfortable for Lillard. His shot is off. His pace has been rushed. And the combination of Mike Conley and Beno Udrih have run circles around him and the Blazers' defensive schemes. "Obviously,'' Lillard said, "I'm not helping the team. But I have to stick with it.'' He has played these first two games with a blank look. Eyes fixed ahead. Never changing. My inbox has been filled with accusations: Lillard doesn't care. He's not trying. He's quit. Never before has Lillard walked the streets of Portland in this climate. He is a star, but a star who is not living up to expectations. That burden has buried others in the past. Shareef Abdur-Rahim never did get in a groove in Portland, the pressure to replace Rasheed Wallace so great it eroded his confidence. Rudy Fernandez saw his role increase in the playoffs, and he shriveled under the spotlight. Even Arron Afflalo in his short time in Portland has struggled with the weight of replacing Wesley Matthews. But while many of you see indifference and quit in Lillard's eyes, I see something entirely different. I see Lillard Time. No, he hasn't hit the big three-pointers in this series. In fact, he is 1-for-11, missing his first 10 before making his only three with 4:32 left in the game to bring Portland within 12. And he hasn't really done much of anything that could be considered clutch, helpful or effective. All told, Lillard is 10-of-37 from the field and has a staggering four assists in more than 79 minutes. But he has the same approach and demeanor as he does when we laud him with labels such as clutch, fearless and unflappable. "When I made the big shots, people say, 'How can you be calm and do that?' And I always responded with 'Because I can handle it when it doesn't go in. And I can handle it when things aren't going well,' '' Lillard said. In his brief career, this is probably Lillard's biggest and most public dance with failure. He vowed before the playoffs that he would "show up" in this series. Obviously, he has not. "When things don't go well is when people will be quick to kick you down, or talk bad about you,'' Lillard said. "That's the way it goes. I know things will work out and everything will turn around.'' Keep in mind: this is not a prima donna, spoiled kid. He doesn't play the card often, but every once in a while, he will remind that he hails from Oakland. Brookfield. "I've been in way worse situations in my life,'' Lillard said. "Period.'' It was like that last season, after Game 2 in Houston, when once again he outperformed a pugnacious and pesky Patrick Beverley. In a back hall, Lillard scoffed at the notion that Beverley's tactics would rattle him. As a youth in Oakland, he was mugged. He has been in street fights. And witnessed some harrowing, real-life things. He knows he can't run from this and try to make excuses. He knows that talk is cheap. "I know that I'm my biggest critic,'' Lillard said. "What people say is kind of ... it doesn't bother me as much because I'm thinking about (his slump) and trying to figure out what I need to do to be better.'' Across the locker room, the Blazers' other All-Star, LaMarcus Aldridge can relate. Dating back to his first two playoff series, he can remember what it is like to struggle. The chatter, both internally and externally, can become deafening. "You got to let guys figure it out,'' Aldridge said. "Me talking to him and getting in his ear isn't going to make anything better. I've been there and I think everybody tells you this, tells you that, and it just messes you up. I think he will be better going home.'' Game 3 is Saturday at the Moda Center in Portland. Lillard says the team has to "keep believing." "I'm happy that I'm a guy with a lot of confidence,'' Lillard said. "I'm just going to stay with it. '' --Jason Quick | jquick@oregonian.com | @jwquick http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/i...e_of_his_most_public_danc.html#incart_m-rpt-1
Oh so quick launches a "Aldridge is going to bolt" piece, then some heart warming "Lillard never gives up" piece? The piece is really "Quick is a piece of wet, slimy, corn chunky, and Sloshy shit"
Why are we blessed with Quick again? What happened to him quitting covering the Blazers? Can we go back to that please?
A lot of Lillard's weapons are gone or hampered. It allows Memphis to focus on him. We may not win this series. Lillard may not get unstuck for the rest of it. None of that changes my opinion about him.
With all due respect to the rest of the posters, this hasn't been an issue for Lillard in just this series, and I don't think we should let the name of the guy writing the article detract from a very real concern that could help determine the direction of this franchise for years to come. I think Lillard has been largely unfocused for the second half of the season. People can talk about his injuries, but I haven't seen anything to confirm that to such a point it would explain the decline. I think he's overthinking. I think he either let his mind get on other things or something, then struggled a bit and then started pressing. He just seems all out of sorts to me with his shot selection and decision-making along with his execution. I'm hoping this isn't a case of getting too much notoriety too soon and not being able to handle it. I mentioned it in another thread. I remember Stephon Marbury coming into the league with all this acclaim and then after a few years he was defined as a talented guy that just didn't quite get it, although he continued putting up really good numbers. I don't know Lillard to say whether getting those commercial deals and the highlight mixes all went to his head or whether the all-star snub got into his head. To me, he just shows a lot of signs right now of a guy who has been pulled in a lot of different directions and isn't letting the game come to him, he's overthinking it instead of just playing the way he knows how.
We've really had no one else for Memphis to guard beyond the 3 point line. Our screeners are setting poor picks and all Lillard can do is drive. He's had contested shots from beyond 3 the first 2 games sans one or two 28-footers. They're letting LA try to beat them without even really double teaming. Missing Wes and Afflalo is palpable.
Actually I think Lillard needs the coach to coach him into using the talents he has not the one's he wants. I thought that might have happened during the 1st quarter second game. Lillard's first shot was a nice floater eight feet out rather than drive it into the forest. Then no three pointer attempted in the 1st, I was pleased, I though progress was made. Then we returned to normal. Damn! You know this guy has handles and all kind skills this team needs, but WTF? One assists the whole fucking game. That is on the coach 1st, Lillard second. A good coach would not let that happen, Lillard's would never forget the ass chewing he got the first time he did it way back earlier. It wouldn't be happening in the playoffs.
Damn these conversations about Lillard would have been unheard of months and months ago.. Wait till his representatives ask for the max this summer. Oh boy it's going to get ugly
The problem is teams are trapping Lillard and that cause our offense to get out of rhythm. We simply aren't awaiting this move from the defense, ready to attack with a counter. This has been our biggest detriment all season long and exactly why the Clippers handled us with ease throughout most of the year ... and frankly, I'm surprised more teams didn't do so. Losing Wes also allowed defenses to put even more focus on Lillard as they probably aren't as fearful of McCollum or Afflalo beating them. But what I think we lack of the most is a bigger ballhandler who can break the defense down off the dribble and create their own shot. Batum is tall and can run some of the offense, but he doesn't finish with the ball in his hands, rather he's always looking to distribute. McCollum is getting there and Wesley is better suited catching and shooting or posting up on the block. We need a bigger guard or small forward who can make defenses pay off the dribble when they trap Lillard.
Great players find ways to adjust and give their teams a chance, even in the face of adversity. They make the guys around them better more than vice versa. Damian has looked lost these last couple of games. No doubt, being minus both Wes and Afflalo has an impact, and Conley and Memphis always give Lillard fits anyway. But Lillard hasn't looked right in months, even when we had everyone.
It is mental. All started when he did that stupid bow and arrow thing. That was about the time I remember reading about Curry or Thompson having hit so many threes in their first three seasons. I think Dame wanted to hit more and you've seen the results.
I've been saying that all year. When you think about all of the comebacks we had . . . why were able to come back so many times from double digits? A lot times it was because the defense went conservative with the lead & we were able to get back into our offense. Case in point was the crazy game at OKC when we came back from down 10 in 92 seconds. We started off great that game. Finally OKC started trapping/jumping our P&R's & we fell apart. Went from up 13 midway through the 3rd, to down 13 midway through 4th. But OKC started to sit back defensively in the last few minutes & we were able to get back into the game. We didn't even have Batum that game. Other than Dame, Nic is the only serviceable ball handler of the starters. But he's not exactly Lebron. He's pretty good handling the ball in space, not so good in traffic. Dame struggling over the 2nd half of the season has a lot more to do with the defensive pressure he's been facing than anything else. So yes, we need a ball handling 2/3 & I would add that he should be a good passer as well. CJ is a decent ball handler, but he doesn't see the floor very well (at least not yet). The biggest adjustment we haven't made in the 2nd half of the season offensively is making teams suffer for trapping us on the perimeter. There simply hasn't been a lot of negative consequences for forcing Damian to throw out to perimeter or high post. We've looked uncomfortable & out of sync in these situations for quite a while (even before Wes got hurt). It's debatable whether this is all personnel/roster related or if part of this falls on the coach.
You are comparing someone struggling or being unfocused in your eyes, to someone who absolutely refused to share any spotlight with Kevin Garnett... Let alone anyone else... Come on that's reaching.
