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Damian Lillard did it again.
Tuesday night, when the Portland Trail Blazers needed him the most, Lillard moved on to action. The situation was tense between Portland and the Thunder Oklahoma City late in Game 5 at Moda Center. Russell Westbrook and Paul George both played with five fouls in the fourth quarter. After an explosive first half, in which Lillard scored 34 points, things slowed down for Portland.
In the second half, Westbrook played the role of the tyrant against CJ McCollum and George was fantastic. He finally scored 36 points with nine rebounds and three assists.
But things seemed to turn around when Jusuf Nurkic, injured in the leg, returned to the Blazers' bench three-and-a-half minutes from the goal and Portland at eight. Nurkic said he had left his home with a few minutes to go in the third quarter, anticipating that his team could use his good morale. Indeed, the presence of Nurkic seemed to feed Portland. When Nurkic was introduced, the home team immediately started running 8-0.
Then Lillard did what he does best.
After passing the two-for-one shot at 32 seconds from the end, Lillard was found with the ball, the tie tied, and the shot clock off. Over time and with the game in play, Lillard hit the biggest blow of the night, at the end of the allotted time.
It was the shot that won the series.
You will not be mistaken if you liken the big move on Tuesday night to the one Lillard hit in 2013 to beat the Houston Rockets and put Portland in the second round of the playoffs. In fact, I was at this game and I can tell you that it was a defining moment for the franchise over the past five years.
But it was so much more.
Lillard's shot to defeat Thunder has consolidated several things, both about the team and the star guard itself. The Blazers are a team that has relied on his bench and his support throughout the season, especially with Nurkic with a broken leg. But when the Thunder may have played one of its best playoff games, it was Lillard's 50-point performance that pushed him forward.
Portland is a team, but in the end, it was their star they needed.
There is no doubt that Portland and Lillard have had their share of doubt in recent years. The idea that they could – or should – have a team built on the backs of Lillard and McCollum made many people, including myself, frown. But outside, and especially after the playoffs played at the New Orleans Pelicans last season, it seems like most players were ready to scrap this team.
But this playoff series and this team are different. They have been different throughout the season, up to the rotations and flexibility that head coach Terry Stotts has allowed this season. Stotts went further in his bench and modified his attack with Flow to help Portland stay in shape after years spent performing the same old song and dance.
Guys like Jake Layman, Seth Curry, Zach Collins and Enes Kanter all made progress during the season to contribute to a team that requires more than Lillard and McCollum.
To this end, Portland has met again and again the challenge. Despite some of their defeats, the thunder has given the Blazers a lot of punches that have already seen previous iterations of this team. But Portland was stronger, both as a unit and as Lillard consolidated as a more complete two-way player.
The idea that Lillard came back stronger and more as a leader, ready to face hardships, is not a guess. At this point, it's a fact. You can see how the rest of the team is lined up behind him to support his future. Hell, Kanter told reporters after the match on Tuesday that he had separated his shoulder and had to undergo an injection at halftime. That's how much these Blazers wanted to win and how much they wanted to push not just for themselves, but for Lillard.
Thanks to Lillard's shot (and McCollum's jumpers and Maurice Harkless's free throws), Portland defeated the Thunder, 118-115. They qualify for the second round and Rip City will be busy all week. They deserve it, and they will be real contenders for the challenge of a place in the Western Conference Finals.
But where are we when we think about Lillard and those Blazers? If his famous "0.9" shot of 2014 was what put it on the map, the jumper back 37 feet above George was what made Lillard a legend.
The impossibility of this rider – and the pure girl to take it – is what makes Damian Lillard who he is.
The biggest blazer of all time.
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