Damian Lillard: Trail Blazers Must Match Pelicans' Physicality to Even Series

The Portland Trail Blazers face an 0-3 series hole against the New Orleans Pelicans following a 119-102 blowout loss in Game 3 on Thursday night, and if his team is going to keep its season alive, Damian Lillard believes the players are going to have to change the way they play.

The sixth-seeded Pelicans have shown no fear against the third-seeded Trail Blazers. Lillard told reporters on Friday, via ESPN's Mike Triplett, that he and his teammates need to take notes from their opponent:

"They were up into us a lot, a lot more aggressive than we were. And we didn't dish it back out. I think in the playoffs and in a situation like this, when a team is coming for you like that, you've gotta maybe go out of your way to do it back—even if that means some foul trouble or some altercations happen out there or whatever. "When a team comes for you the way they did in that last game, maybe we need to just make it a point of emphasis to go back at 'em."

Lillard also noted that New Orleans' defensive game plan against him is different "than I've seen at any other point in my career." The Pelicans have used "two and three layers of defense" to guard the All-Star, not allowing him to get the clean looks he is used to.

The 27-year-old Blazers star is averaging 18.3 points per game on 32.7 percent shooting in the playoffs. He has not scored more than 20 points in any of the first three games. As a result, Portland—which averaged 105.6 points per game during the regular season—has been held to 99.7 points per game in its first-round series.

New Orleans set a franchise playoff record with 16 steals in Game 3. It forced 24 turnovers, scoring 35 points off the miscues. Six players had multiple thefts, with a trio of Pelicans notching three steals apiece.

Even though his team faces a steep hole, Lillard hasn't given up.

"My confidence, that's something that's never been affected since I've been in the league," Lillard said. "I might get a little irritated and a little frustrated, but taking my confidence away—that's gonna be much harder than what they've done."

No NBA team has ever come all the way back from a 3-0 hole to win the series. However, the Trail Blazers won 49 games during the season and are capable of going on a streak at any moment. As long as Lillard and CJ McCollum are healthy, it'd be foolish to count them out.

Game 4 tips off at the Smoothie King Center at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday. That's when fans will get a chance to see if the team listens to Lillard's advice.