Damian Lillard had funniest Coachella-themed reason he was hyped to return to the playoffs
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After a short break and one massive trade, Damian Lillard returned to the NBA postseason this year.
Lillard had made the playoffs every year in the Western Conference between 2014 and 2021, missing out on the competition in just his rookie year on the Portland Trail Blazers. But in his final two years in Portland, the Trail Blazers didn't qualify for playoff action.
Now an All-Star on the Milwaukee Bucks, the point guard returned to form under the bright lights of the postseason. During his first game back, he was able to score 35 points and secure a victory over the Indiana Pacers.
When asked what he missed about the playoffs, Lillard had the best response.
"The last two years, not being in the playoffs, it sucked. Early vacations. Last year, I went to Coachella. I ain't never been able to go to Coachella. It's playing in the playoffs every year. So just having that long summer, I was over that."
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a well-known annual festival held in California during mid-April.
That usually coincides with the first round of the playoffs, when Lillard is typically busy putting on a show for basketball fans all around the world.
He was part of a pop-up event for Adidas in collaboration with festival headliner Bad Bunny.
While it is sad to picture the guard begrudgingly trying to enjoy himself at a music festival when he would rather be hooping, it is good to see him back in playoff action where he belongs.
FTW on Nuggets vs. Lakers
For The Win's Robert Zeglinski attended Game 1 of the opening round in the Western Conference between Denver and Los Angeles. Here is what he said:
"Upsetting the reigning NBA champions on their home floor can be a Herculean task. But it sure seemed like the Los Angeles Lakers had the Denver Nuggets right where they wanted them during Saturday night’s 2024 playoff opener.
Through roughly 18 minutes of play, everything was coming up Lakers. The seasoned Nuggets seemed to be feeling some first-playoff game jitters. A motivated L.A. team, led by a superb LeBron James, surprisingly owned a 12-point lead late in the first half. An anxious Ball Arena crowd of Nuggets fans buzzed early, expecting a 2.5-hour party. Instead, they waited for that with bated breath.
The Nuggets won 114-103 anyway to take a 1-0 series lead in a final result that never felt all that close."
Read more from Zeglinski by clicking here. Los Angeles will have a chance to even the series, 1-1, tonight at 10:PM ET on TNT.
Shootaround
— James Worthy said Nikola Jokic is Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar combined after he dominated the Lakers
— Nikola Jokic was so happy to explain why he enjoyed dressing like Gru from Despicable Me
— Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla sounded bizarrely excited while describing his reaction to Jayson Tatum’s scary fall
— NBA Awards finalists: A breakdown of who's up for MVP, Rookie of the Year and more in 2024