After getting into a beef with Paul George, Patrick Beverly, and even Sports Television Personality, Skip Bayless, Dame used that as fuel for what would be his third 60+ point performance in a single season.  The only other player to ever have three or more 60 point games in a season is Wilt Chamberlain. 

2 games ago, the Blazers played the Clippers in a heartbreakingly close loss.  Dame could have tied the game but failed to sink his 2 free throws at a crucial moment towards the end.  That triggered Pat Bev and other players on the bench to overzealously celebrate.  They continued to tap their wrists and taunt Lillard after the fact, with Pat Bev yelling, “Dame Time.” When reporters asked him about it, Dame replied with, “Asking me about Pat Beverley, I sent him home before. PG got sent home by me last year. The reason they reacting like that is they know what I’ve done, it’s a sign of respect. If anything it should show you how much it hurt them to go through what I put them through.” Beverly and PG13 didn’t like that so they took to social media to criticize his thoughts, and an argument ensued between them and Dame. 

Jusuf Nurkic also chimed in during a post-game interview when asked about it, and said of Dame, “He’s just taking bad shots right?”  Nurk’s jab was in response to a comment George made in last year’s playoffs after Dame sent his then team, OKC, home in a ruthless manner.  It then continued with Dame’s sister and PG’s wife even getting into it on social media.  All this sparked Skip Bayless to make comments on his show, Undisputed.  He went on to doubt “Dame time” and questioned whether Dame is really THAT guy.  He went onto Twitter to continue to spout his dissatisfaction of Damian.  Of course, Dame didn’t take too lightly to this and pointed out that his private conversations with Bayless were much different and insinuated that he was back pedaling.  

Now that is a lot of drama that the Blazers don’t normally find themselves under but Dame wasn’t going to have his name disrespected like that.  The fact that Skip basically implied that Dame time didn’t exist, is beyond me.  Has he never watched Dame play basketball before?  Not only were there countless times this season where he’s gotten hot and closed out games, but throughout his career, he’s hit some of the most notable shots in NBA history in which he closed out two different playoff series with a walk-off buzzer beater.  When he gets hot, there is no stopping him.  We have also seen before, that any type of adversity he has to overcome, any type of struggles he is faced with, only fuels him to be better each and every game.  He will prove you wrong, 10/10 times. A specific game comes to mind off the top of my head: In 2018 after an obnoxiously loud fan heckled Dame in the first half, he dropped 34 in the 2nd half. These are the types of things that drives Dame. So I guess we should say thank you to Skip, PG, and Pat Bev, because his haters are his motivators. 

Lillard since the beef started:

56.0 PPG

7.5 APG

55% FG

45% 3PT

97% FT

After coming off of a 51 point game in a close win over the 76ers, his insanity continued in tonight’s game.  Shots were raining from all areas of the court. He was getting to the rim, pulling up for mid ranges, getting to the line, and shooting the lights out from beyond the arc (as if that’s ever a surprise). In a crucial moment, there was one shot in the 4th quarter he made that bounced off the rim.  It appeared at first a miss, however the ball bounced straight into the air out of the camera’s view and that back down through the hoop.  I can’t imagine what the crowd would have sounded like in a moment like that.  He made sure to hit all of his free throws tonight and hit multiple clutch shots at the end of the game.  He finished the night with 61 points, tying his career high that he broke earlier in the season. Not all of his impact was on the scoring end either.  He also dished out 8 assists and 5 rebounds.  Despite only 8 assists, he really opened up the floor for other guys and created shots for his teammates.  Dame even told CJ McCollum (who struggled all night due to a fractured back) to go get the ball on that last possession in which CJ sank the two free throws after getting fouled. The selflessness and leadership he always plays with forges a stronger team night in and night out.  

I knew he was going to go off based on the look in his eyes.  He had that deadly look, as he was determined to do what he came to the bubble to do:  To win.  It was Dame time all night and he wasn’t going to go home with a loss.  After the game, he could be seen mouthing the words, “Put some respect on my name!”  What an ending to a perfect night for the Blazers.  They do still have to win their 8th and final game in the bubble (if the Suns or Grizzlies end up winning their next game) in order to go into the play-in tournament with the advantage, however I don’t think anything is going to stand in their way now.

Sometimes as an NBA player you will have the opportunity to make clutch shots, and they just don’t fall. That’s part of the game, but it’s also the part where Dame turns it into a sort of strength for the next game.  All his haters can keep hating because that will only fuel him further.  Can someone else please shit talk him…maybe during the Lakers first round match-up please?