NBA Playoffs: Damian Lillard and Embracing the Present Moment

Damian Lillard is not concerned when defenders are near him. He treats them like a monk might treat a mosquito. With mild curiosity perhaps, but without any fear or doubt. Giving away any of his focus would detract from the goal: Shoot the basketball through the hoop. Regardless of how far away the hoop is. Regardless of the score. Regardless of the clock. Regardless of the situation: playoffs, regular season, practice. When I was teaching in Oakland, a teacher who knew Damian from the town, and saw him occasionally during the offseason said he sometimes shot around in flip-flops. That might actually improve your footwork, back when players shot threes from the catch-and-shoot position. Now that shooting from deep involves lateral hops, extreme balance and body coordination, side-steps, step-backs and everything else, flip-flops wouldn’t work too well.

Watching Game 5 of the Portland Trail Blazers-Denver Nuggets First Round series last night was a reminder of why I love the NBA playoffs. It was after midnight. I’m always watching on delay because I teach at night. After teaching and having a phone conversation with a friend, I sat down and watched the Celtics get destroyed by the SuperNets. An expectedly dismal end to an injury-plagued, inconsistent season for my beloved Cs. While the Celtics game was a foregone conclusion, the Blazers-Nuggets was anything but. As the clock approached 11:30, I planned to fast-forward to the last 6 minutes of the 2nd quarter and then watch the entire second half. As I…