Okay, where do we start with this one? Did you hear about what happened last night? Watch the video above. Portland's own Damian Lillard secured a spot in NBA history by hitting his second series-ending buzzer-beater, a crazy, insane, 37-foot bomb which sailed through the hoop right as time expired. The shot, which is already being hailed as iconic, simultaneously sealed the win for the Blazers, sent their bitter rivals OKC packing for the season, vaulted Portland into the second round of the playoffs, AND gave Lillard an astonishing 50 points on the night. Needless to say the crowd was delirious, cheering for nearly 20 minutes straight as streamers rained down onto the court and the Jumbotron replayed the shot over and over. The game itself was a nail-biter, swinging wildly from one direction to the other. Portland was down 15 points with only 7:12 to play. It was an amazing comeback, truly unforgettable. Blazers win 118-115.

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Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

Seats in the Moda Center filled early for this one. The place was packed before the team intros even began. With Portland up 3-1 in the best of seven series fans were eager to see Portland close things out and move on. The series had been intense from the start, full of drama both on and off the court, and there was clearly no love lost between these two teams. Oklahoma had dominated Portland during the regular season so this series lead was a bit of a surprise, and few doubted that given the chance to go back to OKC for game 6, the Thunder had the mettle to win it all back. So there was a certain "do or die" mentality in the air. Fortunately for the Blazers, their team leader Damian Lillard came locked in on this night. The day before, when speaking of the Thunder, he'd reportedly said, "I'm getting rid of these motherfuckers tomorrow." Oh, how he did.

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Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

The first quarter started poorly for the home team. Oklahoma City peppered them with jump shots and strong moves in the lane, pulling out to an early 10 point lead. Cj McCollum got into deep foul trouble right off the bat, collecting three fouls in the first quarter, forcing him the sit for the rest of the half. With their second leading scorer benched, Portland leaned on Damian Lillard, and he responded with a ridiculous 34 points in the first half alone. He was a man possessed. With 1:42 left in the second quarter, a Seth Curry three pointer put the Blazers in the lead and the crowd roared to life. OKC had pasted 37 points on the Blazers in the first quarter, but then the defense locked down and held them to only 23 in the second. Blazer-killer Paul George hit a tough three pointer at the buzzer to close out the half and the Blazers led by only one point, 61-60.

With the intensity ratcheted up to 11, the fans needed that halftime break. Let's have a look at some of the Rip City faithful roaming the halls:

This dude said he got his killer red suit on Amazon:

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Hey, it's Portland actor Vin Shambry and a pal:
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Wrapped up in Rip City:
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Best fan get-up. Everyone cheered when they flashed these two on the Jumbotron. Who's rocking the baby now?
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The third period saw things tighten up. Lillard continued his spectacular play, notching 42 points after three quarters, but at that point only one other Blazer posted double digits, Enes Kanter with 11. On top of that, Kanter, who was locked in a serious battle down low with Thunder center Steven Adams, got injured, separating his shoulder. Lesser men might've exited the game at this point, but Kanter "got an injection" and played on through the pain.

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Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

Blazer nemesis Russell Westbrook did fairly well, scoring 29 points, but he took 31 shots to get there. The crowd delighted in every missed shot, jeering at him and booing each time he touched the ball. Westbrook responded by pounding his chest and yelling back at the crowd each time he scored. Portland gained a nine point lead towards the end of the third quarter and it seemed as if they might finally run away with the game, but OKC would not go quietly. Paul George and Dennis Schroder hit some big shots and OKC swung back into the lead 90-88 to start the final frame.

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Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

The stage was set for a huge fourth quarter. OKC continued it's solid play, pulling ahead by 15 points midway through the period. Spirits began to sink in the arena as fans contemplated the long trip back to Oklahoma City for a game six. Ugh. The Blazers made a short run behind some clever Mo Harkless dunks and the Blazers cut the lead down to eight with about four minutes to go. Then, during a time out, a familiar face appeared on the Jumbotron. There, standing amongst the players on the Portland bench was none other than Jusuf Nurkic, their starting center who had gone down so tragically with a broken leg two months ago. What?! The crowd went nuts and he raised his arms encouraging the noise. Afterwards Nurkic explained, "I was in pain and tried watching the game and you know by the end of the third quarter I was like 'fuck it"...I know if I show up we're gonna win this game." (yes he said "fuck it" on live TV) So the big guy got showed up! Nurkic, dressed in his street clothes, joined the team in a huddle and the burst to the finish was on.

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Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

Nurkic's unexpected appearance pushed the momentum in Portland's favor, but could they close the gap? Paul George collected his fifth foul with 4:12 left in the game, an important event as it forced him to ease up on his tenacious defense lest he foul out. CJ McCollum found his groove after sitting out most of the first half and began to hit his signature mid-range jumpers and floaters. The lead was cut to six. With 1:22 left in the game Mo Harkless sunk two giant free throws to make it a two point game. When CJ McCollum tied the game with less than a minute to go the crowd went ballistic. Paul George quieted things down with a timely jumper, but Lillard responded with a beautiful driving lay-up to tie the game again. With 17 seconds to go Russell Westbrook missed a lay-up and the Blazers recovered the ball. Lillard calmly dribbled it up the court and every person in the arena rose to their feet for the big finish. Paul George matched up with him at mid court. Lillard let the seconds tick down, 5, 4, 3...was he going to drive to the hoop? 2 seconds. 1 second. Lillard stepped to the side and and launched a long, arcing, wildly audacious shot.

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Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

The shot, of course, went in. Bedlam ensued. Lillard remained stoic, waving good-bye to his foes in one of the most ice-cold disses ever perpetrated in the NBA.


Afterwards, at the post-game press conference, Coach Stotts sat down and said simply, "The legend grows." He shook his head and then added, "Damian's performance was the best I've ever seen in person."

Lillard, calm as ever afterwards, said of the shot, "It was a great feeling." Asked about the game itself, he said simply, "I played a lot of games, I think that's probably the best."

Damn Dame. Tickets to round 2 go on sale at noon today.

Postscript:

Kanter is hurt, but says he will play in round 2
Kanter is hurt, but says he will play in round 2 Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

Nurk in the locker room after the game
Nurk in the locker room after the game Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com

Outside the Moda Center fans partied into the night
Outside the Moda Center fans partied into the night Bruce Ely/Trailblazers.com