Damian Lillard Rejects Idea He's Copying Steph Curry's Game: 'This Is What I Do'
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard has been compared by some to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, but Dame believes his game is unique.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Lillard suggested his penchant for firing long threes is compared to Curry's since Steph has gotten more exposure over the years:
"I understand Steph has been playing for championships and has been on national TV countless times. They were building a dynasty. So naturally, when he's making all these long threes, everyone is going to pay attention to him. I get that. Meanwhile, I'm in Portland and we're not getting the exposure as some of the other big teams and so a lot of people didn't know that I've been doing this. So I don't try to convince people that I can do what Steph does. This is what I do."
Striving to be like Curry isn't necessarily a bad thing since the megastar has two MVP Awards and three NBA championships to his credit, but Lillard is carving his own path as one of the league's premier players.
Lillard dominated in the bubble last season before the Trail Blazers ran into the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.
This season, Dame has Portland off to a 3-2 start, and he has been highly productive with 25.2 points, 6.6 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 three-pointers per game.
Notably, Lillard led the Blazers to a 123-98 win over Curry and the Warriors on Friday, and the teams will play again Sunday.
Dame scored a game-high 34 points to go along with eight assists and four rebounds, while Curry recorded 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Lillard shot 6-of-10 from three, while Curry was 4-of-12.
There was excitement surrounding the Warriors' potentially returning to championship contention this season, but they are off to a 2-3 start despite Steph's impressive 26.4 points, 6.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.
The Lakers remain the team to beat in the Western Conference, and the Los Angeles Clippers may be second in that regard, but the rest of the West is wide-open.
There is room for another team to announce itself as a contender, and given the fact that Portland played great in the bubble last season and reached the Western Conference Finals the previous year, it could very well be that team on the strength of Lillard's play.
