Damian Lillard, Playoff Mode

Damian Lillard pretty much showed the league last night (and over the last two weeks) and the basketball watching country what a superstar is supposed to do in the NBA Playoffs for his (or her) teams. Yet, it is more than just his 37 footer at the horn to advance his Portland Trailblazers over the Oklahoma Thunder, in their first round Western Conference playoff series.

Lillard, first of all, is among the best offensive players currently in the NBA. His career numbers are impressive: 23.5 points, 6.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds per game. His Blazers have been a playoff constant over the last few years. His career FG percentages are impressive too — 43 percent (2pt FG), 37 percent (3pt FG), 51 percent (eFG). Lillard has averaged at least 25 points per game the last four years, 6–7 assists, and 4 rebounds, per game. His field goal percentages have likewise been constant or better than his overall career averages.

In these playoffs, against the Thunder, and one of his position rivals, Russell Westbrook, Lillard, on cue, took his game to another level, as one should do on the biggest stage in world basketball. In the series against the Oklahoma Thunder, Lillard averaged 33 points per game, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. He shot more shots (23 per game, rather than 17), more three point shots (10 per game, rather than 7), and he shot a better clip, a much better clip to make his Blazers that much more difficult to beat.

For instance, Lillard shot 46 percent from the field overall, and 48 percent (26–54) from the three point line. His effective FG percentage was 57 percent during the series. To give that perspective, Stephen Curry, the best pure shooter in the history of the NBA, has a 58 percent effective field goal percentage for his career. Reggie Miller, another of the NBA’s greatest long range shooters, only had that effective FG percentage one year in his career (Miller is 54 percent eFG for his career).

Lillard, in driving his Blazers to the next round, had games of 30, 32, and 50 points in the final clinching contest where he hit his now famous 37 foot three point shot over Paul George at the horn. In that game, Lillard was 10–18 from the three and 17–33 from the field overall. The best of those 17 field goals was obviously his now iconic shot to win it all and advance Portland to the next round: