Damian Lillard didn't like Steve Kerr saying he played like Steph Curry

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard doesn't want to be compared to anybody, even if it's Stephen Curry. Lillard was upset when a reporter asked him if he was doing a Curry impression after a win against the Indiana Pacers, and he wasn't a fan of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr saying he "looked like Steph Curry out there" after he scored a career-high 51 points in the Blazers' upset victory over the defending champs.


"I respect Steph Curry," Lillard said Thursday. "Because what he's doing is amazing. But I'm my own man. So don't come to me and say I'm impersonating him. You telling me I'm impersonating somebody by doing well at my job is disrespectful."

"I just think you respect the man as the man that they are," Lillard said. "You can respect what Steph Curry's doing and love what Steph Curry's doing. But that has nothing to do with me. I'm my own man."

"I've got a lot of respect for Steve Kerr," Lillard said. "But when he said I looked like Steph Curry, I didn't like that either. It might seem like a compliment coming from him and how he meant it. But I didn't like that either. If anybody had a good game against us, I don't think coach (Terry) Stotts would go and say, 'He looked like Damian Lillard.' So it depends on how you want to look at it."

Lillard added that he is not "angry" about it, but he and Curry are different people. The two of them will be matched up on Friday in Oakland, and they are both extremely competitive. While the world is marveling at Curry, Lillard has to see him as a peer and an opponent.

If this all comes off as a bit dramatic, it's because Kerr's intent -- and the reporter in Indiana's, for that matter -- was clearly not to insult anybody. Curry is the best player on the planet, and no one has ever done what he's doing this season in terms of efficiency and 3-point shooting. Everybody, Lillard included, knew that the comparison was supposed to be a compliment. (Also, Lillard is the closest thing to Curry sylistically, as he is capable of taking over games and making extremely deep jumpers off the dribble.)

The takeaway here is not that Lillard is mad at Kerr or dismissive of Curry. It's just that he's already made a name for himself, and he doesn't think it's necessary to compare him to another active player, no matter how great that player is. That mentality is understandable, especially considering the long road Lillard has taken to become an elite player and the fact that he has repeatedly missed out on spots in the All-Star Game and on Team USA. The easier thing would be to just take the compliment, but at least Lillard is being honest.


Link : http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25513748/damian-lillard-didnt-like-steve-kerr-saying-he-played-like-steph-curry