Rip City Project
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Blazers Life Without Superstar Damian Lillard

By Ty Delbridge

Oct 7, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) dances with Trail Blazers
Oct 7, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) dances with Trail Blazers /
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Nov 30, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) is guarded by Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) during the fourth quarter at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers won 131- 109. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 30, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0). Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

Although Missing Lillard Is Always the Lesser Option, His Absence Has Improved the Blazers

Before he went down last season, the Blazers were 11-18 and had lost three straight. He wound up missing seven games and the Blazers went 4-3 without him. Without question, the rest of the team gained confidence from their play without him. When he came back on January 3rd, the Blazers rattled off a 29-17 record.

They had a head full of steam into the playoffs and beat the Clippers in 6 games. This season is eerily similar to last year. When Lillard went down this year, the Blazers had lost five in a row, with an 11-19 record. He might return against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, and I doubt he would want to miss putting on a show for his friends and family. If our All-Star returns, it could give this Trail Blazers squad a chance to create momentum in this new year.

All stats courtesy of http://nba.com and http://www.basketball-reference.com/

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Key:

PPG- Points per game

APG- Assists Per Game

RPG- Rebounds per game

FGA- Field goal attempts

3PA- 3pt attempts

SPG- Steals per game.