Paul George had no problem with the game-winning shot Damian Lillard hit over him to send the Portland Trail Blazers to the second round of the playoffs, as the Oklahoma City Thunder star felt he did all he could do to defend a “bad shot.” Lillard, however, views it much, much differently.
Lillard discussed his deep three-pointer during an appearance on the “Pull Up” podcast this week, and he said he has made a conscious effort to add those long-range shots to his arsenal so defenders have something else to think about. Not only is he “comfortable” with the shot, but he feels George should have defended him differently since there were only two seconds left on the clock.
Really appreciate the man himself, @Dame_Lillard, joining @CJMcCollum and me. An honest, emotional, raw all-around conversation. In this clip,
Dame breaks down “the shot,” and why he had the confidence to both take – and make – his dagger from the logo⌚️@PullUpPod @trailblazers pic.twitter.com/DNRtRieNV7— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 25, 2019
“To me, it’s a solid shot. For him to say it’s a bad shot, that’s just kind of being a poor sport,” Lillard said. “It was bad defense, because I had the ball in my hand with two seconds. I wasn’t gonna drive, so maybe he should have just bodied me up.”
George obviously didn’t want to risk putting Lillard at the free throw line, and it didn’t look like there was much more he could have done to prevent the 36-foot shot. That said, calling it a “bad shot” might be a stretch, because Lillard actually converted on 8-of-12 shots from 30 feet and beyond during the series.
Lillard had a much more subtle response initially when George criticized his shot selection, but he has every right to call out his opponent after making a play like that.
