In NBA history, only five players have finished a playoff series with a buzzer basket: Ralph Sampson, Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Damian Lillard and Kawhi Leonard. Even stronger, Jordan and Lillard did it twice!
The leader of Blazersafter defeating the Rockets in 2014, eliminated the Thunder four years ago, on April 23, 2019, after a monstrous performance: 50 points, 17/33 on shots and 10/18 at 3 -pts, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals!
The icing on the cake: those last seconds when “Lady” dribbled, fixed Paul George then shifted, to send a 3-pt shot from 11 meters! The ball pierces the net and the All-Star greets the Thunder with his hand, which he sends on vacation and will (indirectly) destroy, because “PG13” and Russell Westbrook will leave Oklahoma City during the summer.
“ I felt that shot right as soon as it left my hands“, reacted the star of Portland. ” I didn’t want to leave that decision in the hands of the referees. I didn’t want there to be a contact that wasn’t whistled, because the referees don’t want to decide the fate of the game. I looked at the circle and saw that I was at a comfortable distance for me. On the action, I felt I had room to trigger, I took a step aside and sent. »
“History will not remember that it was a bad shot, so we have to deal with it”
On the losing side, Paul George recognizes the performance, even if he underlines the difficulty of his last shot.
” He put some big shots, I take my hat off to him. Contested shots, from afar. It was his evening. But it’s a bad shot, no matter what people say. It was a bad choice, but he put it. History will not remember that it was a bad shot, so we have to deal with it. »
It is both a critique and a tribute to Damian Lillard. Terry Stotts, like many coaches, would surely not have designed such a system if he had had the opportunity. But that’s the strength of the Blazers point guard, and great snipers like Stephen Curry, is that there are (almost) no bad shots with them. In any case, no matter the defenders or the distances, they are certain to be able to put them…
| Damian Lillard | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2012-13 | ORP | 82 | 39 | 42.9 | 36.8 | 84.4 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 6.5 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 19.1 |
| 2013-14 | ORP | 82 | 36 | 42.4 | 39.4 | 87.1 | 0.4 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 5.6 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 20.7 |
| 2014-15 | ORP | 82 | 36 | 43.4 | 34.3 | 86.4 | 0.6 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 6.2 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 21.0 |
| 2015-16 | ORP | 75 | 36 | 41.9 | 37.5 | 89.2 | 0.6 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 6.8 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 25.1 |
| 2016-17 | ORP | 75 | 36 | 44.4 | 37.0 | 89.5 | 0.6 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 5.9 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 2.6 | 0.3 | 27.0 |
| 2017-18 | ORP | 73 | 37 | 43.9 | 36.1 | 91.6 | 0.9 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 26.9 |
| 2018-19 | ORP | 80 | 36 | 44.4 | 36.9 | 91.2 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 6.9 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 25.8 |
| 2019-20 | ORP | 66 | 38 | 46.3 | 40.1 | 88.8 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 8.0 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 0.3 | 30.0 |
| 2020-21 | ORP | 67 | 36 | 45.1 | 39.1 | 92.8 | 0.5 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 28.8 |
| 2021-22 | ORP | 29 | 36 | 40.2 | 32.4 | 87.8 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 7.3 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 2.9 | 0.4 | 24.0 |
| 2022-23 | ORP | 58 | 36 | 46.3 | 37.1 | 91.4 | 0.8 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 7.3 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 32.2 |
| Total | 769 | 36 | 43.9 | 37.2 | 89.5 | 0.6 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 6.7 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 25.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
