Damian Lillard puts Blazers’ latest sweep in context

The Portland Trail Blazers may have made a playoff exit that looks embarrassing on the surface, but Damian Lillard is putting things in context.

For the third straight season, the Blazers’ season came to an end in a sweep. Two seasons ago, they were swept in the first round by the Warriors, who went on to win the NBA championship. Last year they were swept in the first round by the Pelicans. This year, they were swept by Golden State again, but there’s a big difference: this sweep came in the conference finals, after Portland already had eliminated the Thunder in five and Denver in seven on the road.

Lillard recognizes the difference between them.

Damian Lillard: “It’s another sweep, but you’d rather be swept in the Western Conference finals than in the first round.”

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 21, 2019

Portland has absolutely no reason to be embarrassed with this year’s outcome. Knocking out the Thunder the way they did and beating the Nuggets on the road in Game 7 were major accomplishments. They exceeded expectations and should enter the offseason feeling like they had a great season.