It’s official: Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers are moving on to the NBA playoffs. With Dame (the bubble MVP), Cj McCollum (who hit several big shots), Jusuf Nurkic, and Carmelo Anthony, Portland is deep with talent and rich with heart.
But their first-round opponent won’t be easy and not everyone is convinced Dame can lead them to an upset against the first-seeded Lakers.
Skip Bayless is one of Dame’s most outspoken critics at the moment, and his recent comments dug up a bit about his past failures in the postseason:
https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/1294746034740985856
Regarding tonight’s victory, he credited CJ and Nurk for “carrying” Lillard.
As I said the other night, CJ stands for Clutch Jumper. Three in a row. He and Trent Jr are carrying DL right now. Nurkic, too.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 15, 2020
For reference, Dame ended the game with 31 points and 10 assists after scoring over 40 for the last three games.
Indeed, it seems Lillard and his team are taking care of business. Despite the heat, they secured their ticket to the postseason.
But the only way to stop the haters is to win when it counts most: in the playoffs. If Dame wants to be considered amongst the NBA’s elites, he’ll have to beat them… starting with King James himself.
