Damian Lillard: 'I don't have a fearful mentality' against Lakers

Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers managed to pull out a Game 1 upset against the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. It was an impressive win that LeBron James and Anthony Davis will surely be looking to bounce back from, but Lillard isn't intimidated by having to face off against some of the biggest names in the NBA.

"I don't have a fearful mentality about it when it's happening," Lillard told USA Today. "If we lose, we lose. Obviously, we don't want to. I think that could make it a stressful situation."

Lillard has proven time and time again that he is not afraid of the spotlight. In fact, he seems to thrive when the lights are the brightest. Last season, he hit a series-winning buzzer-beater over Paul George, and to get Portland into the playoffs this year, he averaged 51.3 points over the last three games of the bubble regular season. And in Game 1, he dropped 34 to take down the mighty Lakers.

"My level of focus actually goes up in the fourth quarter because it's time to win or lose the game,” Lillard said. "A lot of people in that situation are fatigued mentally or physically. So they might waiver or just give in to it. I like to take those moments to challenge myself, level up and rise to those."

Even with the Game 1 win, the Trail Blazers are going to need Lillard to remain at the top of his game to have a shot at winning the series against the Lakers.