NBA: 6 biggest storylines heading into the Conference Finals

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NBA Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard CJ McCollum (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Western Conference: The battle for recognition

Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have long been considered a top-tier backcourt, but have never really been seen as an elite duo. Part of this certainly comes from being in a stacked Western Conference with so many amazing backcourts, but the rest of the reason for their perceived lower level is a total mystery.

Just last year, Lillard made headlines by infamously being “snubbed” from the All-Star team. Not only that, but Lillard was snubbed in the previous year’s All-Star game as well, despite putting up some amazing numbers in those years.

To add insult to injury, when ESPN tweeted a graphic announcing that Lauri Markkanen had broken the record for the lowest number of games to make 100 three-point shots, they had inexplicably left off the previous record holder. That sharpshooter? Well…

https://twitter.com/Dame_Lillard/status/953365634028421120

The worst part, when ESPN did fix the graphic, Lillard’s face wasn’t even put up with the others:

For the @trailblazers fans in our mentions... we know.

Here's the list with @Dame_Lillard you are looking for. pic.twitter.com/xswJRcv5Ef
— ESPN (@espn) January 17, 2018

Awkward…