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Damian Lillard on the Golden State Warriors: “You just hate to see it”

By Nathan Beighle

PORTLAND, OREGON - MAY 18: (L-R) Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers, Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Seth Curry #31 of the Portland Trail Blazers react during the first half in game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Moda Center on May 18, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - MAY 18: (L-R) Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers, Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors and Seth Curry #31 of the Portland Trail Blazers react during the first half in game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Moda Center on May 18, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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The temporary fall of the Golden State Warriors is upon us, and Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard feels for the franchise.

After five straight NBA Finals, it’s unlikely the Golden State Warriors will continue to extend that streak. They have all the weapons they need to win an NBA title on their roster, but sadly, they’ll all injured.

This, some could argue, has been a long time coming. After playing well past 82 games for five straight seasons, the Warriors have had a shortened offseason which can easily be correlated with an uptick in injuries, although Curry’s injury was more just bad luck.

Stephen Curry recently broke his hand and will be out at least three months. Klay Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Draymond Green has a torn ligament in his figure and even newcomer D’Angelo Russell is missing time.

Superstar Portland guard Damian Lillard, who was swept by the Warriors in the 2019 Western Conference Finals, feels for the franchise after seeing injuries cripple their roster, according to ESPN’s Nick Friedell.

“It just seems like adversity has hit hard at this point for them. Those guys aren’t old. They’ll bounce back from it, but you just hate to see it.”

He also noted the respect Lillard had for their franchise, talking about the great things the team has done throughout their time atop the league.

“I’ve never seen it. I think they might be the first to do a lot of things. At one point they had a starting five of five All-Stars, won 73 games, they’ve done a lot of great things, made a lot of history.”

Lillard is absolutely correct, and being one of the league’s best guards, it’s pretty amazing that he’s talking about the Warriors in such a light.

The franchise has seen some of the best days in league history. Yet, at the same time, they’ve now seen hope crushed. Although there is a chance they bounce back with a healthy roster and a lottery pick, it’s relatively unkown how well they’ll do once everyone is back and at 100%.

3 reasons for optimism despite horrific start. dark. Next

At large, the Warriors should be fine. They’ll return the core that took them to those titles and won 73 games in one season. However, it’ll be at least a year till Dub Nation seeing this team return to the pinnacle of the NBA.

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