It would’ve been nice for Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers to have this storybook happy ending, for a player’s loyalty to be rewarded in the form of a championship, a Finals MVP and a shot to the critics.
But he’ll have to settle for a retired jersey, the sun of South Beach and a few snickers from critics who warned him on speaking so strongly about running from the grind. It’s at least looking that way so far, with the Heat in pole position for Lillard’s services and a massive contract extension scheduled to kick in two years from now.