Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard, Carmelo Anthony’s best teammate?

Carmelo Anthony recently praised teammate Damian Lillard, calling him his top teammate ever after the Portland Trail Blazers clinched a playoff spot.

Throughout his illustrious NBA career, Carmelo Anthony has played with his share of star players. The 10-time All-Star has played beside the likes of Allen Iverson, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Jason Kidd, just to name a few, but the one he thinks resides as his top teammate ever is current Portland Trail Blazers teammate Damian Lillard.

Via Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports:

"“Dame’s at the top for me,” Anthony told Yahoo Sports. “I’ve never played with someone who lifted his team on the court with his play as a leader. He genuinely cares for his teammates. What he’s been able to do is amazing. He’s the top guy I’ve played with.”“I’ve played with some great players, but the way Dame elevates his game and others, he’s at the top.”"

Undoubtedly some high praise from Carmelo, given the star-studded list of teammates he has played alongside. After these past nine games, he might have a point. On the court, Damian Lillard has been unbelievable, putting on a show on a nightly basis.

Lillard averaged 37.6 points per game over Portland’s eight seeding games, including an astounding 51.3 points over his last three contests to lock the Blazers into a playoff spot. Lillard’s efforts earned him the NBA’s ‘bubble’ MVP award unanimously and an obvious first-team All-Bubble nod.

The Blazers went 6-2 in that eight-game stretch, forcing a play-in game versus the Memphis Grizzlies for the west’s eighth seed. Behind Lillard’s 31 points, Portland secured the 126-122 victory and solidified a playoff berth. Perhaps these past nine games also solidified Lillard’s case to be Anthony’s best teammate, as his herculean efforts have taken the league by storm.

While Lillard’s on-court performances speak for themselves, perhaps his off-court decisions sparked some thoughts in Anthony’s decision making as well. Two weeks after signing with Portland, Lillard invited Anthony to his family’s Thanksgiving celebration. With no family in town, Anthony accepted the invitation, and the two celebrated accordingly. A simple gesture, but one that clearly built upon their relationship positively.

For Lillard, although he never described Anthony as his top teammate ever, he did detail his growing relationship with the future Hall-of-Famer since the forward signed with Portland in November.

"“I wanted Melo to feel comfortable when he got here. I needed him. We needed him and I think we needed each other,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports. “I wanted him to get to know me and what I’m about and I wanted to get to know him.”"

After finding himself out of the league for over a year and nearing retirement, all hope seemed like for Anthony. However, in need of an offensive spark, Lillard and the Trail Blazers embraced Carmelo as one of their own. To this point, it seems pretty clear that no one can deny it has worked out favorably for both parties involved.

With Anthony averaging 15.4 points per game this season for the banged-up Blazers, the 36-year-old silenced his critics that previously believed his career was over, undoubtedly making himself at home in Portland. While some will try and refute Anthony’s claims regarding Lillard as his best teammate, he certainly has a case in their short time together.