Damian Lillard lets Warriors know they are on his turf in Western Conference finals
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard had a message for the Golden State Warriors prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals: You might play here, but this is my town.
The 28-year-old Lillard showed up to Game 1 — which is at Oracle Arena in Oakland — wearing a custom Oakland Athletics jersey with his name on the back.
Power move pic.twitter.com/JW7dyw8Jzy
— Casey Holdahl (@CHold) May 14, 2019
Lillard was also wearing an Oaklandish hat. Oaklandish is a clothing line based in Oakland that promotes the city and gives a percentage of sales back to the community.
With that decision, Lillard simultaneously honored his hometown while taking a shot at the Warriors.
As Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts explained, Lillard “is Oakland.”
Terry Stotts on Damian Lillard arriving to Oracle Arena with some A’s gear pic.twitter.com/xk7WpqOoOH
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) May 14, 2019
Whether Lillard can back up that statement remains to be seen. Taking down the Warriors won’t be an easy task. The team has made it to the NBA Finals four years in a row.
Breaking that streak, and potentially doing it in his hometown, would be quite the accomplishment for Lillard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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