At times loyalty comes at a cost. That so happened to be the case with Damian Lillard. For years, he stuck with the Portland Trail Blazers, devoted to bringing a championship to the city. But for years, he couldn’t get through one team. That was none other than Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. However, even after the countless battles they faced, Dame Dolla has one rival who pushes him further than anyone, including the Chef.

Appearing on Jeff Teague’s Club 520 podcast, Damian Lillard recalled the carnage the Warriors, equipped with Stephen Curry and Klay brought down on the Trail Blazers in 2016. Despite being up both games, Lillard and Co were shot down by the three-point attack from the Warriors. “That walk to the bench was devastating,” he said on the podcast. Dolla also acknowledged the relentless attention that has to be given to Curry to contain him one-on-one. But Lillard didn’t term him to be the toughest on an island.

“I think just one-on-one like Kyrie is a tough matchup bro. You can guard him perfect, he’ll still make it either hand, bumping him. And he do it where it don’t look like it’s hard too,” Lillard said of KAI.

Highly regarded as one of the best ball dribbles ever, Kyrie Irving’s fluidity might be unmatched. The dexterous Mavericks guard even had Anthony Edwards, a youthful charm for the Timberwolves exhausted in the postseason. Moreover, Stephen Curry himself knows what it’s like to be at the mercy of Irving.

During the 2016 Finals, the Cavaliers icon hit a stunning go-ahead three over Curry in Game 7. It ended up being the series-winning shot, helping Cleveland come back from 3-1 down against the Warriors. But even though Lillard might put Irving higher than Curry, it doesn’t mean the Warriors ace didn’t give him work.