Being left off the Western Conference All-Star team has unfortunately become a yearly tradition for Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, whose strong numbers weren't enough to secure him a spot on the 2017 squad.
Choosing to turn a negative into a positive, Lillard is electing to fuel his play with an inner fire created by being snubbed again, and - like he did during a postgame interview following Friday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies - he's not afraid to admit that.
"Not subconsciously, consciously," Lillard said when asked whether the snub is subconsciously motivating him. "Anytime something like that happens, you gotta find the right place to put it. You can't make yourself get too much into it, and take yourself out of what the team is doing. You've gotta try throw yourself into the team and be better. That's what I gotta do. I gotta be better, and that's the bottom line."
Lillard scored 15 points in the fourth quarter against Memphis, finishing with 33 points on 9-of-21 shooting, five rebounds, and six assists to extend Portland's winning streak to three games.
Klay Thompson and Russell Westbrook were named backcourt reserves for the West on Thursday, with the wild-card spots going to DeAndre Jordan and Gordon Hayward, leaving Lillard out of the mix.
Entering Friday, Lillard ranked fifth in the conference in scoring (26.2 points), 11th in assists (5.8), and 12th in 3-pointers made (104).
