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Stephen A. Smith Argues Damian Lillard And CJ McCollum Are Not Winning A Championship Together

The Portland Trail Blazers have been seen as a legitimate playoff team for years now. Despite being in constant contention over the years, the Damian Lillard-led Blazers however are yet to sniff an NBA Finals appearance in a stacked Western Conference.

Following a first-round exit last season, the Blazers are back in the playoff mix, holding a record of 21 wins and 14 losses, which is the fifth-best record in the West standings. Their terrific season is thanks in large part to Damian Lillard, who has been carrying the team without key players such as CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic.

While Lillard and the Blazers are possibly headed to another playoff appearance, prominent NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith believes that the Blazers won’t win a championship, due to the duo of Lillard and McCollum not being enough to lead them to one.

“He’s (Damian Lillard) something special, okay? Nobody qualms about anything in regards to Damian Lillard’s money because Dame Time is Dame Time. He shows up when it counts, we know what he brings to the table. But we also know what ain’t coming to the table, no damn championship.”

“I don’t think they’ll win together. I think both of them are lethal, arguably the best backcourt in basketball, besides Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. … But here’s the problem, for some reason when it comes to Portland, that’s all you got.”