Here's a look and who was voted a starter's Luca, Steph the Joker, Kuai Kyrie, Bradley Beal, Yannis and Joel Embiid.

Noticeably missing Dame Lillard Stephen A.

Is Lillard underappreciated E.

I don't think there's any question that he's underappreciated, because when we talk about we talk about players.

We don't just talk about numbers we talk about when they deliver those numbers.

That's the key that got lost that gets lost in the shuffle.

If you look at Steph Curry's numbers, for example, they're a little bit better.

Uh, then Damian Lillard Damian Lillard is averaging nearly 30 29.7 points a game, 7.7 assists, thinking like five rebounds or whatever.

Steph Curry's averaging 30.

All right with with with six with 6.5 assists, he's shooting better from the field.

Of course, he's shooting better from three point range.

Is the best shooter ever known.

The man.

This is who Steph Curry is, and we understand that so I would side with my man white Mike Wilbon When he says instead of one of them starting in the backcourt, why not both of them?

You know what?

I look at it and I say to myself, Excuse me, I don't think a guy like a Luca Don Check needs to be starting ahead of a Damian Lillard or anything like that.

But here's the thing that I really, really want to get into.

Damian Lillard is a closer.

You remember that movie Glengarry Glen Ross with Alec Baldwin?

Max when he stole when he stole the show in the 1st 10 minutes of the movie.

Always be closing.

That's what that is what Damian Lillard does.

The Chicago Bulls know it.

The New Orleans Pelicans know it.

Everybody Golden State Warriors knowing, you know.

I mean, everybody knows it, Okay?

I mean, Paul George.

And when he was with Oklahoma City, they knew it.

Patrick Beverley when he was in Houston.

They know it, they said, Since 2000 and 12, nobody has hit more game winning shots.

More clutch shots, not even Steph Curry.

Nobody.

Not LeBron James.

Not Steph Curry.

Not James Harden.

Nobody has hit more clutch shots more game winning shots than Damian Lillard.

And, by the way, the brother signed his six year extension for $250 million.

Largest contract in N B A history, and nobody blinked.

You know why?

Because we know why.

It's because of this right here.

It's because Dave time, that's what I'm talking about here when you sit up there and think about it.

Even with Steph Curry, think about this.

Steph Curry is the greatest shooter God ever created, far as I'm concerned, and still nobody strikes more fear in your heart with the ball in their hands from the game on the line.

Damien.

That's why he's not underappreciated.

Stephen A.

You just said it.

No one, even trying for a quarter billion.

No one blinked.

Cancer, lung cancer Among the most respected superstars in American team sports.

By the way, he got the quarter billion dollar contract.

He's got commercials.

Everyone knows it's game time.

He can rhyme like you know.

He is widely respected, practically revered by the by the national press.

Everyone loves Damian Lillard.

He is the example of what you want from a franchise player that's not being underappreciated now, should he have been starting on this all Star team?

Yep.

He should have been starting over.

Dodger should have been him and Steph Curry in the backcourt.

Barely over Dodges clearly.

But over Dodgers.

Does that mean that is more appreciated?

Maybe, but don't which is, uh, you know, Damian Lillard plays in an inaccessible market where the games are on very late.

For a team that usually doesn't make the playoff runs, he's also 6 ft two and 30 years old.

So when you look at Damian Lillard, also, by the way, he just got to this level last couple seasons.

Before that, he was still great.

But Lillard, because he is so ambitious and wants to be great, is constantly getting better.

So the last two years he's been playing like an M V P conversation level.

Steph's been doing that for six or seven.

Luke has been doing that for two years to, but he's not 6 ft two and 30 he's 6 ft eight, He's 21 years old and he plays in Dallas, a much bigger media market whose games aren't on quite as late as as the Games are on in Portland and So for those reasons, he gets more attention, even though the way Lillard's playing, even that's changing.

For example, I think most people would agree with you and I with you and me that Lillard really should be starting in this game.

Does that mean he's underappreciated?

I don't think so.

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