When it comes to wanting to win an NBA title, Damian Lillard is not Lebron James. In fact, Lillard is as old school as Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson.

In other words, the former Weber State standout doesn’t want to “join forces” with a new team of combined All-Stars to try and make a run at a championship.

Lillard takes pride in his game, and it shows on the court as he has developed into one of the best players in the league, but personal stats and achievements don’t matter to Lillard, winning a championship does - and he would love nothing more than to win an NBA title in Portland, no matter how long that takes.

Championship or Bust

According to a recent Slamonline report, Lillard recently said in an interview that he would rather stay with the Portland Trailblazers and pursue a championship “the hard way” than join star players on another team. With Lillard’s game just getting better each season, don’t be surprised if the Blazers are contending for a championship very soon.

“I would like to win a championship as bad as anybody, but because of who I am, I’d get a lot more satisfaction if I got it the hard way,” Lillard says. The former 2012 first-round selection went on to say that he is ready, willing and able to stick it out in Portland regardless of what people may feel about the team's chances of winning the championship.

“I’m going to live and die with this.”

That statement in itself should make Trailblazer fans excited about the 2018 postseason and beyond. The man who proudly dons the nickname “Dame Time” leads the Blazers in points per game with 26.7, assists with 6.6 and minutes per contest at just under 37. Lillard really is the heart and soul of this team.

Vegas odds

With the playoffs right around the corner, what are the odds that the Trailblazers win it all this season? According to the latest Oddsshark report, Portland is +2500 or 25/1. At the beginning of the season, they were listed at +1600. In other words, the betting public is losing a bit of faith in them.

That won’t bother Lillard and the Blazers once they hit the court for Round 1 of the NBA playoff action later this month.

Don’t let those odds fool you. With Golden State’s injuries and Cleveland being very inconsistent, Portland, along with the Houston Rockets have a great chance to reach the Western Finals this season. Despite all of their injuries this season, the Golden State Warriors are the favorites to win the 2018 NBA title at +100.
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