TUALATIN -- Three of the last four Player of the Week winners in the NBA have used the Portland Trail Blazers' porous defense as a springboard to earn the weekly honors.
The huge nights from Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis and Kevin Love left Damian Lillard pondering the missing element behind Portland's inability to slow down opponents this season. His solution is straightforward: The Blazers need a mean streak.
"That might be the change that needs to be made ... is us just not being the nice team (where) everybody likes each other," Lillard said following Blazers practice on Monday.