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MEMPHIS – It has been a charmed life, for the most part, since Damian Lillard landed in Portland three summers ago.
Unanimous Rookie of the Year. Two-time All-Star. NBA playoff hero. And enough endorsements and shoe contracts to ensure he never has to work again.
But now, as the Portland Trail Blazers prepare to fly home from Memphis with an 0-2 deficit that feels more like 0-20, nothing at all is comfortable for Lillard.
His shot is off. His pace has been rushed. And the combination of Mike Conley and Beno Udrih have run circles around him and the Blazers' defensive schemes.
"Obviously,'' Lillard said, "I'm not helping the team. But I have to stick with it.''
He has played these first two games with a blank look. Eyes fixed ahead. Never changing.
My inbox has been filled with accusations: Lillard doesn't care. He's not trying. He's quit.
Never before has Lillard walked the streets of Portland in this climate. He is a star, but a star who is not living up to expectations.
That burden has buried others in the past. Shareef Abdur-Rahim never did get in a groove in Portland, the pressure to replace Rasheed Wallace so great it eroded his confidence. Rudy Fernandez saw his role increase in the playoffs, and he shriveled under the spotlight. Even Arron Afflalo in his short time in Portland has struggled with the weight of replacing Wesley Matthews.
But while many of you see indifference and quit in Lillard's eyes, I see something entirely different.
I see Lillard Time.
No, he hasn't hit the big three-pointers in this series. In fact, he is 1-for-11, missing his first 10 before making his only three with 4:32 left in the game to bring Portland within 12.
And he hasn't really done much of anything that could be considered clutch, helpful or effective. All told, Lillard is 10-of-37 from the field and has a staggering four assists in more than 79 minutes.
But he has the same approach and demeanor as he does when we laud him with labels such as clutch, fearless and unflappable.
"When I made the big shots, people say, 'How can you be calm and do that?' And I always responded with 'Because I can handle it when it doesn't go in. And I can handle it when things aren't going well,' '' Lillard said.
In his brief career, this is probably Lillard's biggest and most public dance with failure. He vowed before the playoffs that he would "show up" in this series.
Obviously, he has not.
"When things don't go well is when people will be quick to kick you down, or talk bad about you,'' Lillard said. "That's the way it goes. I know things will work out and everything will turn around.''
Keep in mind: this is not a prima donna, spoiled kid. He doesn't play the card often, but every once in a while, he will remind that he hails from Oakland. Brookfield.
"I've been in way worse situations in my life,'' Lillard said. "Period.''
It was like that last season, after Game 2 in Houston, when once again he outperformed a pugnacious and pesky Patrick Beverley. In a back hall, Lillard scoffed at the notion that Beverley's tactics would rattle him.
As a youth in Oakland, he was mugged. He has been in street fights. And witnessed some harrowing, real-life things.
He knows he can't run from this and try to make excuses. He knows that talk is cheap.
"I know that I'm my biggest critic,'' Lillard said. "What people say is kind of ... it doesn't bother me as much because I'm thinking about (his slump) and trying to figure out what I need to do to be better.''
Across the locker room, the Blazers' other All-Star, LaMarcus Aldridge can relate. Dating back to his first two playoff series, he can remember what it is like to struggle. The chatter, both internally and externally, can become deafening.
"You got to let guys figure it out,'' Aldridge said. "Me talking to him and getting in his ear isn't going to make anything better. I've been there and I think everybody tells you this, tells you that, and it just messes you up. I think he will be better going home.''
Game 3 is Saturday at the Moda Center in Portland. Lillard says the team has to "keep believing."
"I'm happy that I'm a guy with a lot of confidence,'' Lillard said. "I'm just going to stay with it. ''
--Jason Quick | jquick@oregonian.com | @jwquick
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/i...e_of_his_most_public_danc.html#incart_m-rpt-1
Unanimous Rookie of the Year. Two-time All-Star. NBA playoff hero. And enough endorsements and shoe contracts to ensure he never has to work again.
But now, as the Portland Trail Blazers prepare to fly home from Memphis with an 0-2 deficit that feels more like 0-20, nothing at all is comfortable for Lillard.
His shot is off. His pace has been rushed. And the combination of Mike Conley and Beno Udrih have run circles around him and the Blazers' defensive schemes.
"Obviously,'' Lillard said, "I'm not helping the team. But I have to stick with it.''
He has played these first two games with a blank look. Eyes fixed ahead. Never changing.
My inbox has been filled with accusations: Lillard doesn't care. He's not trying. He's quit.
Never before has Lillard walked the streets of Portland in this climate. He is a star, but a star who is not living up to expectations.
That burden has buried others in the past. Shareef Abdur-Rahim never did get in a groove in Portland, the pressure to replace Rasheed Wallace so great it eroded his confidence. Rudy Fernandez saw his role increase in the playoffs, and he shriveled under the spotlight. Even Arron Afflalo in his short time in Portland has struggled with the weight of replacing Wesley Matthews.
But while many of you see indifference and quit in Lillard's eyes, I see something entirely different.
I see Lillard Time.
No, he hasn't hit the big three-pointers in this series. In fact, he is 1-for-11, missing his first 10 before making his only three with 4:32 left in the game to bring Portland within 12.
And he hasn't really done much of anything that could be considered clutch, helpful or effective. All told, Lillard is 10-of-37 from the field and has a staggering four assists in more than 79 minutes.
But he has the same approach and demeanor as he does when we laud him with labels such as clutch, fearless and unflappable.
"When I made the big shots, people say, 'How can you be calm and do that?' And I always responded with 'Because I can handle it when it doesn't go in. And I can handle it when things aren't going well,' '' Lillard said.
In his brief career, this is probably Lillard's biggest and most public dance with failure. He vowed before the playoffs that he would "show up" in this series.
Obviously, he has not.
"When things don't go well is when people will be quick to kick you down, or talk bad about you,'' Lillard said. "That's the way it goes. I know things will work out and everything will turn around.''
Keep in mind: this is not a prima donna, spoiled kid. He doesn't play the card often, but every once in a while, he will remind that he hails from Oakland. Brookfield.
"I've been in way worse situations in my life,'' Lillard said. "Period.''
It was like that last season, after Game 2 in Houston, when once again he outperformed a pugnacious and pesky Patrick Beverley. In a back hall, Lillard scoffed at the notion that Beverley's tactics would rattle him.
As a youth in Oakland, he was mugged. He has been in street fights. And witnessed some harrowing, real-life things.
He knows he can't run from this and try to make excuses. He knows that talk is cheap.
"I know that I'm my biggest critic,'' Lillard said. "What people say is kind of ... it doesn't bother me as much because I'm thinking about (his slump) and trying to figure out what I need to do to be better.''
Across the locker room, the Blazers' other All-Star, LaMarcus Aldridge can relate. Dating back to his first two playoff series, he can remember what it is like to struggle. The chatter, both internally and externally, can become deafening.
"You got to let guys figure it out,'' Aldridge said. "Me talking to him and getting in his ear isn't going to make anything better. I've been there and I think everybody tells you this, tells you that, and it just messes you up. I think he will be better going home.''
Game 3 is Saturday at the Moda Center in Portland. Lillard says the team has to "keep believing."
"I'm happy that I'm a guy with a lot of confidence,'' Lillard said. "I'm just going to stay with it. ''
--Jason Quick | jquick@oregonian.com | @jwquick
http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/i...e_of_his_most_public_danc.html#incart_m-rpt-1
