Damian Lillard Thrives in the Bubble

“The job is far away from being done,” Lillard said, “but I’m proud of our effort.”

Bamforth, 31, watched the game from his home in Tempe, Ariz., where he was preparing for his trip this week to France, where he will play this coming season for Le Mans of LNB Pro A, the country’s top league. Lillard’s exploits have been both familiar and new to Bamforth — somehow even more explosive, somehow even more refined.

They were all on display during one stretch of the fourth quarter, which Lillard kicked off by burying a 30-foot jumper — and dancing to “Blow the Whistle” by the rapper Too Short as he settled into his defensive stance at the other end. A few possessions later, Lillard pulled up from 36 feet to swish a 3-pointer over the top of the Lakers’ Anthony Davis. Then, on Portland’s next trip up the court, he passed out of swarming pressure to Carmelo Anthony, who drained a 3-pointer of his own.

The right shots. The right passes. And another tour de force for a point guard who has fashioned the N.B.A.’s bubble at Walt Disney World into his personal stage.

“He can dance all he wants if he’s going to shoot from half-court and score 30,” the Blazers guard CJ McCollum said.

Lillard’s theatrics punctuated another wild day for league, which was true to form: Everything about the bubble has been odd and different, and Tuesday was no exception. For the first time since the 2003, both No. 1 seeds lost their opening games of the playoffs. The Milwaukee Bucks, the top seed in the East, were the first to take a tumble, losing, 122-110, to the Orlando Magic as all the Bucks not named Giannis Antetokounmpo combined to shoot 41.5 percent from the field.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/19/sports/damian-lillard-trail-blazers-lakers-nba.html