A 'Michael Jordan' soundbite of the Nets' strategy revealed how far they were willing to go to stop Damian Lillard, and it still wasn't enough
- Damian Lillard took over for the Portland Trail Blazers in a must-win game on Friday night.
- After draining an absurd shot from half-court, the Nets decided to get extremely aggressive defending Lillard.
- "If Damian Lillard is dribbling up, you guard him," Nets swingman Garrett Temple told teammate Jeremiah Martin. "I don't care if it's CJ McCollum. I don't care if it's Michael Jordan over there. You pick him up."
Once again on Friday night, it was Dame Time.
Damial Lillard took over for the Portland Trail Blazers in a must-win game against the Brooklyn Nets. At the start of the fourth quarter of a back-and-forth game, Lillard made his intentions known, spotting up from half-court to drill a three that can only be described as "audacious."
From that point on, everyone in the building knew that Dame was going to do everything in his power to will the Blazers to victory. In response, the Nets began double-teaming Lillard as soon as he crossed mid-court.
It was an aggressive defensive strategy, and as a soundbite from TNT quickly revealed, one that the Nets were committed to no matter the cost.
Standing on the sidelines, Nets veteran swingman Garrett Temple pulled over rookie Jeremiah Martin to explain how important it was to pick up Lillard.
"If Damian Lillard is dribbling up, you guard him," Temple advised. "I don't care if it's CJ McCollum. I don't care if it's Michael Jordan over there. You pick him up."
After a brief protest from Martin, Temple concluded his lesson with authority. "That's the ball right there. And Dame's got it. And he's gonna shoot it from the NBA [logo]. You feel me?"
Despite the Nets aggressive plan, it wasn't enough. Lillard took over in the fourth quarter, finishing the night with 42 points and securing the Blazers survived to play another day.
It's not every day that a player earns a comparison to Jordan, but as Lillard has shown time and time again, once it's Dame Time, there's little the opposition can do to stop him.
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