Lillard buoys Blazers
what pundits or fans might argue, is major personal progress for Lillard.
Though he was again left out of the Western Conference’s starting lineup — perhaps undeservedly — for the AllStar Game, Lillard has emerged as a legitimate candidate for MVP. Few doubt that his pergame averages of 29.6 points on 44.5% shooting (38% from 3point range), 8.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds are at least deserving of consideration for the league’s top individual honor.
But what solidifies his case is that, with CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic sidelined by injury, Lillard has propelled a flawed roster to a virtual tie for fifth place in a crowded Western Conference. No player in the league is more effective in crunch time than Lillard.
According to NBA.com, he enters Wednesday night’s nationally televised matchup against the Warriors at Moda Center having scored 82 points on 60% shooting (55.6% from 3point range) this season in 62 “clutch” minutes — situations in which the game is within five points over the last five minutes. Such numbers are no surprise to Golden State, which has become wellacquainted in recent years with what’s known as “Dame Time.”
“Damian’s amazing,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s not only his skill, but his resilience, his competitiveness. He’s a brilliant player.”
Few are questioning that, but many are curious: Has Lillard done enough to vault past Curry for the title of the league’s best point guard? In a recent appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes argued that Lillard should get credit for having more playmaking responsibilities than Curry, who often plays off the ball.
“Yes, Steph is a point guard,”
Haynes said, “but Draymond Green is the playmaker of that team. Steph doesn’t have those obligations. Dame has those obligations. So, he’s scoring the same amount of points, but yet he’s still responsible for getting everybody involved.”
The sound bite went viral, prompting many Warriors fans to take issue with the implication that Curry has fewer duties than Lillard. Golden State’s entire system is predicated on Curry’s ability to attract defensive attention and make the absurd look routine.
If one is to compare Curry and Lillard based solely off their production this season, it’d be hard to find much separation. Curry’s pergame averages of 29.5 points on 47.8% shooting (41.3% from 3point range), 6.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds are similar to Lillard’s. Like Lillard, Curry has willed the Warriors into the playoff picture — they’re eighth in the West at 1916, just one game behind Portland — despite Klay Thompson’s seasonending Achilles injury.
Therein lies perhaps the most compelling part of the latest phase of the CurryLillard rivalry. For the first time in his career, Curry is trying to do something on which Lillard has built a Hall of Fame resume: helping middling rosters overachieve.
On multiple occasions in recent years, Portland was expected to drop off, only for Lillard to lead it back to the postseason. This is why he should be granted some leniency for struggling at times against elite defenses in the playoffs.
Each time Lillard steps on the floor in the regular season, he knows the Trail Blazers likely need a big outing from him to win. In the spring, the time of the year the NBA’s heavyweights have eyed for months, Lillard can look exhausted against a wave of traps. It’s no mystery how the
Warriors went a combined 121 — one fivegame series and two sweeps — against Portland in the playoffs during their recent dynasty.
But even though Curry faces similar circumstances as Lillard this season, the Warriors are being careful not to utilize their face of the franchise in quite the same manner as the Trail Blazers employ theirs. Curry is averaging nearly two fewer minutes per game this season than Lillard — a notable difference, considering how much scoring both players can accomplish in 120 seconds.
Curry doesn’t figure to hear, “You’re just like Dame!” anytime soon, which is a credit to the career he has put together. But it’s clear that, if nothing else, Lillard has narrowed the gap behind Curry for the title of the league’s top point guard.
The winner: the viewing public.
“That talent always brings the best ouf of you,” Curry said of the Lillard matchup. “We love those kinds of environments, and the opportunity to go back and forth.
“It’s always a good vibe when you go against someone who plays at such high a level.”