Don t care whether the Bucks can win the championship, I just want to see Lillard win the cup Portland still care about Lillard

(The original text was published on April 29, and the author is JasonQuick from TheAthletic website. The content of the article does not represent the translator's opinion)

Lillard was carried off the court due to an Achilles tendon injury in the first round series between the Bucks and the Pacers, and then announced that the season was reimbursed. The shock caused by this news is much more than the two sides.

In Portland, more than two thousand miles west of Milwaukee, news of Lillard's injury hit the heart of the city.

When students from HBLee Middle School walked into the school the next morning, seventh-grade teacher Sunil Schoffer said the children were shrouded in obvious gloom. He had long had a premonition of this kind of depression, because he himself was the same.

At Big'sChicken Restaurant in southeast Portland, a waiter was hit hard after learning the news midway; in Palomar Restaurant in northwest, a chef doubted whether he could still watch the playoffs; and in BacktotheBasket Sportswear Store in Hawthorne, the owner stood under Lillard's mural, wondering whether this shocking injury would bring Lillard back to Portland.

From children to adults, no city can deeply understand the vibration caused by Lillard's injury than Portland. The city still embraces their former superstars, just like they did when they have witnessed him growing into the scoring champion of team history over the past 11 seasons.

"I have been discussing this with the students all day," said Soffler, a seventh-grade teacher. "Lillard is still of great significance to the city. The children are very sad. You should know that these junior high school students are usually indifferent to anything, but this morning their first words were: 'Hear? Have you heard of it?'" Soffler seized the opportunity to transform this injury into an opportunity to educate. He discussed with the students the meaning of "legacy": What is legend? How did legends come about?

"We discussed why Lillard's legend is different," Schoffler explained. "When other players left, like Drexler's transfer, everyone reacted just 'Oh, okay, goodbye'. But after Lillard left, we still care. That's the difference, this is what we call 'living legend'."

Perhaps no NBA city supports another city's team as affectionately as Portland. Although Lillard took the initiative to apply for a deal in 2023, and despite having left the team for two seasons, the Portlanders are still cheering him on.

"To be honest, Lillard was once the spiritual pillar of all of us," said Ricky Bella, 34, the chef and owner of Palomar restaurant. "He once gave us the greatest hope of winning the championship, and we all know that the team may never win, but we will say 'Look, how great Lillard is'." The night Lillard was injured, Matt Chester of Big'sChicken was busy behind the counter, and he froze instantly when he looked up at the rolling news about Lillard's injury.

"I'm so uncomfortable... it's really uncomfortable." Chester said. "He has been like the backbone of this city for a long time, and we're all cheering for him. Now he's missing for another whole year... God, I'm really sad for him."

Portland is a city that desires to establish an emotional connection with players, and in Lillard, the Portlanders see their own shadow: a counterattacker who is not favored and underrated, a secret treasure that needs to rely on tenacity to survive the gloomy winter. Lillard is exactly this. He has no advantage in his figure and was ignored in his early career, but he always burns himself silently among teams that are enough to enter the playoffs but cannot truly compete for the championship.

"I have thought about this question repeatedly, and I think Lillard is somehow the embodiment of Portland." Schoffler said, "He was a young boy from a non-prestigious university (Webber State University) who was not recruited... and Portland likes such stories. Because we are not big cities, not the first choice for top stars, and will never become a popular team like the Lakers, Celtics or Bulls."

"Those who are not destined to be. So whenever we achieve a little, it means a lot to us, and that's exactly what Lillard means to us."

This emotional bond originated from Lillard's constantly strengthening commitment. He settled in Portland for many years and once said that he dreamed of holding a championship parade on Broadway Street in the city center. Even his jersey number is engraved with a sense of belonging: the number 0 is actually the letter O, which means that Oakland is his hometown, Ogden, Utah is his university location, and Oregon, where Portland is his second hometown.

"We are one of the three Os. It feels great to see players who are really willing to stay in Portland." Troy Douglas, owner of BacktotheBasket in Hawthorne District, said that the exterior wall of his shop was painted with a huge mural of Lillard. "He is almost stubborn to the city." The moment after killing the Rockets in 2014, Lillard became a legend when he grabbed the microphone and shouted "RipCiiiiiiiiiity!" in the 2019 playoffs, he had already become the myth of the city when he waved goodbye to Westbrook and Paul George.

When Lillard applied for a deal in the summer of 2023, the Portlanders did not blame him, only understood. When he eventually joined the Bucks through a trade, people even felt a little solace because he was expected to join forces with Antetokounmpo to win the championship.

"I fully understood when Lillard left," said Palomar's chef and owner Bella. "I never felt a trace of anger. Although I was a hardcore fan of him, rationally I would make the same choice. From then on, the Bucks became my second home team.. ”

Lillard represents an era and has become an indelible mark in Portland's life. Many people here associate important moments of their lives with Lillard's years as the Trail Blazers. Bella won her first chef job in Lillard's rookie season; clothing store owner Douglas wore a hat he designed after Lillard defeated the Thunder in 2019 playoffs, which made it easier to create his own brand in 2020.

More people share the moments when Lillard touched his heartstrings. Patrick McGee, chef at Estes in North Portland, remembers the dinner with 15 chefs in 2022, and after the meal, Lillard came here. The chef thanked every chef unanimously. McGee, who wore the Trail Blazers hat, also received Lillard's gratitude for becoming a Trail Blazers fan.

For McGee, this move confirmed his long-term understanding: Portland fell in love with another level of superstar. Many years before this dinner, Lillard redefined "pressure" in a post-match interview. He said that the real pressure is to raise a single mother or work in a blue-collar job to support his family.

"This passage has made me remember it to this day and really understand his character," said McGee, 55. "As a father, this kind of sporting landscape is particularly touching. ”

So when Lillard suddenly fell on the ground in Milwaukee, the entire Portland city sighed with pain. The Trail Blazers' season was over, and the playoffs were the time for them to cheer for Lillard, the city's pride. Now, it all came to an abrupt end.

In the classroom at HBLee High School, the children were in a low mood. Their teacher Schoffler said that he almost cried.

"I am not a crying person, I have always been stoic. But last night was the closest I had to cry for sports since I was reversed by the Lakers in 2000," Schoffler said, "and this time it was about one person, not any team. To be honest, I don’t care whether the Bucks can win the championship, I just want to see Lillard win the cup. ”

"Now, I don't know if this wish can still be realized. ”

Original text: JasonQuick

Compiled by: Li Taibai