-
Eric WoodyardESPN
Down five points for the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night, with 8.9 seconds remaining, the Portland Trail Blazers entered what NBA fans came to know simply as “Dame Time”.
Damian Lillard landed a 3-point 37-foot kick with less than 10 seconds remaining to place the Blazers in two points. The Blazers then drew Bulls star Zach LaVine and won the ball overhead – which ended up in Lillard’s hands.
Lillard started punching a 3 setback over Lauri Markkanen’s long arms to win the Chicago 123-122.
“This is special because in those situations where we are losing five, I think, with 11 seconds to go, these are the moments when the winning team thinks the game is almost over,” said Lillard, who scored 14 points in the fourth. “And the opposing team is discouraged.”
Not Lillard.
Blazers coach Terry Stotts struggled with words to describe Lillard’s clutch gene after victory.
“It is innate. It is given by God,” said Stotts. “He was born with this and you cannot teach him.”
Lillard finished with 44 points, 9 assists and 5 rebounds, the best high in the game, and reached his third career win, including the playoffs. That’s the most in the history of Trail Blazers, according to the ESPN Stats & Information survey.
For Lillard, it was also his 35th career 40-point game, more than double that of any other player in the franchise’s history. Clyde Drexler has the next highest, with 17.
Lillard’s teammates Enes Kanter and Gary Trent Jr. were not surprised by his heroism at the end of the game. Inside the fanless United Center in Chicago, Kanter was one of the first of his teammates to greet him with a hug. Kanter says he is “used to that shot”, but he also acknowledges that it is “unbelievable what he can do”.
Trent too.
“The first time I was shocked when I arrived here as a rookie, seeing this since Day 1, if it was the end of training, the end of games,” added Trent. “But now, at this point, that’s what he does. No one is surprised in any way. He makes big shots. He does it over and over, so at this point, I knew what was going on when he filmed.”
Chicago lost by up to 19 the night before, recovering to make the game played in the second half. Markkanen ended the team’s record of 31 points with six rebounds, and LaVine contributed 26 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Portland was playing without Jusuf Nurkic (right wrist fracture), CJ McCollum (midfoot sprain), Derrick Jones Jr. (left foot sprain) and Zach Collins (left ankle fracture).
According to data from the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the first time that a high ball and a winning horn have occurred with the same possession in the last 10 seconds since April 30, 2006. The Los Angeles Lakers have won a high ball against Suns and Kobe Bryant hit the horn to win the game.
After hitting the shot on Saturday, Lillard gave credit to his relatives for planting within him those roots of overcoming adversity at critical moments.
“It all started in my own family. This is crazy and I think that’s why I always refer to my education and the type of family I come from, because of the challenge and how competitive it is in my own family,” he said. Lillard. “It can be something like a spelling bee. It can be anything. We compete to the death and it doesn’t matter. You are maintained by a certain standard in my family, where it is as if you are built for the low moments, you will be built to deal with the high moments properly.
“Your skin will be hard,” he added. “You will be prepared to rise and you will be prepared to deal with failure. But, you learn to move on regardless of the outcome.”