Can Anyone Stop Damian Lillard?!
Last night the pressure on the Portland Trailblazers continued against the Brooklyn Nets against whom they had fallen behind by 10 but once again stupendous PG Damian Lillard was there with 42 points, 8 3’s and 12 assists. Lillard led the Blazers to 134-133 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. At one point Lillard even hit a 3 from the logo in order to evade a Nets double team. In the game prior vs the Dallas Mavericks which the Blazers also won, Lillard poured in 61 in a 134-131 victory over Dallas. With those 61 points, Lillard joined Wilt the Stilt Chamberlain as the only players ever to have scored 60 points in 3 games in a season. Take that into perspective, neither Jordan or Bryant had ever done that. In the must win game vs the Philadelphia 76ers, Lillard lead his team to a 124-121 victory by exploding for 51 points. The man has scored 155 points in the 3 last games.
This explosion of points comes after Lillard missed 2 go-ahead free-throws against the LA Clippers. And of course being ridiculed by the Clippers definitely must have given Lillard extra motivation to prove that he is what many already believe, which is the best PG not only in the NBA but the world as well. Damian Lillard is averaging 37.6 points per game in the bubble and there doesn’t seem to be anyone in this league who can let alone stop nor contain him. The Nets tried to push him further out beyond the arc and Lillard obliged by banging 3’s from the parking lot. The question remains to be answered, how the #!#$% do you stop this guy? Lillard’s next game is a play-in playoff game against the Memphis Grizzlies, a team Damian & Co beat 140-135 in the Blazers’ bubble opener.
Look for Damian Lillard to go off in that game as well because right now Lillard is a man on a mission and that mission may include making a run to the NBA Finals. Is it being said that the Blazers can beat the Lakers? You better believe so, mainly because the Lakers don’t have anyone on their entire roster who can slow down Damian Lillard and nor Lillard’s backcourt mate CJ McCollum for that matter. Given that teams like the Grizzlies and Lakers will also have to worry about McCollum or small forward Carmelo Anthony makes it all the more easier for Lillard to go off on them. The Memphis Grizzlies will not only have their hands full with the rest of the Portland Trailblazers but mainly with Dame, as he’s known around the world. His range is only matched by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant. No matter how someone guards Lillard in the front court, one has to keep a body on him at all times. They have to fight through a series of picks, and if they don’t do this he’ll easily drop 50 on their heads and they’ll be going home with a big L.
From the looks of things at this current juncture, there’s nobody on the planet that can stop Dame. On Saturday the Grizzlies will give their all to stop Damian Lillard, but in all likelihood that won’t be enough. Because there’s nobody on the Grizzlies who can stop him. Whether anyone can stop Damian Lillard remains to be seen, but for now he’s the hottest player in the NBA.
Enjoy the games!