Lillard gets tested by Warriors, looks for rebound
PORTLAND, Ore. - First it was a chest cold, then it was a fourth-quarter dry spell. The start of Damian Lillard's playoff series against the Golden State Warriors has been rough.
And as Lillard goes, often the rest of the Trail Blazers follow.
Portland is down 2-0 in its Western Conference semifinal series against the defending NBA champions. And it certainly won't get much easier when the series shifts north Saturday - even though presumptive league MVP Stephen Curry is unlikely to return from a knee injury.
But Lillard and his team have a history of stepping up after getting knocked down. In fact, that's been the theme of their whole season.
''I know the kind of guys I'm running with. Besides that, we've answered the call all season long. We've been in bad positions time and time again, and we've never shied away. We've never not answered the call. I don't see why this time it would be any different,'' he said.
Lillard, who averaged 25.1 points and 6.8 assists during the regular season, scored 25 points in the Blazers' 110-99 loss in Game 2 on Tuesday night, including 17 points in the third quarter. But the Warriors held him scoreless (0-for-3 from the field) in the crucial final period when they came from behind to win, outscoring Portland 34-12. Portland only scored six points over the last 5:21.
With a day off on Wednesday, Lillard let the loss digest.
''After the game I was pretty frustrated by not being able to finish that game. Yesterday I didn't even want to see a basketball,'' he said. ''I wasn't even gonna watch the playoff game until I heard Cleveland was hitting a bunch of 3s. So I wanted to see for myself, but I didn't even want to have nothing to do with basketball after that game.''
In the series opener, Lillard started cold but eventually scored 30 points in a 118-106 loss. The Oakland native admitted later to battling a cold afterward. On Thursday, he said he was healthy.
Lillard made a playoff splash in 2014 when his buzzer-beating 3-pointer against the Rockets sent the Blazers into the second round for the first time in 14 years.
But he was the lone starter left with the Blazers this season after the departures of LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews. Some expected the Blazers to only win about two dozen games.
Lillard tends to rise when he's the underdog, however. Led by Lillard and backcourt teammate C.J. McCollum, a first-year starter, the Blazers overcame a 2-10 stretch in November to wind up the fifth seed in the West.
A two-time All-Star, Lillard was snubbed this year. How did he respond? By dropping 51 points, including nine 3-pointers, in a 137-105 victory over - wait for it - the Golden State Warriors. Lillard shot over Curry at will in that Feb. 19 victory, one of just nine losses for the Warriors in a record-setting 73-win season.
Knowing the Blazers are capable will be key Saturday night.
''We'll have bounce. We came back after 0-2 against the Clippers (in the opening round) and came with a lot of energy in Game 3. We know how important Game 3 is,'' Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. ''Having energy, having bounce, at the Moda Center, with our crowd? That's the least of our concerns.''
Lillard also struggled in the opening two games against the Clippers in the first round. Portland came back to win the next four to win the series, but the Clippers were hurt when their top two scorers, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, were knocked out with injuries.
The Warriors also get credit for Lillard's struggles after making defensive adjustments on both Lillard and McCollum, particularly the play of Festus Ezeli.
''They are so explosive and they run really good stuff, I mean, it's hard to guard. You have to cover a lot of floor against Portland, and I thought between Festus and Draymond (Green), those guys did a great job of protecting the feed and moving and handling the pick-and-roll on top,'' said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
Lillard said the Blazers would learn from it.
''It hurts to go back in the locker room after you play so well for so long and you come back in there with the L. But it is a part of growth,'' he said. ''The entire season has been growth for us.''