There Will Be Some Sadness In Rip City If Damian Lillard Wins A Championship With Milwaukee
By 750 THE GAME STAFF
The Blazers haven’t sniffed the playoffs in three seasons, but this year there is a faction of Rip City that is rooting for Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks. Dame did what Dame does. He scored 35 points in Game 1 against the Pacers.
John Canzano on the Bald Faced Truth started thinking about Lillard and what fans will think if he continues his hot streak not only against the Pacers, but all the way to a championship. Canzano thinks there will be some pain behind Rip City’s eyes because Milwaukee and Portland aren’t all that different.
“I think it would be painful if Blazers fans see him (Lillard) hold a trophy,” Canzano said on 750 The Game. “This isn’t Miami. This isn’t the Lakers. This is not Boston. Milwaukee is a small market, and the excuse that was made in Portland for years and years and years was we can’t get guys via free agency, because it’s a small market and it’s not attractive to free agents. Milwaukee is no different.”
There was a time when the Blazers were competing for championships. It was in 2000 when the Blazers had a 13 point lead heading into the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, only to lose the game 89-84. It was the start of the Lakers dynasty and the end of an era for the Blazers. Canzano says that if Lillard is to make a run in Milwaukee, some of those feelings will be brought up just like when Rasheed Wallace, who had 30 points in the Game 7 loss to the Lakers, won a championship with the Pistons.
“If Milwaukee wins a championship and you see Lillard like you saw Rasheed Wallace so many years ago hold up a trophy,” said Canzano. “I think there was some pain in watching Rasheed win with the Pistons, because the Blazers got so close in that Western Conference Finals against the Lakers. They had the lead. They were going to win that. There were going to go on to beat Indiana in the NBA Finals. They probably would have went back-to-back. Damon Stoudamire and I have talked about this. If the Blazers win and break through against Lakers it’s probably the Lakers blowing up the roster,”
Why not us? That’s always a saying for an underdog. Canzano says if the Bucks and Lillard go on to win a championship that fans are going to be uttering that saying. Why not us?
“Milwaukee drafted Giannis and guess what? (They) Put the necessary pieces around him to win a championship. Now their trying to win another one, but I think the painful part will come when and if the Milwaukee Bucks win a championship and you see Lillard hold up a championship trophy, and Blazers fans go, that should be us.”
Listen to the full show of the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano by clicking the podcast below. Catch the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano live weekdays 3-6 p.m. in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.
