Damian Lillard Postgame Press Conference | 3.10.24

Damian Lillard Postgame Press Conference | 3.10.24

Just spoke about how unselfish you all were and you all are developing that camaraderie um obviously second half of the Season down the stretch how do you feel that camarad kind of just that sick sense of you all having that communication that’s developing uh I think it’s it’s getting much better you

Know um to start the season I think a lot of people wanted it to just click and happen right away but I think anytime you put two um two guys together who’ve always been this decision maker always had the ball um in their hands for years and years years and years it’s

Going to take time for us to learn how to play with each other and um learn how to play off of one another and I think we just um first of all having a lot more dialogue about what I need from him and he’s telling me what he needs from

Me and um I think our understanding that is getting much better and U because of that I’m able to get to certain spots and I’m using him against the defense and vice versa and when we get the kind of attenion that that we’ve been getting you know where it’s a guy guarding me

And then his guy as being a aggressive and then the help is pulling over to guard you know whichever one of us ends up with the ball then the next guy is getting a a clean shot and um you know I think doc has done a great job of

Talking about our spacing after they give us that attention so um we having guys cutting so they got to account for a guy under the rim and then we got two Shooters one Defender and we making an extra pass a lot more often so I think

Um because of the time because of our you know U many interactions and US learning each other we’ve been able to play better off each other but then I think you know the the playmaking is is also U uh I guess product of us us doing

That Dam that uh left wing three you hit on the run on the pitch back from y that feels like one of the first times you guys have had like the one two three like that kind of connection together just what is going on with your guys

Maybe patience I guess to to let all those things develop I think you just got to it I think it’s reached the point where we’re doing we’re playing the game but you know when it’s time to get to the next action we’re doing the next action with each

Other in mind and um it’s is you know we’ve laughed about it in practice you know the team sometimes they’ll laugh and shoot around when doc will put us on one side of the floor and put everybody else on the other side of the floor and

Be like all right Yiannis set the screen throw it back now dribble it back to Dame Dame throw it back and we just kind of like going back and forth with each other for 15 seconds and then he like all right somebody shoot and then you know we shoot and then everybody start

Laughing cuz he’s like y’all have to play off each other you got to play together and then he’ll have us I’ll throw it to Giannis jannis will swing it they’ll throw it back to me and then jannis will come set it and he’s kind of like um scripting us playing off of each

Other and I think because he’s done it you know so many times in practice and shoot around um it went from a joke to now when those situations come like that last one you talking about jiannis like went to the wing and I just took off

Running towards him and he flipped it he set the screen and it was just um it ended up being a big play in the game but I think that’s kind of how it started honestly just the shooting around in practice of it just being a

Scripted thing um 20 of 23 for you and Giannis in the fourth quarter after they take the lead you scored 20 to 23 and then you had the skip to Brook yeah for that other three just I realized fourth quarter is something you both do but what tonight allowed that to happen and

Then also the to then go to Brooke in that one instance I mean we just like I said just learning to use each other against the defense um I kind of I noticed it early in the game didn’t matter which side I was bringing the ball up the

Floor they was keeping it on the side so um I waited till the end of the game and I just started to run up the side of the floor and I was just like clearing the corner and I was telling jiannis let’s me and you play on this side and um he

Was changing the angle and I was able to get Baseline to the rim I was able to get Baseline to you know step backs I was able to come off and get the pull up three couple times I hit Yiannis in the pocket but down the stretch I once I

Scored a few times and U me and Yannis started to get into the action I saw the defense start to just be over earlier and earlier um and in the timeout one time jannis was like if you snake it you know then they’ll have to step up and I’m

Going to come around the other way and I was like no keep setting it so I can keep having this space because I knew eventually after enough times they would be Tighter and Tighter and I know if it would be Brooke or bees or whoever but I

Knew once it happened like that the weak side you know they would end up getting a shot or two um so that was kind of how that developed a two- here just you got to see uh the CPP Trail last week and um only James just a guy James you played

Playoff matches against a lot of regular G what have you made about um his fit on this team how how do they look it look like a like he acclimated they still figur things out it looked like it to me um I think they I don’t remember what

Month it was but they was like you know the best team in the league for a long stretch and playing like it you know um I think because James is such a a good passer and such a smart player um I think it’s a great fit you know initially I think everybody was

Looking like how is this going to work out but I think because of how well he passes the ball and he understands the game um It’s Kind of Perfect to have somebody that could you know go out there and get 40 if it’s necessary in

The playoff game um but he can get the ball to PG get the ball to to Kawai um he plays well in the pick and role with with zubac so I mean it’s a I think it’s a good fit you know to to win it all you

Need to have weapons out there and guys that understand um the situation that they’re in and I think he does d you recently became like fourth all time and threo made overall and also you know you doing a lot of great things in the community you know I wish you saw

You was on a bill board um what do you make at this point in your career you know with all your accomplishments um I think you know the the three-point thing it’s a obviously it’s a it’s a a special accomplishment but I just can’t help but

Think about how many I shot like I know I made a lot but I probably shot way more than the four the top four on the list we probably shot more threes than those other people too but uh that’s a special accomplishment anyway um given how I’ve been defended

In my career and I know a lot of them are off the dribble so um it’s a special accomplishment and as far as uh just my career I think U when I look back at at the beginning of my career I’m always that’s what always makes me proud

Of myself you know I think when you get caught up in the moment it’s like you see whatever criticism you might get or you see what people say about you in the moment you know when things happen you lose a game or you have a bad game or

Whatever and when I had those moments of thinking back to where where it started you know the kind of family I come from the kind of neighborhood that I come from uh my journey as a as a basketball player you know um I didn’t play at all

My sophomore year in high school TR I went to three high schools I went to a small College I broke my foot as a junior in college and I wasn’t even on a draft board so like reaching what I’ve reached you know I look back and I’m

Just like man it’s a lot a lot for me to be thankful for you know a lot of special accomplishments in my career and um I know that when I’m done playing you know whatever noise happens around my career as a player you know a nobody

Going to be talking about that you know they going to talk about what I accomplished what I come from and who I was as a person and how I carried my success and um you know that’s that’s the number one thing for me you know I’m just I look back and I’m

Proud of you know how far I’ve come and where I am now and um you know I know that there’s more to come play when you were here played against him a lot at he’s his team’s you know they’ve always spoken highly I think him on their

Sideous now you had a couple hand game What’s it been likeing different I think it’s about what I expected you know he’s I’ve always looked at him um from a as an opponent like he’s somebody that you probably you hate him when you playing against him

But on your team you probably love to have somebody like that and I think he he brings Edge to the team um you know I think anybody that that’s had his journey you know and had to scratch and Claw to you know keep a job and to fight

For a job and to fight for a role on the team um you know they going you got to have some type of belief you know and some type of toughness and some type of Edge and uh he brings that to our team you know and we didn’t we didn’t have a

Lot of that so I think uh he’s definit definitely an important part of our team you know just from a mentality standpoint and um he’s another guy on the team that hasn’t won yet so um anytime you add that to a team I think it’s going to be a positive talk sorry

About that earlier bro but um 16 points in the fourth um you have this punch dribble side step that you use all the time talk about that move I see a lot of people doing it and I know an Simon says I talk to an about it all the time but

Shay also has a version of that move too as well that he brings to the table where did that move come from for you and then you know what does that move done for you besides getting power on your shot too as well I think it’s it

Just came from um being explosive I think you know when you are when you quick and you and you’re powerful you’re able to get past guys and get into the paint so a Defender is anytime you do anything with Force they’re going to sit down and get ready to you know to defend

You trying to get by them and I think that’s why it looks like that cuz you want to make them anticipate you blowing by them just to kind of sit down and freeze them a little bit to get some space to shoot and that’s kind of that’s how I

Started doing it and um I started training it with the same force that I would do if I was trying to blow by somebody and then just making it making it easier shot by just working on it over and over I started off doing it all

The time with my left hand and then it was like What if I could do it both ways so I started doing with my right hand and now it’s just like a I’ll do it either way but uh that’s kind of that’s how it started hey dang so just you know

Looking at your legacy as a you know clutch Guy game time um you know how important is it for you to you know impose your will late with this team even though you do share share the Flor to be honest uh I think it’s it’s important because it’s it’s who I am you

Know it’s a I take pride in um being in those moments you know and taking responsibility in those moments and U I think part of that is accepting and understanding you’re going to come up short sometimes and I take pride in being able to handle that too cuz I know

That a lot of people can’t so like when it doesn’t go my way I like I get more bold about it you know and I’ve always been that way so um I think understanding that I’m on a team with Giannis and Chris as well you know Chris

Is a guy that’ll you know zip somebody up and finish him so um I think part of it is understanding you know how this game is going what’s going on on the floor what the matchups are you know what kind of game is Chris having what

Kind of game is jiannis having um what kind of game am I having so you I think you got to you got to play it like that because you got three different guys that can finish a game out um but for me if we all just kind of flowing into the

Game I think is it’s coming on this team for me has become more and more natural for me to kind of voice my my my opinion on it and kind of assert myself and um you know we we’ve talked enough like me and Chris at the end of games me and

Yiannis at the end of games to where if they see something else they’ll say it you know insane for me how do you feel uh coming into the second half of this season how do you see it playing out headed into the playoffs uh I think we

We’re turning the corner and um playing our best best basketball right now I think on both sides of the ball the last couple games we haven’t been as sharp but I think we’ve still um been a much better team than than we have been probably to start the

Season just from how it feels out there and I think some of the things that we’re doing um but anytime you go into the playoffs you want to be playing your your best basketball you want to be coming into your your best version of yourself and um I don’t think we’ve been

That yet this season and I can I can feel and see our team becoming that and I think it’s happening that the right time how hungry do you see your team being and how much hungry do you need to be in order to reach the top and overt I

Think everybody’s hungry you know we we want it uh We’ve dealt with a lot as a team so far this season you know it’s been some some draining moments it’s been some you know a lot of adversity for us and um you know we’ve continued to fight through it and fight through it

And I think we find ourselves in a great position right now but I think you really find out you know how hungry you are when when it’s on the line you know everybody if you ask everybody playing right now how hungry they are they’re gonna say we hungry and the only way to

Really know is like when you line it up and everything is up for grabs and then you got to decide like how bad do I want it or not you know that’s the only way to really to really tip

Damian Lillard spoke to the media after Sunday afternoon’s win against the Clippers.

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