Damian Lillard admits he has separated ribs but won't use it as excuse

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Damian Lillard hasn't been himself during the Portland Trail Blazers' Western Conference finals battle with the Warriors.

The four-time NBA All-Star has struggled mightily during the first three games of the series, averaging 20.3 points per game on just 32.6 percent shooting from the floor. Lillard's performance has led to criticism from fans and analysts alike, but the Blazers star's struggles aren't just a product of his inability to solve the Warriors' defensive strategy. 

Following the Blazers' 110-99 Game 3 loss at Moda Center on Saturday, it was reported that Lillard suffered separated ribs in Game 2 of the series when Warriors center Kevon Looney landed on him while diving for a loose ball. 

Lillard confirmed the report Sunday at his media availability, but wouldn't use it as an excuse for his poor performance or his team's inability to hold double-digit leads against the two-time defending NBA champions.

"Not really," Lillard said when asked if the injury was limiting him, via NBC Sports Northwest's Jamie Hudson. "Just the pain from having a separated rib. There's nothing you can really do about it. Just when I get winded, it's a little harder to breathe. Contact, you know, when you in there banging with guys, just normal stuff."

Lillard, who almost has as many turnovers in the series (14) as field goals made (15), thinks his struggles are due more to his hesitancy when he gets a big switched onto him.

"I think just sometimes I'm not looking at the initial action," Lillard said. "When I'm coming off a screen, I'm not looking at my guy, the big that's defending the pick-and-roll. I'm seeing Draymond Green, and he's behind that kind of like tracking my movements, so it's like a next layer of defense that I'm paying attention to so whereas like I'm not, I guess, wanting to explode and get around that guy because I see what's waiting for me, and then just the crowd, and put myself in a tough position.

"It's tough. They're doing a good job in their coverages."

After blowing a 17-point lead in Game 2 and an 18-point lead in Game 3, the Blazers now find themselves facing elimination when they take the court Monday night at Moda Center.

[RELATED: How Warriors are neutralizing Lillard in West finals]

The only chance the Blazers have of extending the series to a Game 5 and beyond is if Lillard and fellow backcourt star CJ McCollum can solve a Warriors defense that has suffocated them to this point.

Otherwise, the offseason will begin Tuesday in Rip City.

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