Dame Time
May 2, 2014 in Portland, Oregon is when it happened. The Portland Trailblazers were playing the Houston Rockets i the first round of the 2014 playoffs. The Blazers led the series 3-2 and were looking to close out the series but the Rockets weren’t going down easy. With 15 seconds to play, the game was tied at 96.
James Harden sizes up Wesley Matthews and drives in, shooting a mid-range jumper. He misses the shot but with 0.9 seconds left forward Chandler Parsons grabs the rebound and lays it up. Rockets 98, Blazers 96. The Trailblazers players are shocked. The chances of winning the game are slim to none. The Blazers call a timeout to draw up a plan and advance the ball to half court to inbound. The Blazers haven’t made a three point shot for the entire fourth quarter, but they know a three will win the series and that’s the shot they have to take.
Inbounding at half court is Nic Batuum. Aldridge was battling Dwight Howard down low for positioning in case the Blazers miss. Damian Lillard is on the other side of the court being guarded by Chandler Parsons. The ref hands the ball to Batuum and the Blazers set a double screen for Dame to curl around the defense and catch the ball with Chandler covering him. The double screen that coach Terry Stotts drew up gives Lillard enough space to get a shot up over his 6’10” defender. Lillard quick releases, getting the ball out of his hands with 0.4 to go. The shot is up, arching high above the backboard. The commentator yells, “It’s Lillard, he got the shot off! Good! Good! And the Blazers win the series for the first time in 14 years!” Nothing but net.
The stadium erupted with cheers and roars that all blended into a white noise sound. The Rockets players and bench were all in disbelief but the Blazers bench and staff took to the court and surrounded Lillard, hugging him and celebrating. Streamers fell from the ceiling as Damian hyped up the crowd.
Watching that clip still sends chills down my spine. He sent Houston home in fashion. At the time I was only learning about the NBA and didn’t even know who Damian Lillard was. But when I saw that video of him winning the series for the first time, he became my idol. His confidence, his swagger, and passion for the game made me want to watch and play and surround myself in basketball. I strive to be in a position of having that opportunity to take a shot like that.9