“Real Entertainment, Real Competitive Basketball”: Damian Lillard Drops His Two Cents on NBA In-Season Tournament Ahead of QF Against Knicks

The NBA in-season tournament has become a grand success following the league’s implementation of it in its debut campaign. After the players started to be more vocal about the competition in public, Damian Lillard became the latest addition to that list. Ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks’ quarter-final game in the tournament, the point guard shared his thoughts on TNT.

The 33-year-old joined Ernie Johnson while preparing to face the New York Knicks on the home court. While discussing the influence of the format, Dame praised the concept while working out in front of the Milwaukee crowd. The 7x All-Star openly mentioned,

“I think it’s growing on everybody a little bit more”.

“In the beginning, we didn’t know what it was. We just knew money was on the line,” Lillard candidly accepted on live television. Yet, he highlighted how the players started enjoying the tournament since its introduction as the level of competition continued to rise.

“You start to learn more over the course of time and I think everybody just wanted it more and more”.

The differentiators of the knockout format grasped more and more basketball lovers’ attention over time. Soon, it became the talk of the town as it gave the NBA stars a run for their money while producing contentment for the viewers. The Bucks starter admitted that publicly, mentioning,

“Now it’s turned into real entertainment, real competitive basketball. We playing for something”.

“I think it’s growing on everybody a little bit more…I think everybody just wanted it more and more. Now it’s turned into real entertainment, real competitive basketball. We playing for something.” @Dame_Lillard shares his thoughts on the In-Season Tournament pic.twitter.com/KMsmi2jS6l

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 6, 2023

What’s next for Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks?

Yesterday, the supporters witnessed an unforgettable day of basketball as both the underdogs won their quarter-final clash. While the Indiana Pacers defeated the Boston Celtics, the New Orleans Pelicans caused an upset in California by beating the Sacramento Kings. It further raised the temperature and anticipation for the tournament amongst the fans.

The prize money involved certainly played a major role in it as the losing team’s members received $50,000 each. It would only get doubled as the winners of this round continue to proceed to the next ones. Eventually, each player of the in-season tournament-winning team would earn $500,000 each.

So, Damian had that in the back of his head as he went 28-3-7 from the field to help his side defeat the Knicks with a 146-122 scoreline. Despite a neck-to-neck first half, the hosts came on their own in the second half as the New York franchise succumbed to the pressure. After a dominating finish to the match, the Bucks would head to Las Vegas for the ‘final four’ phase of the competition to face the Pacers.

With the hype reaching an all-time high, the end of the year is bound to cause heartbreaks, surprises, and joy in the NBA. As Lillard eyes to open his chapter in Wisconsin on a high note, the next part of the tournament would be interesting to watch.