Damian Lillard
Photo: David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Damian Lillard made an interesting statement regarding the first-round playoff series between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lillard said his team is using the “We Believe” Golden State Warriors mentality against the Lakers.

“The main thing I remember, in my mind, we got BD [Baron Davis], we got Stephen Jackson. I was looking at our team like, ‘We got the toughness to beat them.’

I look at it like, we know who LeBron is. We know he is one of the greatest. At the top of the list. We know AD [Anthony Davis] is one of the top players in the league. We know who they are and we respect who they are.

But we are not coming into it like we are looking up to dudes. We are coming into it like they can get beat like anyone else. The respect is there, but we are not coming into it like it’s impossible to beat them,” Lillard, who is from Oakland, California, told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.

Back in 2007, the ‘We Believe’ Warriors eliminated the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 NBA playoffs.

Lillard and the Blazers lead the series, after the 100-93 victory over the Lakers in Game 1. Game 2 will take place later tonight.