A side story in the intense five-game series between the OKC Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers, the verbal back and forth between guards Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon.
The two floor generals have been going at it for years now, and there’s no doubt Lillard got the best of Westbrook in their latest playoff series as his team would go on to prevail in five games. Following Game 5 in which Lillard nailed a buzzer beating three-pointer, he had some strong things to say about Westbrook and his trash talk following the game.
"Said he's been busting my ass for years. That wasn't true, for one, and this was the moment of truth. This was the perfect platform and opportunity for him to prove it and you see what happened." — @Dame_Lillard
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) April 24, 2019
Both have been going at each other competitively for years, but there’s no doubt Damian Lillard clearly has the upper hand, at least for now.
The playoffs are the perfect opportunity to make a statement and Lillard did just that with his stellar play while Westbrook struggled mightily for important stretches of the series. Lillard averaged 33 points and 6 assists through the first series while shooting 46% from the field.
In comparison, Westbrook posted per-game averages of 22.8 points, 10.6 assists and 8.8 rebounds while hitting a putrid 36% of his shots from the field. Though this series won’t help Westbrook’s reputation, it’s more about Damian Lillard and his otherworldly play cementing himself as one of the NBA’s premier playoff performers.
