Voted among the best players of all time, Damian Lillard has never won a title or played in an NBA Finals. His track record includes a great run of eight straight playoff seasons, and of course an Olympic title and thousands of points scored in his career. To win a title, Lillard decided to leave the Blazers for the Bucks a year ago, but eight years before him, it was LaMarcus Aldridge who had left to join the Spurs.
” If [LaMarcus Aldridge] “If we had never gone to San Antonio, we would have already won at least one title.” he assures. “I would have made it in the NBA, but he was so good. My rookie year, I started using the pull-up jumper in the corner of the paint on a pick and roll. One-two-three dribbles there, and the pull-up every time. It's because they were trying to stay on him.”
It should be remembered that at the time, the two players were more or less on bad terms, and Lillard had a hard time staying in Aldridge's shadow. It would take four years for the two to explain themselves, and talk about misunderstandings.
The incredible atmosphere of the Oracle Arena
Another regret for Lillard is a series lost to the Warriors. On three occasions, including once in the conference finals, Stephen Curry's teammates blocked the Blazers' path. But Lillard especially remembers the defeat in 2016.
“Golden State was just too tough to beat in the playoffs… We played them in my fourth season in the NBA, and it was the second round. We led by 10 points every game, and we lost 4-1. But we could have beaten them 4-1.” he remembers.
An Oakland native, Lillard was the local standout during every visit to Oracle Arena, and he credits the crowds with playing a huge role in the Warriors' dominance.
“We were up nine with five minutes left in the third quarter, and going into the fourth quarter, we were down eight. It was all happening so fast,” he continued. “They’d make a three-pointer, and you could hear the crowd, people were standing up… It was like we were down 20. On the next play, they’d make another three-pointer… At Oracle Arena, that’s the only place you could feel the game slipping away from you. That’s how crazy it was. Then Steph would make another three-pointer, then Klay would make another three-pointer. Timeout. As we walked back to the bench, we knew it was over.”
