Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard was laughing out loud as he watched his former backcourt partner, CJ McCollum, almost single-handedly beat the New York Knicks with his clutch heroics on Monday night.
“OMG @CJMcCollum lol,” Lillard wrote on X as McCollum and the Hawks rallied from a 100-92 deficit with 5:26 left in the game.
McCollum, who had a game-high 32 points, made three crucial shots in the final 2:08, including a go-ahead midrange jumper over OG Anunoby with 34 seconds left.
CJ McCollum Shines Vs Knicks
McCollom found himself in an uncharacteristic role as a villain on Monday after his verbal exchange with Knicks guard Jose Alvarado in the third quarter prompted the MSG crowd to direct expletive-laced chants at him.
The typically mild-mannered guard even seemed to talk trash to noted Knicks celebrities and Jalen Brunson during the closing stages of the game.
After the game, McCollum was asked whether he had embraced the role of a “villain” after silencing Knicks fans with his performance.
“I’m no villain, I’m a nice guy with two kids and a wife,” McCollum responded.
“I think it’s admiration. Great, passionate fans in a hostile environment. It’s fun, it’s basketball, it’s the playoffs. If anything, I think it’s a sign of respect.”
McCollum admitted the matchup with Brunson brought out the best in him.
“When the buzzer sounds and it’s quiet and you walk off the court, there’s a level of mutual respect,” McCollum said of targeting Brunson in ISO situations.
“I’ve been to games in the Garden as a fan … I’ve seen playoff games here. It’s a pleasure to be able to play here. A pleasure to walk off the court with a win.”
Knicks Gear Up for Game 3
The tied first-round playoffs eries will now shift to Atlanta for Game 3 on Thursday.
McCollum, who spent the last few years in non-playoff teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards, is grateful to be on a playoff team for the first time since his years with Damian Lillard and the Blazers.
“It’s exactly what we thought it would be in terms of role and being able to contribute towards winning on a good team,” McCollum said, via ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.
“We talked about situations, we didn’t want to keep moving around and needed to find somewhere that we could make a home.”
Hawks open as slight 1.5-point favorites entering Game 3 on Thursday.
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