"He is the greatest shooter of all time" - Damian Lillard talks about Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and his championship hopes with the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard recently appeared on 'The Dan Patrick Show' and spoke about the buzz around the NBA.
Lillard has been a sensation since he came into the league. His long-range three-point bombs make for tantalizing highlights and he often gets compared to Warriors' superstar point guard Stephen Curry.
He gave his two cents on Russell Westbrook's recent triple-double with 24 assists and 21 rebounds and spoke about some of his frustrations with the Portland Trail Blazers.
"I think Steph is the greatest shooter of all time" - Damian Lillard talks about Curry and the greatest point guards in the NBA
On "The Dan Patrick Show," host Dan Patrick asked Damian Lillard whether Westbrook is a better point guard than him, to which Lillard replied that he felt no point guard was better than himself.
They both agreed that the consensus around the basketball world is that LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson is the greatest point guard of all time, but then Patrick asked him where he would put Stephen Curry on that list. To which he replied:
"I think Steph would...it depends on what you going off of...the quality of the player, if you just line these two guys up or what has this person accomplished in their career. And you know Steph has two MVPs, a unaminous MVP, back-to-back titles, 3 total titles, so you know the resume is there. So if you ask 10 people, 7 or 8 of them would probably come back and say 'Steph is right behind Magic'"
They both went on to talk about how Stephen Curry has changed the game and that he has given inspiration to an entire generation of athletes who aspire to be great at the sport but are without genetic gifts.
Damian Lillard went on to say that even if you aren't seven-foot-tall or super athletic, you can work on your craft and grind to be great at what you do and that Stephen Curry is the player that has sparked that revolution.
Dan Patrick asked Damian Lillard if Curry was a better shooter than him to which he replied:
"I think Steph is the greatest shooter of all time"
Damian Lillard then said he considers himself to be a top 5 shooter ever based on the contested nature of his shots. He said not many players have the range or the skill to pull up off the dribble and that puts him up there amongst the greatest shooters ever.
"I want to experience that championship level and that's where the frustration comes in" - Damian Lillard talks about the Portland Trail Blazers
Dan Patrick asked Damian Lillard where his patience level was with his team. Patrick said that the Trail Blazers make the playoffs, but asked when are they going to win a championship because that's how greatness is measured at the end by how many titles one has. Lillard responded:
"I do want to accomplish the ultimate, that's what makes the situation, that we've been in for the last few years, frustrating because you just want to experience that, you want to get to the mountain top and be that last team standing"
Damian Lillard said since his second season, he hasn't missed the playoffs, has led the Trail Blazers to the 3-seed twice and the Western Conference Finals once and at this stage in his career, he wants to take that next step. Lillard said:
"Where I'm at in my career, to get to that next level is like, you can't just continue to be okay with 'Oh! We're making the playoffs'. We're working hard and at some point you just gotta be like 'Its time to go for it'. I want to experience that championship level and that's where the frustration comes in when it's like 'I want that'"
"I'm showing up with Kevin Durant" - Damian Lillard when asked who he would pick as a teammate for a 2v2 battle
Dan Patrick asked Damian Lillard which player, apart from his current teammates, would he pick if he went to the playground for a 2-on-2 battle. The point guard said:
"I'm showing up with Kevin Durant. I think that's pretty easy"
Patrick went on to ask Damian Lillard if he thinks Kevin Durant is the best player in the league to which he responded:
"When healthy, I think him and LeBron are like...right there...[He's such a matchup nightmare]...nobody can guard him. He's shooting threes off the dribble, he's pulling up off the dribble, he can post up, get to the rim, you can't block his shot. The way he handles the ball [and] moves at that size. Who are you going to put on him? When healthy, I think, at this moment, he may very well be the best player in the league."
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