Damian Lillard made it clear that his team needs to improve certain things if they want to secure a playoffs spot in the following weeks. The Portland Trail Blazers have lost seven of their last eight games, worrying everybody, including their biggest figure, who knows they need to do better if they want to compete this season.
They lost back-to-back games to the Memphis Grizzlies, another team trying to make it to the postseason this year. Dame isn’t happy with the team’s recent performances and he reminded everybody that they’re not the Brooklyn Nets, a team with so much talent that they can brush rivals off the court in no time. Lillard stated that they need to fix things if they want to be real competitors in the stacked Western Conference.
“We’re not the Brooklyn Nets. They have superstar power. You know the ability of that team. One day they can get hot and run you out of the gym. We’re not that team. But we’ve been in a ditch and we’re figuring out a way to get out of it.”
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Lillard also took the blame for the loss, saying he needs to look in the mirror and find out what is not working for him right now. The Blazers have entered a very bad streak and that won’t help them in their attempts to reach the postseason again.
“The only thing I could do is look in the mirror at myself, evaluate myself,” Lillard said. “I’m just not playing well enough. I don’t think it’s worth going into what goes into it or anything like that. I’m on the floor and I’m just not playing well enough. If we’re going to be better, I know that our team’s success is parallel to me being better and I just haven’t played good enough.”
Right now they are 7th in the West with a 32-28 record. This position would take them to the play-in tournament but Dame and co. want to avoid that at any cost. We are entering the last month of competition and things can’t be hotter than this.
Lillard was told that a fan would lose his house if the team didn’t win 42 games this season and he committed to that but so far things haven’t gone in the Blazers’ favor. They need to finish the season strong to start what is expected to be one of the most interesting playoffs in recent times.
