It has been just a day since Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard won a unanimous Bubble MVP Award. But he has already attracted some criticism from sought-after American Sports Columnist Skip Bayless.
In their recent outing in the first-ever Bubble play-in tournament, Blazers somehow managed a win. Ja Morant of the Grizzlies dropped 35 points and 8 assists, but nothing that was enough. Blazers defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 126-122 with Damian Lillard scoring 31 points, 2 rebounds, and 10 assists. Perhaps still not enough.
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Portland Trail Blazers showed teamwork
With this loss, the Grizzlies have become the last team to leave the Bubble ahead of the playoffs. Now, the Lakers will face the Blazers in round 1 of the post-season. But how did Skip Bayless find an err in this win?
Weird: Damian Lillard, SUPERstar, scored zero field goals in the 4th quarter but his teammates took over and erased an 8-pt lead by the won't-quit Griz. Dame Time??? SUPERstar???
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 15, 2020
In the match against the Grizzlies, the game entered the fourth quarter with Blazers trailing by 5 points. But it was not a one-man show that got them the victory. CJ McCollum added 29 points while Carmelo Anthony contributed 21.
But Jusuf Nurkic, who scored 22 points (and crucial field goals after the score tied at 111-111), 21 rebounds, and 6 assists showed the most praiseworthy game. The inside-outside attack was amazing. This came after the news of his grandma’s sad demise due to the coronavirus.
The criticism against Damian Lillard continues
The columnist raises serious doubts on the clutch performance of the man who was voted to be in the NBA’s All-bubble Seeding Games First Team. The Big Dame averaged 37.6 points, 9.6 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game during the NBA restart.
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In another Tweet, the columnist said, “Since Damian Lillard entered the league, he has the worst playoff winning percentage of any player in the NBA and the 2nd worst playoff plus-minus.”
Since Damian Lillard entered the league, he has the worst playoff winning percentage of any player in the NBA and the 2nd worst playoff plus-minus. Yet all I hear is what a clutch superstar he is. SHOW ME NOW. BACK UP THE HYPE. DAME TIME, NOT DAMN TIME.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) August 15, 2020
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This attitude goes true with Skip’s bio “Maybe not what you want to hear, but need to hear.”
The Blazers will play the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, August 18th at 9:00 PM ET (TNT) in Game 1 of round 1. One thing is sure, the ailing Lakers will not get it easy. However, let us see if Dame can put up a show that can shut his critics.
