The Portland Trail Blazers are far down in the playoff race, but there’s still plenty of basketball to be played this season.
That’s why Damian Lillard will go out there and compete at the highest level night in and night out, regardless of the rival or how uphill their playoff chances might seem.
Lillard is the kind of player who rarely has off-nights, not to mention he’s never taken a game for granted.
That was on full display again in his matchup against the Houston Rockets, as he torched them for a career-high 71 points.
A @trailblazers franchise-record and the eighth player in NBA history to score 70+ PTS in a single game.
All 71 of @Dame_Lillard's points from his historic outing 👏 pic.twitter.com/WoowXdFCzM
— NBA (@NBA) February 27, 2023
Lillard became the oldest player with a 70+ point performance, setting all kinds of marks in the meantime, including the highest-scoring performance in Blazers history.
Needless to say, that prompted plenty of reactions on social media, from people praising him as one of the most explosive scorers in NBA history and others just urging him to leave the team and pursue a championship somewhere else.
Blazers GOAT Damian Lillard
— rennaT (@rennaTcMrennaT) February 27, 2023
Deserves more respect
— SPENCER (@SpencerCoates15) February 27, 2023
the loyal guy
— Lil Charlzy🇺🇬 (@lil_charlzy) February 27, 2023
Dame has clearly outgrown the franchise for years now, but he’s always made it clear that he wants to see his career through at Rip City.
He’s been tied to a move to the Los Angeles Lakers for years, and it would be a shame to see him retire without a ring.
Then again, he’s not the kind of player who’ll force his way out, and it would have to be the front office’s decision to move on from him instead.
Lillard has already become the greatest player in Blazers history, and loyalty is a dying trait among NBA players, so props to him for staying true no matter what.
NEXT: Damian Lillard Made NBA History On Sunday
