Getty Portland Trail Blazers guards Damian Lillard and CJ McColllum with head coach Terry Stotts
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are living their best lives on the basketball court.
Their Portland Trail Blazers are currently playing in Game 7 of their Round 2 matchup against the Denver Nuggets.
For those keeping score at home: Both teams finished within one game of each other during the 2018-19 NBA regular season.
The Nuggets wrapped up the year with a 54-28 record while the Blazers were 53-29, earning a tiebreaker for the No. 3 seed over the Houston Rockets.
The winner of today’s game will face the defending NBA champion, Golden State Warriors.
Portland’s guard play has been impeccable.
Lillard had 32 points in Game 6 and C.J. McCollum chipped in 30 points of his own for the Blazers, who haven’t advanced to the conference finals since the 2000 playoffs.
In the 90s, the Detroit Pistons had powerful backcourt play. Remember Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars?
The heart and soul of the Detroit Pistons’ Bad Boy era, Dumars and Thomas were key cogs to their back to back NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990.
Joe And I Honored To Be Compared To C.J. McCollum & Damian Lillard, Says Hall Of Famer Isiah Thomas #RIPCity #NBAPlayoffs #NBA t.co/1zRDnPAr8U
While Lillard and McCollum are still carving their own legacy in the NBA, Isiah Thomas has been watching the duo and he’s a fan!
“Both those guys are so good,I love watching them,” Isiah Thomas told NBA scribe, Landon Buford.
“The enjoyment that I get out of watching Dame and C.J., and the enjoyment I get out of watching Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson]. If Joe [Dumars] and I provided people that much joy when they watched us play, then I am honored and happy that we were able to do that. Every time I watch those two guys play, I am amazed by what they are doing out on the floor and what they did out on the floor.“
Thomas is a fan of point guards that play with heart; he was one.
He even broke down his most memorable moments within the last 20 years.
Isiah Thomas. (Getty)
Spoiler Alert: Damian Lillard made the cut!
“Dame Lillard was standing there at half court knocking down the three and waving goodbye,” said Thomas.
“You are talking about dramatic, poetic, and just beautiful. And the second one came from Allen Iverson. In the 2001 NBA Finals when he crossed over Ty Lue in the corner, made the three and stepped over him. With me being a little guy, I admire what the little guys do. Those two shots are the most dramatic shots that I enjoyed from a style, artistic, and gamesmanship standpoint. So, when you talk about Dame and C.J., they are beautiful to watch and Joe and I honored to be compared to those guys.“
Isiah Thomas is among a growing list of NBA legends who think the world of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach, Jason Kidd is one of ’em.
“They’re playing at a very high level,” said Kidd.
“Lillard is playing at a very high level. If you’re healthy and shooting the ball the way they are, they can beat anybody.”
NBA Hall of Famer, Charles Barkley believes Portland is going to the NBA Finals.
“I like Portland in the Finals,” Barkley told me.
“With [Damian] Lillard and [CJ] McCollum. The addition of Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter. I like them in the West.”
Former Portland Trail Blazer Bonzi Wells likes Lillard.
Wells played for the Trail Blazers for six NBA seasons and averaged 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
“At his position, he is the number one guard in the league right now,” Wells told Landon Buford.