NBA Playoffs 2018/19: The Two Different Tales Of The 0
The crowd was on their feet with 15 seconds on the clock and the game tied at 115 each, Portland Trail Blazer's All-Star Point Guard Damian Lillard, carried the ball up the court in a composed manner and was met by one of the league's best defenders in Oklahoma City Thunder's Paul George.
Lillard refused the screen as he was set to match up against a premium defender who is six inches taller than him. In a poetic manner, he sidestepped with three seconds on the clock and rose to bury a 37-foot dagger, sending the Moda Center into a frenzy.
The shot was reminiscent of the last moment buzzer beater he took five years ago to send the Houston Rockets packing.
In a season where Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden battle it out for MVP with some stunning basketball, it would have been hard to focus on other players. In an alternate reality or the distant future, Damian Lillard's series against OKC would be looked back upon as one of the best as he averaged 33 points against the fifth best defence in the league.
What made this series special was the battle between the two of the best players in the league, both wearing the same number and playing in the same position.
The matchup between Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook has always brought a certain level of intensity and magic as both players try out-duelling each other to prove who's the better point guard every time they touched the ball.
The battle can be termed as a battle between fire and ice as Westbrook brings a very high level of intensity to his game while Lillard brings ice-cold composure in clutch moments.
The two guards have each broken or set records of their own. Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double yet another season, making him the only player in the history of the game to average a triple-double (10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 points) for three consecutive seasons.
His 20-20-20 game against the Lakers which he dedicated to his late friend, rapper and LA royalty Nipsey Hussle, is something which would be looked back upon as a historic moment for generations to come as he was the first player, since Lakers Legend Wilt Chamberlain, to achieve those numbers.
Lillard, on the other hand, set new franchise records during the game against OKC (according to NBA on twitter) as he buried tough contested shots with relative ease.
Russell Westbrook proved yet again that his hall of fame numbers mean nothing in the post-season as his team, for the third consecutive season, fell short of expectations.
Paul George re-signing with the Thunder, and with him and Westbrook forming one of the leagues deadliest tandems at their peak, OKC was expected to offset this trend. Westbrook averaged 29 points through the five-game series and was unable to carry his team against a good Portland team, with role players like Enes Kanter and Maurice Harkless doing their part to help Lillard and CJ McCollum.
Paul George's shoulder injury might have had a significant part to play, but questions were asked about Westbrook's ability to lead his team into postseason success as OKC have not crossed the first round post the Kevin Durant era.
Damian Lillard has been in Westbrook's shoes as his team were always considered a good regular season team but were not expected to achieve post-season success.
The Trail Blazers were swept by an Anthony Davis lead New Orleans Pelicans as Lillard failed to help his team averaging just 18.5 points per game, a stat considered extremely low for a player of his calibre.
Lillard went to work in the offseason working on his shot, and his game and the results have been astounding. His exploits earned him the moniker "Logo Lillard" from his peers due to his ability to shoot accurately from long distances.
Despite Paul George calling his game-winner a "bad shot", Lillard has been clutch, shooting 8-of-12 from 30-plus-feet. His composure and belief in his ability was a warning sign to the other teams in the league that "Dame Time" is real and that the Trail Blazers are a force to be reckoned with.
With CJ McCollum struggling to score before the second half it was up to him to carry his team, and he dug deep to come out with stand out plays and tough contested shots to help his team seal the series. His shot selection during the game proved yet again that he does have ice in his veins (sorry D'Angelo).
The series not only produced some of the best basketball, but also provided us with what might be one of the best rivalries in the history of the NBA.
In an era with players like LeBron James, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, it is hard to focus on rivalries like Lillard and Westbrook but, someday in the future, we might look back on this series as a catalyst for something great.
The series did get quite chirpy despite Lillard being the type of player to let his game do the talking as he and Westbrook went back and forth while pushing each other to their limits.
The mutual respect does exist as witnessed in the 2017 All-Star game when Damian Lillard was seen chanting "MVP" in Russel Westbrook's direction when they played for the West, making this rivalry more exciting.
This is what the game is about, two Hall of Fame-bound players at their peak putting their bodies on the line on a nightly basis.
Westbrook would be itching to get back at Dame in a repeat of the battle of the Os but for now in Lillard's words, "There's been a lot of back and forth, a lot of talk and all this stuff, and that was the last word. That was having the last word."