The Portland Trail Blazers haven't seen the playoffs in four seasons, a long stretch for a franchise that has reached the postseason in 37 of their 55 seasons. Rip City fans have been accused of rooting for other players and teams late in April, the most obvious of which is former Blazers legend Damian Lillard.
His first season with the Milwaukee Bucks didn't go according to plan as both Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo dealt with injuries that contributed to their early first-round exit and upset to the six-seeded Indiana Pacers.
Things were supposed to be different this time around. A healthy Giannis and Lillard duo had another shot at redemption, matching up against the Pacers in the first round yet again. Unfortunately, it's been more of the same up until this point, with the Bucks now headed back to Milwaukee down 0-2.
Credit Lillard for toughing it out to play after his blood clot, but he wasn't his usual self, finishing with 14 points and seven assists on 4-of-13 shooting from the field and 2-of-8 shooting from deep. Giannis played like one of the most dominant players in the world, recording 34 points along with 18 rebounds and seven assists. But his supporting cast wasn't up to the task of competing against a stingy Pacers squad.
Rip City knows exactly where it stands in the Lillard-Haliburton beef
Tyrese Haliburton was recently named the most overrated player in the NBA by his peers in a poll conducted by The Athletic. You can't help but wonder if Lillard was one of those who voted for him.
Haliburton silenced his critics in this matchup with 21 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds on 8-of-19 shooting. He also managed to make an enemy of an entire Blazers fan base that doesn't even have a dog in the fight, getting into it with their beloved former guard.
This was unsettled beef that carried over from the Pacers Game 1 win. Lillard exchanged words with Haliburton in that matchup despite not even suiting up, perhaps giving him that extra motivation he needed to get healthy before a pivotal Game 2.
After the Game 2 victory, Haliburton was asked about the dynamic between him and Lillard. "Just competitors. He wants to win; I want to win. It's just competition at the end of the day," said Haliburton. "We don't like them, they don't like us," he added.
It looks increasingly unlikely that Lillard will win the championship that Blazers fans know he deserves. But a more realistic consolation prize would be getting out of the first round and settling the beef with Haliburton once and for all.
Rip City knows exactly whose side it's on.