Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard believes in miracles. That’s why he never gives up. Some, he said, can sometimes call him too ambitious. With 10 points remaining with 15 seconds remaining, Lillard will admit that he will be furious if he is removed from a game. For him, nothing is impossible.
So when the Blazers on Saturday night in Chicago lost by 122-117 with 11.5 seconds remaining, Lillard’s mind searched for scenarios that led him to make two trios to win the game.
Why not? There was still time on the clock. Time equals opportunity. Opportunity equals the chance to win. The chance of winning is equal to Lillard Time.
Lillard’s ambitions worked perfectly on Saturday. He made two trios in the final seconds with the second falling when time expired to give the Blazers a 123-122 victory in Chicago.
Lillard, of course, hit many of those shots. So many that he couldn’t decide where the winner of Saturday’s game qualified on this list. The shot did not win a series of playoffs like his 0.8 second swish against Houston in the 2014 NBA playoffs, or the “bye” blow he delivered in Oklahoma City during the 2019 playoffs.
But Lillard said Saturday’s kick had a special significance because, in such situations, the team that leads usually feels good about themselves, while the team that is losing is usually discouraged. It is in these moments that Lillard’s mind runs the most, searching for a path to victory. His mentality is never to give up, something that became part of his soul when he was a child in Oakland, California, playing football. Yes Soccer. Stay tuned.
First, a look inside a man’s mind with a plan when all hope seems lost.
Lillard, who scored 44 points with 14 in the fourth period, said that in these situations, he throws away all the scenarios that could lead to victory. Often, your imagined fantastic finish simply does not have enough time to complete.
“I usually go crazy over the situation when, in fact, there is no chance of that happening,” said Lillard.
However, whatever the situation, in Lillard’s mind it never hurts to try. On Saturday, with the Blazers (10-8) losing by five, with 11 seconds to go, Lillard said he went through victory scenarios. First, he wondered what he would do in the game on the pitch.
If the defenders chased him, Lillard would run for the ball, then stop and let the defenders collide with him so he could make a foul and get two free throws. Then, the Blazers could take the ball back so that he could make a false defense, hit a three while serving a foul and voila! Victory!
If the Bulls didn’t chase Lillard in the game on the pitch, he figured he would try to raise it to a three as soon as he got the ball, so that the Blazers had enough time to miss, watch Chicago miss his free throws and then he could hit another shot .
No problems.
It turns out that no one chased Lillard, he took the pass cleanly, had the Bulls guard Coby White against him, dribbled and hit a 37-foot shot to score the 122-120 Bulls with 8.9 seconds remaining.
So far, so good. Then, the Blazers had to recover the ball.
The Blazers needed to make a foul, hope that the Bulls did not make more than one free kick, so Lillard could hit a three to draw or win the game.
This would be the normal course of action for most teams, but the Blazers already had another plan in place.
Lillard said the team has been talking about always trying to tie the man with the ball in such situations to force a ball into the air instead of an immediate foul.
Chicago passed to guard Zach LaVine in the right corner. He covered the ball expecting a foul, but instead Rodney Hood and Gary Trent Jr. surrounded LaVine and reached the ball. Trent put his hands on it and an official called for a ball in the air with 6.9 seconds remaining.
Suddenly, the Blazers had a chance to gain possession of the ball without Chicago making false kicks. Lillard couldn’t believe it.
“Once (Gary) went to the jumping circle, in my head, I was like, ‘This is going to happen,'” said Lillard. “The ball will end up in my hands and I won’t have much time, but this was one of those ambitious moments that never happen.”
Lillard’s mind then focused on the next task. Trent said that Lillard told him to tilt the ball at a certain angle so that Lillard could catch the ball.
Trent beat LaVine to the ball and threw it back. The ball went to Blazers striker Robert Covington, however, after losing control of the ball, he deflected it to Lillard.
Lillard dribbled to the right, away from Chicago’s 7-foot striker Lauri Markkanen, took a step back and left the field while he fired.
The shot left Lillard’s hands with about 1.3 seconds remaining and went through the ring when the doorbell rang and the table lit up in red.
Lillard’s teammates surrounded him. The center Enes Kanter gave Lillard a big kiss on the forehead.
“It’s unbelievable what he can do,” said Kanter.
For Lillard, the shot seemed easy. Trent said this is because Lillard puts the job into practice, making similar pitches over and over again, preparing for winning scenarios.
Still, Lillard couldn’t take all the credit. He said that Trent and Hood’s job to prepare their shot, forcing the jump and then winning the jump was equally important.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 30: Damian Lillard # 0 of the Portland Trail Blazers is surrounded by teammates after hitting the three point victory shot against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on January 30, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. The Trail Blazers defeated the Bulls 123-122. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)Getty Images
“For them to have the presence of mind in this situation, just do that and then try the tip and win the tip against probably the most athletic player in the league,” said Lillard, “these two plays were equally important as the winner of the game because without these moves, there is no opportunity for that. “
Because of how the final seconds played out, Lillard said that Saturday’s heroism will have a different meaning for him.
“It never comes to life,” said Lillard. “But this time, yes. But I think because of that, it will be special. “
So, where did that fire come from? Well, funny story, he was born in Lillard on the football field through his family who treated the competition almost as if it were food.
“We compete to the death,” said Lillard. “You have a certain standard in my family. You will be built for the low moments. You will be built to handle the high moments properly. Your skin will be hard. You will be prepared to rise and you will be prepared to deal with failure. “
This family impulse led Lillard to be pressured to play football, a sport he did not like very much. Does not matter. His father had played. Your brother played. Your cousins played. For them, basketball was their secondary sport. So, they convinced him to play at the age of 8 on his uncle’s team. He was not very good.
“I really didn’t want to play,” said Lillard. “So, when I went to practice, I would be pretending to be sick and I wouldn’t want to go to practice. When I got there, it would be raining in training and games, and I just didn’t want to be there. “
Lillard ended up being a “six game player”. One of the children who played at least six pieces and then sat on the bench. He didn’t care much because he just didn’t like football. Lillard retired after a season wearing No. 63 as the team’s smallest player.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 30: Damian Lillard # 0 of the Portland Trail Blazers places a three-point shot past Zach LaVine # 8 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on January 30, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)Getty Images
His family pressed him for the next year and a half to play again. They teased him, saying he was afraid to play football because he didn’t want to be hit. Lillard finally gave in at age 11 and played just to shut everyone up.
“I went back and played, and I was the defensive player of the year,” said Lillard. “I was all over the field. I was so good at football that my family wanted me to really get into it and take it seriously. “
Lillard refused. He had made his point.
“I stopped again,” he said. “Because for me it’s like you’re going to challenge me like that, I took the call and showed that I’m not afraid. … And I think that’s where it all started. … That is the true story. “
On Saturday, after Lillard ended a post-game interview, he went to the locker room. Waiting there were his teammates, who soaked him in water before he could even enter the door.
Considering all the recent injuries and defeats, the team needed that victory, and the way they won it made them even more excited.
“Everyone was happy,” said Trent. “No matter how we get it, we came here to get a W. We have a long journey, so just trying to accumulate as many wins as we can with the bodies we have.”
As long as the body inside the No. 0 shirt remains healthy, Blazers apparently always have a chance to win any game.
“He really sticks and wants to win,” said Trent.
Blazers coach Terry Stotts said that simply having Lillard on his team creates confidence in games played.
“I know what Dame is going to give you,” said Stotts. “He will work hard. He never gives up. No matter how far we are, he always believes that we have a chance to win, and that this attitude, that confidence is contagious. “
Trent, drafted in 2018, said he was shocked early in his career when Lillard would make winning moves. Now, said Trent, he is no longer surprised. It’s just what Lillard does.
“No one is surprised, in a sense,” said Trent. “He makes great shots. He has done this over and over again. “
Which is why Trent felt confident that Lillard’s shot would be true.
“I knew I was going to get in when he shot,” said Trent.
Why?
“Because he is Damian Lillard,” said Trent. “We all know what he can do when they reach the end. And so.”
– Aaron Fentress | [email protected] | @AaronJFentress(Twitter), @AaronJFentress (Instagram), @AaronFentress (Facebook).
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