The 2019-20 regular season will bookend a memorable decade of NBA action. Damian Lillard, who joined the Trail Blazers via the 2012 NBA Draft, has made a name for himself with his penchant for beating the buzzer.
Lillard’s heroics earned him two entries on Brad Botkin’s (CBS Sports) list of best buzzer beaters of the last decade.
Coming in at No. 7: Lillard’s series-clinching three-pointer against the Rockets in the 2014 NBA Playoffs. Botkin went on to explain that the difficulty of that shot is often overlooked.
Even for a guy with the range of Lillard, not enough people realize how difficult that shot is -- going to his weak hand, on a catch-and-shoot with no time to set, with all his momentum going away from the basket, from 26 feet, with your team trailing by two. It’s one thing if you’re tied. You can hoist away with nothing to lose. But to rip the net when you’re losing, from that position, under those circumstances, not just to win a game but to close a series, that’s something else entirely.
Lillard’s theatrics from the 2019 NBA Playoffs secured the No. 4 spot on the list. For Botkin, it was Lillard’s post-shot reaction that made the biggest impression.
Seriously, this man is a legend. He literally waved goodbye to a team. The Thunder as they existed in this moment are gone. Paul George called this Lillard bomb a “bad shot,” and now he plays for the Clippers. Russell Westbrook is in Houston. Damian Lillard sent the whole organization packing, then proceeded to lift Portland past Denver in the second round -- with a lot of help from C.J. McCollum and Enes Kanter-- for a berth in the conference finals.
Ray Allen’s “Miami Miracle” took the No. 1 spot in Botkin’s rankings. You can read the full list at CBS Sports.