The Portland Trail Blazers face a steep hill to climb if they want to reach the playoffs this season.
After losing six straight games and eight of their last 10, the Blazers are sitting just behind a team Los Angeles Lakers at the last playing spot with 11 games remaining in the season.
The Blazers still have a microscopic shot at the postseason, but Damian Lillard accepts the team’s current reality that their opportunity is slipping through their fingers.
“We’re pretty much out of the running for 10th,” Lillard said after Sunday’s loss. “I love to play, I love to compete and I wasn’t ready to let that go. But there comes a point when you stop putting your competitive nature ahead.”
The comments come days after NBA insider Chris Haynes said on the latest episode of #ThisLeague UNCUT Podcast That the Blazers could shut down Lillard if the upcoming wins don’t start.
“The Lady probably has five or six games left before Portland probably shuts him down for the season,” Hines said. “There is no point in playing the duration of these games. So go for it. If these next five or six games continue to suffer, I will think…”
Since those comments, the Blazers are 0-2 and don’t seem to be getting any better. The longer the Blazers continue to struggle, the less likely Lillard will appear in the final games of the season.
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