Damian Lillard Misses Out On All-Star Starter Nod Due To Tiebreaker

A tie-breaker that doesn't quite add up is all that kept Damian Lillard from starting his first All-Star game.

Jack Winter

Damian Lillard Misses Out On All-Star Starter Nod Due To Tiebreaker
Damian Lillard Misses Out On All-Star Starter Nod Due To Tiebreaker /

Damian Lillard made clear earlier this month that he's more supportive of the NBA's controversial decision to conduct All-Star weekend in the midst of a pandemic than some of his superstar peers. His approval was confirmed in a more official manner shortly thereafter, when it was reported that Lillard would be in Atlanta come early March to participate in the three-point shootout.

After Thursday's announcement, though, it's probably safe to say the Trail Blazers' franchise player is a bit less excited about the All-Star festivities. 

Lillard narrowly missed out on being voted an All-Star starter for the first time in his career, losing the honor to Luka Doncic. 

LeBron James, as expected, was named captain of the Western Conference squad after earning more than 19 million All-Star votes. The Eastern Conference starters are captain Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Bradley Beal and Kyrie Irving.

The voting tallies left Lillard and Doncic tied for the Western Conference's second starting spot in the backcourt alongside Steph Curry. But due to tie-breaker rules that put outsized emphasis on the fan vote, Doncic – who finished second in that category to Lillard's third – was awarded the nod.

Lillard, by the way, finished second among West guards in both player and media voting to Doncic's third. Those numbers, as was pointed out on Twitter, don't exactly add up to a true tie.

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When the second batch of returns was released last week, Lillard trailed Doncic by just less than 400,000 votes. There was growing hope in Rip City that Lillard's MVP-level play during Portland's ongoing six-game winning streak would help Lillard close the gap, but Doncic – perhaps spurred by support from fans in his native Slovenia – actually widened it.

Blazers fans, needless to say, were not at all pleased. The Inside The NBA crew expressed strong support for Lillard's candidacy as a starter, too.

Former Lake Oswego high school star Kevin Love made his similar thoughts clear.

Portland fans across the globe obviously would have preferred if Lillard's unbelievable play with the Blazers – up to fourth in the West! – absent C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic earned him his first start in the All-Star game. Lillard would have, too.

The real bad news is probably the rest of the league's, though. It's not like Lillard, known for using perceived slights as motivational tools, needs yet another chip on his shoulder.

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Jack Winter
JACK WINTER

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