Damian Lillard Not An All-Star? Really?

Think Damian Lillard isn’t mad that he didn’t get a spot at last week’s All Star Game in Toronto?

Think again.

On Friday, Damian Lillard scored a career-high 51 points, including 9 threes to go along with his seven assists, six steals and no turnovers on his hometown team and defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors. His contributions help the Blazers triumph over the Warriors in a 137-105 blowout.

“It’s a great feeling, especially against the best team in the league. I haven’t scored 50 since ninth grade,” the Oakland native said. Even Warriors head coach Steve Kerr had to give his opponent some props “He was phenomenal, he looked like Steph Curry out there.” Lillard became the 4th player in NBA history to have at least 50 points, 5 assists and 5 steals joining Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan and Rick Barry. He also helped the Blazers improve to 28-27 on the season currently in the 7th spot in the Western Conference.

The record comes as a shock to most, as most experts thoughts the Blazers had no chance in fighting for a playoff spot this year after 4 of their 5 starters from last season moved to other teams. And yet while Damian Lillard has been playing great all year to keep the Blazers a playoff team, NBA coaches still found a way to snub the point guard. This season Lillard is averaging 24.9 points, 7.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds with a player efficiency rating of 22.87. That’s a better efficiency rating than Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Lamarcus Aldridge, who were all selected over him to represent the Western Conference. The only thing that these players have over Lillard, as to why he should not be selected over them, is that their teams have a way better winning record than the Blazers.

But if team wins don’t play a factor in All-Star selections, should Demarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis be there? Both the Pelicans and Kings are way under .500 and do not look like they can catch up to fight for a playoff spot in the West. Both teams at the starts of the season were expected to have better records than the Blazers and be considered playoff contenders. And yet it is the Blazers who have a chance to continue to move up in the Western conference standings, as they have been one of the league’s most surprising team this season. It only seems because Cousins and Davis are considered two of the NBA’s best big men, that it justifies Lillard being snubbed out of his All-Star selection.

Lillard, however, has been used to these kind of snubs for majority of his NBA career so far. Last summer he did not participate in the Team USA mini-camp in August, after he was cut from the summer roster in 2014 just before Team USA went to Spain for the World Championships. The Blazer point guard told Jody MCDonald of CBSSports in the summer “I did it the last few summers. Last summer I didn’t make it, so I don’t know why i would go. If I got cut last summer, I don’t think I’m a part of it”. Last season Lillard was actually snubbed a spot in the 2014 NBA All Star Game in New York, but became a injury replacement for Clippers forward Blake Griffin.

Despite being a former Rookie of the Year, 2-time-All-Star and being on the All-NBA third team, many critics did not believe he could lead the Blazers after Alridge, Nicolas Batum , Aaron Affalo, Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews all departed. But with him posting career numbers, his Blazers one game above .500 and another snub for him to use as motivation, Lillard is proving to be the league’s most-underrated NBA star that deserving of a spot in the 2016 NBA All Star Game.

And if you don’t think Lillard is mad about that just listen to his new song “They Sleep” where he says in a verse “ I ain’t make the all-Stars but I’m flu game sick/ Last time they count me out, what I do? Game 6…”.

Yeah, Lillard is definitely motivated to prove all the doubters wrong.