Damian Lillard brings his fearlessness from Oakland to Portland to create history Jason Quick | jquick@oregonian.com May 3, 2014 09:18 AM When he was a rookie last season, Damian Lillard reminded people that his eyes have seen more than most. Growing up in Oakland, Calif., he said he had seen robberies. Fights. Drugs. One time, he said he was mugged. So when the Trail Blazers started the 2014 NBA playoffs, and the chatter was heavy about the physical, in-your-face defense Houston’s Patrick Beverley would play on Lillard, it wasn’t false bravado when Lillard stared blankly with a “So what?’ stare. There was more than just a part of Oakland there Friday night in Game 6 on that Moda Center court, putting the finishing touches on a shot we will never forget, propelling the Blazers to a place they haven’t been in 14 years. How else to explain that cold look, those steady nerves, that take-what’s-mine performance Lillard delivered? “I know where I come from; I know who I am,’’ Lillard said, alone in a Moda Center hallway. “I’m not afraid of any matchup, and I don’t feel there is ever anything on the floor I would be afraid of.’’ He is point-guard pretty, a slick shooter and powerful leaper with one of the richest shoe deals in history, but he also has a way every so often to remind you there is more behind the millions and the diamond ear studs. Lillard has a way to remind you he is Oakland tough. That narrative that Beverley gives Lillard problems? That hype that Beverley is a junkyard dog champing at the bit to get at Lillard? Beverley’s Sports Illustrated spread, which debuted in the days before the series opened? It’s all been obliterated to irrelevance, Lillard showing that skill, confidence and toughness is an explosive combination. Afraid of an opponent? Afraid of a moment? Afraid of failure? Not when you have seen what he has seen. Not when you have come from where he has come. “I think that was a big part of it,’’ Lillard said of his Oakland upbringing. “Because I think a lot of what people see (Beverley) is a dog out there. He’s physical, passionate and he’s really competing. He had a couple good defensive games against me, and even some of those games I scored 20 points, but just because how he looks when he plays it, it’s like he did a great job. “But just because I don’t look the part of a tough guy, and all that stuff, doesn’t mean I don’t have it in me,’’ Lillard said. After the game, his teammates showered him with reverence. Nicolas Batum said he walked up to Lillard in the locker room and told him: “You are the new B-Roy.’’ Wesley Matthews said “that’s what we’ve come to expect from him.’’ LaMarcus Aldridge said “he’s definitely played older than his years … he’s big for us. Big for our franchise.’’ And coach Terry Stotts had a simple explanation: “He lives for those moments. It’s remarkable. A remarkable shot.’’ Yes, those eyes of Lillard have seen more than most. And now, after the shot that made Rip City roar, they have given our eyes something to never forget. -- Jason Quick | @jwquick
