Damian Lillard beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on a shot from way, way behind the three-point line after side-stepping one of the league’s best defenders and firing away with outstretched arms in his face. With the game tied and the clock ticking towards zero, this wasn’t a shot the Portland Trail Blazers needed. A free throw would’ve been enough. Or a mid-range jumper. Even a layup.
Why NBA fans should root for more ‘bad shots’
Paul George called Damian Lillard’s 37-foot buzzer beater a “bad shot,” and maybe he’s right. But that makes it more legendary.
But those shots wouldn’t have been remembered. This shot will.
Professional basketball players are wired differently from front office execs and passionate fans. There’s a reason each is in their own respective field, and though both should, and do, have a symbiotic relationship and a common goal, in the moment it’s hard for a star not to stick to their roots. It’s what defines them and their games.
And it’s what could put them in lore with the greatest ever who came before them. Blazers head coach Terry Stotts, a former pro basketball player himself, likely knew this when he opted not to call a timeout and to let Lillard improvise in a way only he could’ve drawn up in the game’s final moments.
Part of this superstar mindset is to blame on basketball media and fans who harp on what happens in the clutch. The whole concept of “rings culture” — meaning the idea that championships separate the good from the great — has seen players make unpopular decisions. Think LeBron James’ move to the Heat and Kevin Durant’s decision to join the Warriors.
But good has come from this way of being, too. It’s forced the game’s biggest names to step up to the plate and impress us with something other than the basics when it really matters.
Fans thrive on these moments, and it’s what keeps them coming back each year. There’s no feeling like watching the improbable happen. We felt that rush when Steph Curry hit a near-half court shot to beat the Thunder in overtime during his incredible 2016 campaign. We felt it when Ray Allen swooshed an off-balance three against the Spurs in the 2013 Finals. And we felt it when Arike Ogunbowale won the NCAA women’s tournament on a fadeaway triple.
Paul George spoke to media after his team’s series loss and came off incredibly salty. The victim of playing defense on Lillard’s game-winner, George spoke of not only how bad the shot was, but that his poor shot selection should’ve been part of the story.
“That’s a bad shot,” George said. “I don’t care what anybody says. That’s a bad shot. But, hey, he made it. That story won’t be told, that it’s a bad shot. You live with that.”
From his quote, chatter developed on the quality of Lillard’s hero shot. Some on Twitter considered George correct. Having an opponent take a really deep shot that’s defended well should be considered successful late-game execution. But perhaps specifically for Lillard, some thought, a 37-foot step-back shoot wasn’t an awful look. FiveThirtyEight’s Chris Herring pointed out that Lillard shot 10-of-18 from beyond 30 feet in the series. Heck, the first shot of the entire series was a Lillard bomb.
But the quality of Lillard’s shot attempt misses the point of why we all watch and consume everything the NBA is about. Sport in general is one of the few unscripted marvels we hold dear. And the NBA specifically is so unique because of its unpredictability, its larger-than-life personalities, and unattainable physiques. The games we remember most almost always come when the stake are highest in the playoffs, those moments always present the best chances to shine.
That’s why players like Lillard strive to take difficult shots and sink them in the clutch.
Sure, Lillard had ulterior motives, too. He got to talk trash after the game to Russell Westbrook and company, all made possible by hitting the series-sealing shot. He waved the Thunder off the court in the moments after.
“[Westbrook] said he’s been busting my ass for years,” Lillard said, per Blazers reporter Casey Holdahl. “That wasn’t true, for one, and this was the moment of truth. This was the perfect platform and opportunity for him to prove it and you see what happened.”
But Lillard, along with every star in his position, has their legacy in mind 365 days a year. It goes hand-and-hand with rings culture, and the clock’s always ticking. We don’t get many years on this Earth, and athletes get even fewer to showcase their incredible skillsets.
Players have seen Kobe Bryant held in regard as a clutch-time hero despite being pretty bad at it. Robert Horry, despite being a good-not-great talent will aways be remembered for his clutchness, and so on. And now Lillard, despite being ring-less, just cemented his name on that same echelon of clutch-time saviors. He should go ahead and trademark “Dame Time.”
George is right to some degree — Lillard’s shot wasn’t a great one for anyone to take, no matter their success rate on a small sample size. But the ugly truth in basketball is, often times, the “worst” shots make for the best moments. And ultimately, George ended up on the wrong side of a shot we can deem — given its setup, delivery, and meaning — legendary.
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