Damian Lillard’s impact is similar to Brandon Roy. Yes, it’s a bold take, but the Portland Trail Blazers have been surprising everyone this postseason. What better person to lead the way than someone who just keeps getting better and better as time goes on. As Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets is in full swing, I’d love to take a trip down memory lane to prove that Lillard’s impact is the same (if not more) than Roy’s.
When Brandon Roy’s career was in full swing, the man was a straight up killer and wasn’t going to let anyone take him down. His determination and passion for Portland was something that we’re seeing this season with Lillard. Lillard, like Roy, is averaging 30.1 PPG. Roy, in 2009, put up 26.7 PPG. The two are similar in ways beyond statistics and accolades.
Portland, before Roy, had been struggling to make a playoff appearance or consistently winning games. Roy showed the city of Portland that the Trail Blazers were a team to be taken seriously. Although they were bounced by the red hot Mavericks, it sent a message leaguewide.
Now, we always hear about how Roy was a scoring machine. We remember the buzzer-beater against the Houston Rockets where he heaved it from damn-near half court. We talk about how he dropped 28 points in the third quarter in the playoffs against the Mavericks. But, what Lillard is doing in these playoffs needs to be considered one of the best playoff performances in the history of the league.
Lillard is the type of player that won’t go down without a fight and has that “Kobe mentality” instinct. His play has been glistening during these playoffs, as he’s brought to our attention that the moment he steps foot onto the court he’s in range to pull up from just about anywhere and does it with confidence. It’s scary to watch, and it’s even scarier to see how humble of a superstar Lillard is. Another thing to note is that his loyalty is what separates himself from other guards in this league. He executes plays, is a great player to coach, and manages to get everyone involved, as he’s averaging 5.9 APG in these playoffs.
Heading into these playoffs I was ready to throw in the towel on the Trailblazers for a few reasons.
- Nurkic is out.
- They perform great in the regular season but struggle to make it out of the first round.
- They couldn’t contain stars on opposing teams.
Those three reasons alone made it difficult for me to give them the series edge against the Thunder. Collectively, the Blazers not only contained Westbrook, but they also made it difficult for Paul George to get in a rhythm.
Now, as Game 7 goes on, the Trail Blazers can make their first Conference Finals appearance since the 1999-00 season.