Lillard confirms his rib injury, will not use it as an excuse

"I do not think it affects my game," said Lillard, who draws 32.6 from the box and has almost as many turnovers (14) as field goals (15) in the Western final. . "It's there, but it's not something that affects everything I do, obviously you feel it, but that's all."

Lillard does not appear in the official offense report because his availability has never been in doubt. Blazers coach Terry Stotts said he was not aware of the details of Lillard's injury until the news of the post-match on Saturday evening.

"I did not know much about it until it became public," said Stotts. "Generally, when he has something to do, he keeps it so to speak, so I would say it's not surprising."

Lillard played with padding on his left side during the third game's defeat, when he scored 19 points on a 5-of-18 shot. He did not take any painkiller because He said that they "spoiled the stomach after the match".

Lillard attributed to the Warriors' defense the difficulty of allowing him to set the pace of the match. Golden State is often in Lillard's double-team and blitz on pick-and-roll, trying to force the ball out of his hands, and he acknowledged that he had sometimes been hesitant because of the Warriors' covers.