Blazers’ Lillard helps team start off strong

The Portland Trail Blazers are 2-2 so far on the season and their play has been surprisingly good.

Beating the L.A. Lakers is always nice, but also seeing your favorite team play on the road and win a game in overtime early in the season has a nice feel to it.

On top of that, the two losses have come from two very likely playoff teams.

It looks like Blazers guard Damian Lillard is the real deal. He is an athletic, quick guard who can shoot and pass the ball with a good basketball I.Q. In four games, Lillard is averaging 19 points and eight assists. As of now he is the clear favorite for NBA Rookie Of The Year honors, while another contender, Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Hornets, sits out with a concussion.

Lillard is making this team exciting to watch. You never know what’s coming when he steps onto the court. During the summer league games and the preseason it seemed like it took Lillard time to get comfortable on the court and take shots, and then in the second half, he would go off. During the regular season he has played well every quarter.

On Monday, though, he looked like a rookie, shooting 2-of-13 from the field and 1-of-8 from behind the three-point line. The Blazers ended up losing 114-91. Nonetheless, in games when Lillard plays well, expect the Blazers around him to play well, too.

Results of Thursday’s game vs. the L.A. Clippers were unavailable at press time.