“I’d rather be sad in a Rolls-Royce than riding the bus!” – Damian Lillard’s decision to stay too long in Portland led to a missed opportunity for a championship ring, says Shannon Sharpe
Shannon Sharpe thinks Damian Lillard made a mistake by not leaving Portland sooner, potentially costing him a championship.
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Shannon Sharpe and Damian Lillard
Damian Lillard is recognized as one of the greatest shooters in the league. His signature ‘Dame Time’ moment remains among the most iconic ones in the 2010s. Despite Lillard’s high-level play, he has not won the Holy Grail. He spent 12 years with the Portland Trail Blazers, and it ended with failure to reach the finals or win it.
As a result, NFL veteran Shannon Sharpe, in a recent episode of Nightcap, analyzed the whole Lillard – Trailblazers era. Sharpe asserted that Damian Lillard made a mistake by not leaving Portland sooner, potentially missing out on an opportunity to win a championship.
Go be happy, man. Damn, what people say because they’re gonna talk about you anyway. I’d rather be sad in a Rolls-Royce than riding the bus. So talk about me when I got a ring on my finger because then I can put one of them in my ear and drown you out.Shannon Sharpe via Nightcap
Furthermore, Lillard had recently suggested that he believed the team had a legitimate chance at a championship with LaMarcus Aldridge. However, the opportunity slipped away when Aldridge left the team to join the San Antonio Spurs. The injury concerns also didn’t help the team’s chances.
Lillard’s time eventually ran out as he left to join Giannis Antetokounmpo at the Milwaukee Bucks. That didn’t go as planned, as the team didn’t go past the first round due to injury troubles again. Even though Lillard still insisted that nothing had changed in his performance, he has plenty to prove in the upcoming season.
Damian Lillard opens up on struggles against Steph Curry and Warriors dynasty
Damian Lillard was so unlucky because he had to constantly face off against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. They faced off in three playoff series, where he came out on top only once. In a recent interview on Jeff Teague’s Club 520 Podcast, he reflected on how challenging it was to compete against the Warriors during their dynasty era, particularly in the 2016 playoffs.
Golden State just tough because playing them in the playoffs. We played them my fourth year in the second-round... we was up double digits in every game. We lost 4-1, but we could have beat them 4-1… Steph hit a three, Klay hit a three, timeout. That walk back to the bench was like, 'Damn.'Damian Lillard via Jeff Teague’s Club 520 Podcast
During their dynasty era, the Warriors were a scorn in almost every team in the league. Moreover, they were the last team to win back-to-back titles. As such, players like Lillard, Russell Westbrook, and others in the West didn’t proceed to the finals.
Now that Lillard has joined the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference, he won’t have to face Curry and the Warriors as frequently. However, the Boston Celtics may have the capability of going back-to-back and remain a thorn in the Eastern Conference.
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Ubong Archibong
(1284 Articles Published)