How do you beat the Golden State Warriors when you can hardly breathe?
That's the question likely on the mind of Blazers point guard Damian Lillard as his team prepares to face the Warriors in Game 2 of their Western Conference Semi-Finals series in Oakland tomorrow night.
After Portland's Game 1 loss, Lillard took the podium and sounded under the weather. Toward the end of his interview he admitted to the media that he had been battling a chest cold over the last couple days:
It's unclear whether or not the cold affected Lillard's play in Game 1, but it's hard not to wonder after Lillard struggled to score for much of the game and finished 8-26 from the field. For a player who usually thrives against his hometown team, the inefficient performance was particularly unexpected.
Lillard is not the type of player to make excuses if his health slows him down on the court, but the Blazers will need him to be closer to 100 percent tomorrow night when the series resumes if they hope to have any chance against the Warriors.