Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard have a fierce on-court rivalry that hasn't dissipated now that Russ is in Houston. Lillard recently told Jason Quick of The Athletic that he reminded Westbrook of how dominant he can be in the playoffs.
During the Rockets game against the Blazers earlier this month, Westbrook asked Lillard "What playoff seed are you all?"—alluding to the Blazers' recent struggles. Lillard said he responded by saying: "You know I'm the last person you want to see in the playoffs." Both players were given a technical foul for the exchange, but Lillard got the last laugh as the Blazers went on to beat the Rockets by a score of 117-107.
As two of the Western Conference's premier point guards, Dame and Westbrook have had a lot of heated run-ins. Their rivalry came to a head last postseason, when Lillard eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder with a last-second shot at the buzzer. The shot seemingly laid waste to the whole organization. Shortly after free agency began, the Thunder decided to go into rebuilding mode by shipping Westbrook to Houston and Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers.
At least Westbrook was right about the Blazers this year. They're currently three-games behind the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. Although basketball is a team sport, it's safe to say that it's not Lillard's fault for the team's struggles. Dame is averaging 52.7 points per game over the last three games and 32.8 points per game for the month of January. Additionally, he has a chance to make another statement against Westbrook when the Blazers take on the Rockets on Wednesday night.
