May 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) yells “Rip City” into the arena PA after hitting the game winning shot during the fourth quarter in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Last night, Damian Lillard made Trail Blazers history with a game-winning shot that turned imminent defeat into absolute victory. Down by 2 points with 0.9 seconds left in the game, Lillard caught an inbound pass from Nicolas Batum and shot a deep, turning, fading 3-pointer to advance the Trail Blazers to the second round of the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2000. The crowd erupted, his teammates rushed him, and everyone knew he had just made the biggest shot of his career thus far.
After the game, but before the dust had settled and the crowd dispersed, Lillard approached the announcers’ table to use the microphone for a moment. In front of 20,000 delirious fans, he shouted the two words that have come to define Portland: