Sports chatter: Damian Lillard says he will sit out if Blazers don’t get a fair chance to make NBA playoffs
Damian Lillard and the Blazers are projected to miss the playoffs after six straight appearances, but Lillard will only play if given a fair shot to make the postseason when the NBA resumes.
The NBA has a tough decision to make on how teams will resume the season. The normal playoff race will be compromised, and if it’s altered too much, don’t expect to see Damian Lillard play again this season.
“If we come back and they’re just like, ‘We’re adding a few games to finish the regular season,’ and they’re throwing us out there for meaningless games and we don’t have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I’m going to be with my team because I’m a part of the team. But I’m not going to be participating. I’m telling you that right now. And you can put that [expletive] in there,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday morning via phone.
Portland (29-37) is currently ninth in the Western Conference and 3 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Grizzlies. The Blazers have 16 scheduled games remaining, and Lillard wants to play all of them.
The league wants to restart the season in late July, and it’ll take more than a month to play the 16 remaining games after allowing players time to practice with their full teams before games begin. That would mean the playoffs would start in September, and the season would end sometime in early November if the league uses its regular playoff scheduling format.
“Dame Time” has become one of the NBA’s most popular phrases. Whether it was his buzzer-beating three-pointer to close out the Rockets in the 2014 playoffs or his shot from the Pacific Ocean that wiped the Thunder away last season, Lillard is known for big moments.
The last 16 games of the regular season seem like the perfect time to unlock “Dame Time," but the NBA is also short on time, and that’s not good for the Blazers.
Is Patrick Mahomes having an indirect impact on the changing of quarterback workouts?
Patrick Mahomes is becoming the Stephen Curry of the NFL.
Similar to how Curry’s three-pointers from beyond 30 feet swept through the NBA, Mahomes’ ability to make off-platform, circus throws could be next in the NFL.
A video of 2021 San Diego State quarterback commit Will Haskell went viral after he attempted passes between his legs, across his body and while jumping in mid-air.
Remember when high school kids began to shoot shots from near half court? That was the Curry-effect. Haskell’s workout video is showing what might soon become known as the Mahomes-effect.
No, Mahomes is not the first quarterback that can make sidearm throws across his body. Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Steve Young are some names that come to mind, but Mahomes has popularized it more than ever.
Get used to seeing more and more videos like these. Players may start throwing more of those passes that fans are used to seeing the quarterback throw away.