Damian Lillard is no better than Stephen Curry. I say this beforehand, because after what Lillard did to Curry’s Warriors on Wednesday night, there will probably be flaming refugees flying around. To be honest, I have one inside me. I should have spoken the column “Lillard is at least equal to Curry’s equal” five times this season. I can say, talked enough. I acknowledge Curry’s superiority. I’m not going to go there.
Where will I go – and honestly, where every halfway logical basketball spirit on this planet has to go with me – is to say that Lillard is in a league that even Curry can not compete with when it comes to clutch shooting. He did it again Wednesday and ripped the step-back 3-pointer with the Portland Trail Blazers one and 13.7 seconds to play.
In subsequent possession, it was Lillard who stepped in front of Draymond Green for the announcement of the game: Blazers 108, Warriors 106.
You could argue whether it was a charge or a block, that is, whether Lillard was completely stuck or moving slightly before making that contact, but let’s note what went down before Green’s penetration. Clearly, Golden State designed to get the ball to Curry, who was spectacular all night with 35 points, but look at the play again, noting how Curry does not want to return to space for a shot like the one that had just hit Lillard. He goes down to the edge and straight into a switch and after being stoned by Rodney Hood, he gives the ball to Green, who then goes to the edge.
There are reasons for Curry. If he pulls the ball back for an isolation three-pointer rather than trying to turn the corner, the chances are good that a second defender will follow him and he will have to give it up anyway. He tries to attack before a double team can come. There is also a basketball saying, albeit of dubious validity, that one should always attack the edge in situations that tie / win a match, rather than settling a jumper.
Call it what you will, but there is nothing about these game-winning shots that Lillard regularly takes, and makes, that even looks like a distance. Turn the script around with Curry, and Lillard forces no way to place congestion, and certainly no chance he will give the ball to Draymond Green, with the chance to win the game. Somehow Lillard takes the chance. And it’s a pretty good bet he’s going to make it.
Lillard’s coupling figures this season look comical. If a game is within five points with five minutes or less to play, he shoots 61.4 percent (27 for 44) off the field, 57.1 percent (12 for 21) from three and 100 percent (26 for 36) of the free throw line. His 92 total points follow Zach LaVine for tops in the league. The Blazers, basically a net-neutral team in terms of overall points difference, go to plus-31 in Lillard’s heads minutes and score a record of 13-5 in those tough games.
Per ESPN Statistics and Information, Lillard entered Wednesday’s game against the Warriors, who have hit 28 careers / games within the last 20 seconds, the most in the league since entering 2012-13.
You can make it 29.
What made Lillard’s heroism even more impressive on Wednesday was that he did not have a great game. By his standards, he was pretty bad. He was 1 for 8 of three over the first 45 minutes and 54 seconds. He was 2 for 2 in winning time by scoring the Blazers’ last eight points.
There are those who would argue that the best clutches do not get so much better in the biggest moments, but rather only get worse. I’ve heard people say about Derek Jeter for years, because it related to his heroic post-season. He did not get better; he just did not fall off where others did. I never bought it. When Jeter hit the board in a big moment in October, you were expecting a hit. That feeling does not just create itself. It is rooted in repetition. You saw the man do it over and over.
Lady is the same. You expect him to hit these shots, to go to this level in the greatest moments, because you’ve seen him do it so many times. He makes it look routine. Inevitable. There’s no doubt that Lillard’s game, and somehow, his confidence, which is already through the roof, increases as the game increases. He know he’s going to take the chance. Curry is a better shooter. A better player. But with a gun to your head, Lillard is one you want to take to save your life. At this point, I’m not sure how anyone without a death wish could have chosen otherwise.