Every fan loves reliving unforgettable sports moments. I am honoring that nostalgia with a Butterflies series called “Replays.” Each edition will revisit a memorable moment, add historical context, uncover a number or statistic, capture the reactions it inspired, and trace the butterfly effect it set in motion.
Context
Dame Lillard is back in Portland. His first regular-season game in a Blazers uniform is expected to be October 21st. He looks fit and is passing the eye test in preseason. When he signed with Portland in the summer of 2025, I wrote about my feelings and how it just felt right. A little over a year later and it feels like he never left. At the same time, some of his most iconic moments feel like decades ago.
In 2017/18, the sixth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans swept the Blazers in the first round despite being the lower seed. A year later, Portland had another opportunity as a three seed against Oklahoma City.
The Thunder weren’t an easy draw. They won 49 games and had swept the Blazers in the regular season, 4-0. Additionally, 19 of the 20 “experts” at ESPN picked Oklahoma City to win the series. Everyone thought the Blazers would be bounced in the first round for the second year in a row. Shoutout to Nick DePaula for being the lone Portland vote.
The series was heated from the jump. Dame and Russell Westbrook had beef the entire series. Trash talk between the two was at its peak. And that’s saying something considering they always have had a personal rivalry on the court.
Portland won the first two games, Oklahoma City won Game 3, and the Blazers won Game 4. The series returned to Portland with the Blazers up 3–1, one win from advancing.
The night before Game 5, Lillard had friends, along with Chris Haynes, over to his house. Dame was already thinking about the next night. He told the room he planned to finish the series in Portland.
Game 5 swung back and forth. Portland trailed early, led at halftime, and went up nine in the third quarter. Then Oklahoma City took control. With 7:12 remaining, the Thunder led 107–92.
Portland came back and a Dame layup tied the game at 115. Westbrook missed at the other end, the Blazers grabbed the rebound, and the ball found Dame. Portland had one possession to finish it.
The Moment
The Numbers
The shot was officially recorded at 37 feet. That’s more than 13 feet behind the top of the three-point line.
His final stat line:
50 points
17/33 shooting
10/18 from three
Seven rebounds
Six assists
The points and made threes were both Portland playoff records at the time. The Blazers won 118–115 and took the series 4–1.
Then there’s how rarely a shot like this happens. Dame’s shot to end the playoff series with no time left on the clock against the Thunder was only the ninth in NBA history. Only Kawhi Leonard has done it since.
Reactions
Paul George shared his thoughts:
Dame’s post-game presser:
A collection of NBA player tweets here.
The comment section:
The Butterfly Effect
Dame’s wave looks different when you know what happened next. George and Westbrook, the Thunder’s best players, never played another game for OKC.
That summer, Oklahoma City traded George to the Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two pick swaps. Westbrook went to Houston for Chris Paul and more draft assets.
Dame broke up Oklahoma City with one shot. Had the Thunder gone further in the playoffs, maybe Kawhi’s recruitment of George wouldn’t have been enticing. The George trade brought Oklahoma City its next franchise player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It also supplied the 2022 pick used to draft Jalen Williams.
In 2024/25, Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP, led the Thunder to a championship, and won Finals MVP. And then won the MVP again in 2025/26. None of that had life when the ball left Dame’s hand. Who would have thought the team on the receiving end of Dame’s wave would find its championship pieces in the aftermath?