Damian Lillard knows what he and the Portland Trail Blazers are up against in the Western Conference. Despite injuries and a recent lull the Golden State Warriors are the reigning champions and favorites to win it all again. The Houston Rockets have the NBA’s best record and the presumptive NBA MVP on the roster in James Harden.
But Lillard doesn’t seem to mind a tough road to success. It’s something he’s embraced throughout his career, and it was highlighted by a feature about Lillard in Sports Illustrated this week.
The Lee Jenkins piece dives into the origins of “Dame Time” and how Lillard has an uncanny ability to get into a scoring zone for stretches of time. But perhaps the most telling quote of the piece is also the most reassuring for Blazers fans who have had to worry at times that Lillard might be tempted to leave Portland to find success.
According to Dame, he’s not going anywhere.
“I would like to win a championship as bad as anybody, but because of who I am, I’d get a lot more satisfaction if I got it the hard way,” Lillard says. “If I can’t figure it out here and I never win one, I can live with the effort I put into it. I can live with it maybe not happening for me. I’m going to roll with this team regardless of what people may feel about our chances. I’m going to live and die with this.”
Lillard has no shortage of confidence in himself, so this should come as no surprise that he thinks the Blazers can win it all despite the steep competition. But the crux for fans in Portland is that Lillard isn’t frustrated by his career with the Blazers. In his mind, he’s just going about it “the hard way,” something he finds more satisfying.
That could change as circumstances evolve and his career carries on, but right now Lillard is content with where he is, just not necessarily with the success he’s found overall.
