Blazers waste Damian Lillard’s record-breaking night, and it’s a microcosm of a larger failure

I could be caught up in what I simply noticed, however as of this very second, I’m declaring the Tuesday evening Recreation 5 battle between the Nuggets and Path Blazers the craziest NBA basketball sport I’ve ever seen. The Nuggets, by some means, received the sport, 147-140, in double extra time, regardless of Michael Malone hamstringing his crew with two of the worst teaching choices possible and Damian Lillard scoring 55 factors with an NBA postseason report 12 made 3-pointers. 

Denver leads the sequence 3-2. 

I do not know how Portland recovers from this.  

Again to Lillard. This freaking man. In the event you have been one of many unlucky souls who selected to look at LeBron James and the Lakers get smoked by the Suns slightly than tune into Dame time (assuming you’ve got NBA TV as a part of your cable bundle), could the basketball gods have mercy in your soul. You would possibly by no means get one other probability to witness a efficiency like this so long as you reside. 

Along with his 55 factors, Lillard added 10 assists, six rebounds, three blocks and a steal, making him the primary participant in historical past to report a minimum of 50 factors, 10 assists and 10 made 3-pointers in a single sport, common season or postseason, per ESPN Stats and Data. 

Additionally, Lillard had one — one — turnover in 52 minutes with the ball in his palms for rattling close to each one among them. And it’s not just like the man was jacking up pictures to interrupt Klay Thompson’s earlier postseason report of 11 3s; Lillard shot 12 of 17 from deep and 17 of 24 general. It was pure insanity. 

Circling again to Malone’s inexcusable teaching choices, the primary one got here with beneath 10 seconds to play in regulation. The Nuggets had a 3-point lead. The Blazers had the ball. I shouldn’t should spell this out, however you foul right here each single time. It’s fairly probably the dumbest loophole in sports activities {that a} crew can commit an act designed to be detrimental to its personal success as a approach of blocking an opposing crew’s alternative to tie the sport, however that’s the rule. You reap the benefits of it. 

Permitting Lillard, essentially the most clutch participant within the universe who repeatedly makes mind-bending pictures look routine, a possibility to take a possible tying shot is madness. However Malone did it, and right here’s what it bought him:

Look how lengthy Lillard simply stood inside the emblem. Michael Porter Jr. had on a regular basis on the planet to hurry up and foul Lillard. If it comes out that this was Malone’s instruction and for some motive Porter simply ignored it, then positive, we’ll let Malone off the hook and begin questioning whether or not Porter ought to ever see the ground once more. However I doubt it. Malone ordered this nonsense. 

However OK, positive. He bought you as soon as. Absolutely, if Malone have been to search out himself on this spot once more, he would be taught his lesson and alter his technique, proper? Proper? I can’t consider I’m even penning this, however certain sufficient, on the finish of the primary extra time, the Nuggets as soon as once more had a three-point lead with beneath 10 seconds to play and as soon as once more had an opportunity to foul Lillard. He even did Denver the courtesy of stepping contained in the 3-point line together with his again turned, which means even when he have been to spring into a fast shot, the foul would nonetheless solely internet two free throws. Nope. They let him do it once more …

That the Blazers didn’t win this sport is a nationwide disgrace, however we’d be remiss to disregard how superior the Nuggets performed. Nikola Jokic, with 38 factors, 11 rebounds and 9 assists in 46 minutes, was masterful, doing his greatest to name Lillard practically each time he upped the ante.

Monte Morris? Good god. This man is a treasure to have coming off the bench. He completed with 28 factors, 5 assists and his customary zero turnovers. He hit monster pictures. So did Porter, who completed with 26 factors and 12 rebounds on 10-of-13 capturing from the sector. And Austin Rivers, who chipped in 18 and on 4 of 4 from 3. And these weren’t a bunch of first-quarter 3s. These have been game-on-the-line 3s with the strain able to snap. 

Nonetheless, in case you’re the Blazers, and Lillard performs like that, you need to win that sport. There are fingers to level. C.J. McCollum was unhealthy with 18 factors on 7-of-22 capturing, together with 2 of 8 from 3, to go along with a gut-punch turnover with the Blazers down three and 10 seconds to play in extra time. (Lillard handed it to McCollum, who stepped out of bounds, and I’ll perpetually be making an attempt to determine why Lillard gave the ball up contemplating what he had performed on this sport). 

Robert Covington smoked not one, however two point-blank pictures by making an attempt to dunk the ball via the bottom slightly than ensuring he bought the bucket(s). Jusuf Nurkic fouled out for the third time within the sequence. With the sport on the road, Portland has Enes Kanter and Carmelo Anthony making an attempt to protect Jokic. 

They did the very best they may. It was good to not double Jokic many of the evening, and for many of this sequence, and pressure him to beat you as a scorer slightly than permitting him to get the entire prepare rolling by slicing Portland up with passes … however when it comes right down to it, these are mismatches that illuminate how brief Portland GM Neil Olshey has fallen when it comes to placing a championship crew round Lillard, who scored 17 factors over the 2 overtimes on 6-of-8 capturing whereas his teammates scored a mixed 2 factors on 1-of-14 capturing. 

The collective expertise simply isn’t there. The Blazers are good, however not nice, and so they haven’t take sufficient dangers — if any in any respect — to truthfully pursue the latter. Portland is a troublesome place to attract gamers, trades aren’t straightforward, and there have been plenty of cap restraints for lots of years following the 2016 offseason debacle (Olshey’s doing). However this can be a outcomes enterprise. Lillard is without doubt one of the greatest gamers on the planet, and yearly he’s requested to work miracles to win first-round sequence; generally simply to make the playoffs. You don’t should win a championship to be nice, however in case you’re as nice as Lillard, you a minimum of deserve a official shot, particularly within the post-Warriors period. 

As an alternative, Lillard now resides within the annals of doubtful honors as the one participant in historical past to place up a minimum of 55 factors and 10 assists in a loss, common season or playoffs. Take into consideration that. It had by no means occurred. Till now. As I mentioned on the high, I’ve zero thought how the Blazers bounce again from this for Recreation 6 on Thursday. In the event that they win that sport, it is going to be one of the resilient wins ever. I’m not going to rule it out. I don’t rule something out with Lillard. For apparent causes. However for now, this one stings in case you’re a Blazers fan. In the event you’re a Nuggets fan, you’re euphoric. In the event you’re Malone, you’re grateful, since you bought away with one. Or two, really. 

In the event you’re simply an NBA fan, man, you simply witnessed a real traditional. There’s simply no different technique to say it. That sport, for therefore many causes, was un-freaking-believable.