BARCELONA, Spain -- Lionel Messi scored twice in four first-half minutes as Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-0 at Camp Nou to make the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday. Philippe Coutinho added a stunning third in the second half as Barca eased past the Premier League side 4-0 on aggregate to keep their treble dream alive.

United started well, hitting the bar inside a minute through Marcus Rashford, but they were soon put to the sword by Messi. The Argentine scored a brilliant opener form the edge of the box in the 16th minute and added his second four minutes later thanks to a huge mistake by David de Gea.

A fine De Gea save kept out Sergi Roberto in first-half stoppage time before former Liverpool playmaker Coutinho wrapped up the scoring after the break when he found the top corner from 25 yards.

Positives

For the first time since they won the competition in 2015, Barcelona are back in the final four. They've been knocked out in the quarterfinals in each of the last three seasons and there was a fear that they would tumble at this stage again. With Messi on their side, though, that was not likely to happen. The question now is a simple one: can Messi push them over the line in the Champions League and help Ernesto Valverde's side win a third treble in what will surely be remembered as "The Messi era?"

It was also an encouraging night for Coutinho. He will hope his goal will be a turning point for his Barca career. It certainly brought some frustration to the surface as he celebrated in front of the home fans -- who have been critical this season -- by cupping his hand to his ear.

Negatives

If Liverpool get over the line against Porto on Wednesday, they will take encouragement from United's quick start at Camp Nou. After 15 minutes, the scoreboard inside the ground revealed that the visitors had managed four attempts on target -- Barça had had none. Rashford hit the woodwork and then forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen into a save. United didn't take chances but they exploited Barca's weaknesses. Liverpool would hope for more efficiency from Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino should they advance and face Barca in the semifinals.

Manager rating out of 10

7 -- Valverde deserves huge credit for how he managed this tie. Barca progressed without really having to step into second gear and without conceding a goal. If he leads the Catalans to a treble, maybe he will finally get some credit.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 6 -- The German didn't have much to do on his 50th Champions League appearance after United's early pressure. Made a couple of routine saves from speculative efforts from Rashford and Paul Pogba and a fine late parry to deny Alexis Sanchez' near-post header.

DF Sergi Roberto, 6 -- Replaced Nelson Semedo in the only change to the side that won at Old Trafford last week. Should have scored, but fired at De Gea from point-blank range in first-half stoppage time.

DF Gerard Pique, 7 -- Looked like he could struggle against Rashford's pace early on but looked in complete control once Barca took the lead.

DF Clement Lenglet, 7 -- Another assured performance against United, whom he knocked out last season with Sevilla. It's looking tough for Samuel Umtiti to win his place back in the side.

DF Jordi Alba, 7 -- Always a threat on the left after a below-par performance in the first leg. Messi regularly found his runs to create problems for stand-in right-back, Victor Lindelof.

MF Sergio Busquets, 6 -- Overrun in the first 10 minutes but never really under much pressure defensively once Messi had weaved his magic.

MF Ivan Rakitic, 8 -- Another brilliant performance from the underrated midfielder. Won a penalty early on, only to have it overturned by VAR, before hunting down Ashley Young to help set up the opening goal.

MF Arthur Melo, 7 -- Key in possession as Barca took the sting out of United's quick start by keeping the ball and slowing things down. More adventurous with his passes, too, than in recent weeks.

FW Lionel Messi, 9 -- What more can be said? Once again, the difference on the night. He now has four goals in six against United and 45 in all competitions this season. Was mesmeric on all night on the ball. Phil Jones, in particular, was twisted, turned and nutmegged into a daze.

FW Luis Suarez, 6 -- Worked hard and was Barca's reference point in attack. Wasn't able to execute everything he tried, although he did almost add a late fourth with a lofted effort.

FW Philippe Coutinho, 8 -- Even before his goal, there were signs he was playing with confidence. A little flick here and an in-and-out run there had Camp Nou chanting his name in the second half. His goal was fantastic, too.

Substitutes

DF Nelson Semedo, 6 -- Came on for Sergi Roberto for the final 20 minutes.

MF Arturo Vidal, NR -- Introduced for Arthur late on to add some fresh legs in the middle as Barca saw the game out.

FW Ousmane Dembele, NR -- There was a debate about whether he would start or not before the match. In the end he was only needed for the final minutes as he continues his comeback from a hamstring injury.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Manchester United were dumped out of the Champions League by Barcelona after a David De Gea howler contributed to a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou. Lionel Messi scored twice -- the second after De Gea let a tame shot trickle into the net -- before Philippe Coutinho bagged a third to send the Spanish giants in the semifinals 4-0 on aggregate.

It might have been different had Marcus Rashford converted a good chance after 24 seconds instead of hitting the bar, but after Messi scored twice in the space of four minutes midway through the first half, the tie was all but over. It stretches United's wait for a Champions League semifinal to eight years as their attention switches to vital games against Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team look to book a place in the next season's competition.

Positives

United had their chances. Rashford hit the crossbar inside the first minute and moments later Scott McTominay was played in but let the opportunity slip away. The stunning round-of-16 win in Paris was made possible by an early goal, and United should have had one here. In the end, Barcelona survived and ended the tie with two goals in the opening 20 minutes.

Negatives

De Gea made a horrible error to continue a patchy run of form. His distribution contributed to goals in the league defeat at Wolves and against West Ham on Saturday, although he atoned for that mistake with a wonderful save with the score at 1-1. Solskjaer has dismissed suggestions that ongoing contract talks are affecting his concentration, but it is a worry that so many mistakes are creeping in.

Manager rating out of 10

6 -- Solskjaer picked Victor Lindelof at right-back and chose Fred in midfield despite Nemanja Matic's return to the squad. In the buildup he said he wanted a good start and he got one, but the early goal that would have sent panic through Camp Nou never came. The result means United are heading into crucial league fixtures against Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea on the back of five defeats in their past seven games.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK David De Gea, 4 -- The Spaniard made an awful mistake to let Messi's shot slide under his body and concede the goal that effectively ended the tie. Did well to keep out Sergi Roberto on the stoke of half-time.

DF Victor Lindelof, 5 -- Asked to fill in at right-back. Didn't get forward but had kept Coutinho relatively quiet until the Brazilian's brilliant goal.

DF Ashley Young, 5 -- Started at left-back in the absence of Luke Shaw. Gave the ball away in the buildup to Messi's first goal and United never recovered.

DF Phil Jones, 5 -- Good header to deny Luis Suarez an easy chanceeasy at the back post. Given a rough night by Messi, who decided to turn it on after a quiet game in the first leg.

DF Chris Smalling, 5 -- Made a couple of well-timed interceptions but should have got out more quickly to stop Coutinho curling in Barcelona's third from 25 yards.

MF Fred, 6 -- Preferred to Matic in midfield. Thought he had conceded a penalty after his challenge on Ivan Rakitic but the decision was overturned by VAR.

MF Scott McTominay, 6 -- Presented with a golden chance after just two minutes but mis-controlled Rashford's pass.

MF Paul Pogba, 6 -- One of the architects of United's quick start, but after an encouraging 10 minutes, Barcelona's midfield took over. Showed his frustration with an angry kick at Arthur.

FW Jesse Lingard, 6 -- Gave Barcelona an early headache with his position in the hole behind Rashford and Anthony Martial. Didn't see enough of the ball after half-time.

FW Anthony Martial, 5 -- Looked bright in the first 10 minutes but had drifted out of the game by the time he was replaced by Diogo Dalot after 65 minutes65.

FW Marcus Rashford, 5 -- Hit the crossbar after just 24 seconds. It was a big chance that could have changed the direction of the game.

Substitutes

FW Diogo Dalot, 6 -- Introduced in place of Martial when Solskjaer switched to a back five.

FW Romelu Lukaku, N/R -- Replaced Rashford on 73 minutes but couldn't change United's fortunes.

FW Alexis Sanchez, N/R -- Received a polite round of applause upon returning to his former club with 11 minutes remaining.

Ajax followed up their elimination of Real Madrid by producing a spell-binding display of inventive, passing football to win 2-1 away to Juventus on Tuesday and end the Serie A side's dreams of winning the Champions League.

Ajax's 19-year-old captain Matthijs de Ligt headed the winner from the corner in the 67th minute of the quarterfinal second leg as the Dutch side came from behind to clinch a 3-2 aggregate win and reach the last four for the first time since 1996-97.

Cristiano Ronaldo, aiming for a fourth successive Champions League title after winning the last three with Real Madrid, put Juventus ahead in the 28th minute with a typically emphatic header, his sixth goal of the competition.

But Donny van de Beek levelled six minutes later before the visitors swept Juventus aside in the second half with wave after wave of attacks as they earned a semifinal against either Manchester City or Tottenham.

Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana gave his team an early scare when his clearance was charged down by Emre Can but the rebound flew wide.

Ajax settled well after that but, despite not playing well, Juventus went ahead when Ronaldo got away from the defenders to score the 126th Champions League goal of his career.

There was a long delay for the VAR review, the referee eventually going to the pitchside monitor with the ball back on the centre circle ready for the re-start, before the goal was confirmed.

Ajax kept their cool and took six minutes to level, helped by a somewhat lucky break.

Hakim Ziyech's long-range shot hit a defender and fell perfectly for Van de Beek who, unmarked and onside, slotted the ball calmly past Wojciech Szczesny, and then had to wait for another long VAR check before the goal was confirmed.

Ajax took complete control in the second half and their geometric passing repeatedly opened up the Juventus defence, which sorely missed injured veteran Giorgio Chiellini.

Szczesny made one-handed save from Ziyech after Juventus were opened up again and then turned Van de Beek's curling shot over for a corner.

Juventus were rocking but, ironically, Ajax's winner came from an old-fashioned header as De Ligt outjumped two defenders to score.

Ajax had chances for further goals and Ronaldo's frustration boiled over in stoppage time when he was booked for a lunging tackle from behind near the centre circle.

HOUSTON -- J.J. Watt was prepared for his May 11 commencement address at the University of Wisconsin. Or at least he thought he was.

Then he was asked to send a copy of his speech when he was done writing it.

"I said, 'What do you mean?'" Watt said. "'I don't write speeches. I'm just going to go up there and talk.'

"That was my full plan. I did not know you that had to write it all out. I'm dead serious. I didn't know. He was like, 'They have a teleprompter for you. What do you want on it?'

"I said, 'Nothing. Just give me a black screen and tell me when to stop talking.' That was literally my plan. But I found out you have to write some stuff down. So I have about a month to figure it out."

The Houston Texans defensive end started his college career at Central Michigan but transferred to Wisconsin as a walk-on in 2008. He played for the Badgers for two seasons, and although Watt did not graduate from Wisconsin because he declared early for the NFL draft in 2011, he said he knows what everyone actually wants from a commencement speaker.

"I mean, I have some messages I want to say," Watt said. "I have some things I want to get across. But let's be honest: They just want to go drink beer afterwards. They're excited. I know how commencements go. They just want the person to give a cool message for about five minutes, and then get off the stage."

Watt said he isn't nervous about speaking in front of the crowd, saying he's "really excited about that."

"I get to go back to Wisconsin [and] Camp Randall [Stadium]," Watt said. "I never graduated, so I get to see what graduation looks like. It's an honor. It's such a true honor.

"I grew up 45 minutes from Camp Randall, so being invited to go back [and] have the opportunity to go back to a school and a team that I watched growing up and idolized, walked on and eventually got a scholarship from [and] now to be able to speak at their commencement, it's an unbelievable honor. I take it very seriously. Even though I said I wasn't going to write a speech, I take it very seriously. I'm humbled."

The New England Patriots have signed Demaryius Thomas with hopes his addition can bolster an otherwise thin receiving group.

The team announced the moved Tuesday, less than a week after it had hosted Thomas on a free-agent visit.

Thomas, 31, was acquired by the Texans from the Denver Broncos just before last season's trade deadline. He suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in December and was released by Houston in February.

He caught 23 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns in seven games after his trade to the Texans. Between the two teams, Thomas finished 2018 with 59 catches for 677 yards and five touchdowns.

The Patriots lost out on one of their top free-agent targets, Adam Humphries, who signed with the Tennessee Titans. They return top option Julian Edelman, 32, who earned Most Valuable Player honors in Super Bowl LIII, and re-signed Phillip Dorsett to a one-year deal that could be worth up to $2.6 million.

Former Washington Redskins receiver Maurice Harris and slot receiver Bruce Ellington were signed to modest one-year deals to help fill out a depth chart that also includes practice-squad player Damoun Patterson and 2018 sixth-round pick Braxton Berrios, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve.

The club could have brought back Chris Hogan, who was an unrestricted free agent, but wasn't aggressive in doing so. Hogan signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers last week that could be worth up to $2 million.

Thomas, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, was due $14 million in 2019, none of which was guaranteed. He said just prior to his Texans release that he wasn't thinking about retiring.

"I can still play, man," he said.

Thomas was arrested Feb. 27 and charged with vehicular assault (a felony), reckless driving and driving without proof of insurance in connection with an accident that occurred Feb. 16 in downtown Denver. He and two passengers were injured and taken to the hospital after his SUV went off the road and flipped end-over-end after hitting a median at more than 70 mph -- more than twice the speed limit.

Thomas pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of careless driving on March 27, and the felony charge was dismissed. He was fined $300, ordered to complete 50 hours of community service and received one year of supervised probation.

A former first-round pick, Thomas spent his first eight-plus NFL seasons with the Broncos, including a stint under former Denver head coach and current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Thomas has the second-most receiving yards (9,055) and touchdown catches (60) in Broncos history, trailing Rod Smith in both categories.

Thomas will be the fifth receiver in the Tom Brady era (since 2000) to sign with the Patriots after amassing five or more 1,000-yard seasons elsewhere. The list includes Reggie Wayne (8), Randy Moss (7), Chad Ochocinco (7), Joey Galloway (6).

ESPN's Mike Reiss and Sarah Barshop contributed to this report.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Kentucky guard Tyler Herro says he plans to remain in the NBA draft after initially leaving open the possibility of returning to school.

The 6-foot-5 freshman announced his decision in a news release Tuesday. Last week, he said he would enter the draft and hire an NCAA-certified agent but didn't commit to leaving Kentucky. Now he says he's "ready to jump into that next stage."

Herro was the Wildcats' No. 2 scorer, averaging 14 points per game. He joins teammate PJ Washington in leaving school early for the draft.

Herro thanked Kentucky fans and said his lone season with the Wildcats was everything he had hoped for. Coach John Calipari said Herro was "wired and driven like few other players" he has coached.

Virginia star Kyle Guy announced in a statement Tuesday that he is declaring for the NBA draft and will sign with an agent.

"I set a goal with my brothers when we committed to UVA. Three years later we accomplished that goal of winning a National Championship," Guy said. "I also set a goal for myself to play in the NBA."

Beyond blessed. Very excited for this journey. 5 out ❤️ Thanks to everyone who had a hand in this!!! pic.twitter.com/EBSspocjcj

— Kyle J Guy (@kylejguy5) April 16, 2019

The junior guard led the Cavaliers in scoring each of the past two years, including 15.4 points per game in 2018-19, and he scored 24 points in the team's national championship game win over Texas Tech on April 8.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been granted permission to meet with LA Clippers general manager Michael Winger in the franchise's search for a president of basketball operations, league sources told ESPN.

Minnesota owner Glen Taylor has targeted a handful of potential candidates to oversee the Timberwolves operations --- with Winger among them, league sources told ESPN.

Since arriving in August 2017 after serving as an assistant GM with Oklahoma City, Winger, 39, has been credited with having a significant impact in the Clippers front office under Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations.

The Clippers have reshaped their roster, replenished future draft assets, cleared max salary cap space and managed to stay competitive and return to the playoffs.

Winger spent seven years with the Thunder under GM Sam Presti, where the franchise was a perennial Western Conference contender. Winger started his career in the Cleveland Cavaliers front office under former GM Danny Ferry.

THE CLOCK HANGS on a silver hook, "Lillard Time" scrawled across in red cursive. A "D" is in place of where the 12 would be. It's always set to midnight. It's always Lillard Time.

It's an Adidas promotional item that found a home inside Damian Lillard's locker, along with a few other items of importance, such as hand-drawn pictures from fans and keepsakes from games.

There's some debate over whether "Lillard Time" or "Dame Time" is the preferred term, and where you fall depends mostly on when you started following. While Dame Time dates to when Lillard was starring for the Oakland Rebels in AAU ball, Lillard Time was officially stamped as a professional colloquialism on May 2, 2014.

The play wasn't even really for Lillard, set up instead to go to LaMarcus Aldridge for a tip shot inside the paint. But down two with 0.9 seconds left in Game 6 of the Portland Trail Blazers' first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets, Lillard sprinted off the right wing toward inbounder Nicolas Batum. Lillard clapped his hands, calling for the ball. It was delivered, and so did he, splashing a pure 28-footer on the left wing with Chandler Parsons chasing as the horn rang. The Blazers were on to the second round for the first time since 2000.

That shot against the Rockets changed Lillard's life -- and the Trail Blazers' trajectory. He had a $100 million signature shoe deal and was doing commercials, and with a catchphrase and likability, Lillard's stock was soaring. To this day, framed pictures of the shot hang in offices in the Blazers' practice facility, because it represented -- and still does, really -- a new era of promise for the Blazers, an emergence from an apparent destiny of perpetual adversity and heartbreak.

From the knees that betrayed Brandon Roy to choosing Greg Oden instead of Kevin Durant, the Blazers had been star-crossed and flat unlucky for more than a decade. And that was after being star-crossed and unlucky 20 years before that.

The following season, they won 51 games but were grit-and-grinded by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. They won 44 the next season and beat the LA Clippers in six games before falling to the 73-win Golden State Warriors in the second round. They were .500 in 2016-17 and were swept by the Warriors in the first round.

And last season, after winning 49 and landing the 3-seed, they were again swept in the first round, this time by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Lillard had a horrible series -- 35 percent shooting, a near even assist-to-turnover ratio. It was now 10 straight playoff losses, two straight first-round outs and never anything beyond the second round.

After the Pelicans sweep, Lillard shut down everything. He didn't watch any of the playoffs, avoiding the chance of seeing some highlight of Anthony Davis swarming him in the pick-and-roll or a Nikola Mirotic contested fadeaway 3 to remind him of the failure.

Then, this summer, with the Los Angeles Lakers adding LeBron James, pundits around the league began their annual exercise of projecting the team most likely to be left out of the postseason.

The trendy choice? Portland.

The Blazers started their season by beating the Lakers, then proceeded to win 53 games to once again hold home-court advantage in their opening-round playoff series. While the rest of the league reacted to their playoff disappointment, the Blazers didn't. Especially Lillard, who made no demands, except of himself. Those close to him know he was deeply bothered by another first-round out, but his rational, levelheaded demeanor drives the Blazers, and his message was simple: It happens. Move forward.

"Sometimes," he said, "it's just your turn to go through hard times."

The deal of Lillard Time: If you're willing to shoot your shot, you have to be willing to live with missing. Consider: Lillard is 28-of-85 on go-ahead or game-tying shots in the last 30 seconds of games in his career, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. That's 57 misses, or 29 more failures than successes. But that's also tied for the most makes during that span with Russell Westbrook and five more than LeBron, six more than James Harden and eight more than Durant.

"I always talk about, like, with end-of-game situations, making and missing big shots, I know I can shoulder that," Lillard said. "I can live with having the success of the playoffs and having a huge failure. I know I can deal with it."

The confidence never wavers for Damian Lillard. But when will it be Lillard's time?

THE BEER WAS on ice and ready in Terry Stotts' office. There wasn't going to be a big celebration or anything, more an acknowledgement and appreciation.

With a win over the Brooklyn Nets, the Blazers would clinch a sixth consecutive postseason appearance, one that surely meant more to the organization after the death of longtime owner Paul Allen in October. ("As a group, we play with that [memory]," Lillard said after Portland's Game 1 win on Sunday over the Oklahoma City Thunder.)

Stotts planned to give a speech to his team about proving the doubters wrong, about how predictions didn't have them making it and to take pride in that accomplishment. But most importantly, that they weren't finished yet.

"This is a league of expectations," Stotts said. "And you celebrate when you exceed expectations. We expected to make the playoffs but nobody else did, so we needed to take pride in that."

Making the playoffs for top-tier franchises is just a checked box on the season, a footnote for next season's media guide. It became a footnote for a completely different reason.

In double overtime against the Nets on March 28, Jusuf Nurkic jumped to tip in a rebound and came down awkwardly in a mess of bodies under the basket. His left leg got caught and broke as the weight of his 7-foot, near-300-pound frame hit the floor. It was a two-point game with 2:22 left, and while the Blazers went on to win 148-144, those final minutes were filled with shock.

Stotts' postgame media conference contained fewer than 50 words; he could describe Nurkic's injury only as "devastating." The locker room was bleak, almost mournful, players talking in hushed whispers, just the sounds of showers droning and plastic hangers clicking against one another.

"A lot of people kind of ... conform. I don't want it to sound like I'm saying don't care about championships. That's not my point. But what I'm saying is a lot of people give in to the pressure of, 'I didn't have this, I didn't have rings.'"

Damian Lillard

A season of redemption was in danger before the Blazers even got the chance to redeem anything. With Nurkic on the floor, the Blazers were plus-10.4 points per 100 possessions better than their opponents. When he's on the floor, the Blazers have the best offense in the NBA (116.0 points per 100 possessions). When he's off, the Blazers are minus-2.4 points per 100 possessions -- an offense on par with the 19-win Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lillard sat at his locker after the Nets game, gathering his thoughts. He was sullen. Lillard talked about how just the other day Nurkic had dropped by his house to visit and see Lillard's 1-year-old son. Lillard spoke of how fragile the NBA is, how much the friendships matter.

The team boarded a flight for Chicago the next day, and Stotts addressed the injury at practice. He told the team about the 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, a team on which Stotts was an assistant coach. They lost Caron Butler to injury midway through the season when they had the fourth-best record in the league.

Portland's midseason acquisitions of Rodney Hood and Enes Kanter (who had 20 points and 18 rebounds in Game 1 vs. the Thunder and was crowned the MVP of the game by Lillard) have proved vital, deepening the roster and allowing the Blazers to absorb some adversity. CJ McCollum is nearing full strength after a left knee injury, and Lillard is finding the peak of his powers. There's still a belief they can be dangerous in the postseason, but even after an emotional Game 1 win, some still expect them to bow out in the first round.

Those kinds of things are just kerosene to the already burning flame for Lillard: If it were easy, what's the reward in that?

LOST SOMEWHERE IN the Portland suburb of Lake Oswego, Blazers general manager Neil Olshey made up his mind about Lillard.

It was June 2012, and Lillard had just finished a private workout with the Blazers. He and Olshey hopped into a car to meet Paul Allen and staff for an interview and dinner. Only Olshey, newly hired and new to the area, didn't really know where he was going. Neither did Lillard.

While the duo navigated their way to dinner, Lillard displayed an obvious charisma that impressed Olshey. Coming from the Clippers, Olshey had spent a year around Chauncey Billups and had seen a lot of the same qualities in Lillard. There were other factors: how good Lillard was in the pick-and-roll, how analytics loved his game, his scoring ability.

Twenty-four days after Olshey was hired, he made his first executive decision. He selected Lillard with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

"We think we had one of the best drafts in the league," Olshey said at his post-draft media conference. "We found our franchise point guard."

To some, though, it looked like an unnecessarily risky pick: taking an undersized guard from Weber State, especially with highly regarded prospects such as Harrison Barnes and Terrence Ross on the board.

Olshey tied himself to Lillard immediately. There would be no competition at his position. Lillard would start from Day 1.

There are leaders in a locker room and there are caretakers of an organization. Lillard is naturally both. He calls a car service to help a new teammate like Kanter get home. He watches G League games -- full games -- to give feedback to Gary Trent Jr. and Anfernee Simons. Lillard and McCollum fly commercial to go to Las Vegas Summer League to watch the Blazers' young players. He has taken the 15th man on the roster on a shopping spree to get outfitted to sit on an NBA bench. He has invested in building the team, texting Olshey about prospects while he watched the NCAA tournament, wondering if one is a first-round talent.

"I think Damian might be the best star leader in the league," Stotts said. "There are leaders in this league, but being a star and a leader the way he conducts himself around his teammates, on the basketball court, in the locker room, in the community, he's the same guy every day."

Lillard deflects credit for the Blazers' culture, citing by name a list of coaches (some no longer with the team) that deserve more recognition than he does -- David Vanterpool, Nate Tibbetts, Kaleb Canales, Kim Hughes, Jim Moran, Dale Osbourne, John McCullough. He points out that both Stotts and Olshey were there before he was.

"The environment [Stotts] creates by giving opportunity and freedom and relaxed atmosphere and how comfortable it is," Lillard said, "I think that's where it all starts.

"I want to see things work out for everybody ... so it's a burden I place on myself to make sure that we are performing at a certain level, that we get certain things done."

Even with the context of Nurkic's injury, what if the Blazers go out again in the first round? Are big changes coming? Will they react differently? There might be cries to blow it all up. But what's on the other side of that?

The Blazers aren't really interested in a rebuild. Their chips are all-in with Lillard until he either retires or leaves. And the chances of the latter are basically nonexistent.

Lillard isn't shy talking about his affinity for the Blazers and desire to hold all their franchise records. He openly talks about what the Blazers have, how sound their culture is, how it should be a place players want to play. When he is asked about how he has impacted those things, with context in the question of how it doesn't seem like he is ever considering playing somewhere else, he interrupts the question: "No, I'm not."

The pressure Lillard feels is less about personal achievement and more about what outcomes mean for those who count on him in the organization. What did a sweep mean for Stotts? For his staff? For the trainers and their families? For teammates that he loves, such as Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless? Other places would've fired the coach or made a trade after the embarrassment of last postseason. The Blazers just did what they've always done: They leaned on Lillard.

"There wasn't any finger pointing," Stotts said. "A lot of teams could've gone either way in those situations, and I think because of his character, it helped hold it together."

Lillard is 28 and has probably close to another decade of All-Star-level play in him. In the present Ringz culture, where titles trump every reasonable debate, to some it feels hollow to believe in the beauty of sustained success and consistent opportunity. One championship, at whatever cost, is more important than any journey to get there. Lillard doesn't subscribe to that.

"A lot of people kind of ... conform," he said, thinking over the word choice. "I don't want it to sound like I'm saying don't care about championships. That's not my point. But what I'm saying is a lot of people give in to the pressure of, 'I didn't have this, I didn't have rings.'"

Lillard mentions legendary players, such as Gary Payton, a fellow Oakland native who played the majority of his career in the Pacific Northwest. He asks a question: Do you even remember that Payton won a championship in 2006 with the Miami Heat?

"When you talk about Gary Payton, you talk about Gary Payton in Seattle," Lillard said. "You don't talk about Gary Payton winning a championship in Miami, coming off the bench. With the Heat and D-Wade and Shaq, he was on that team. But nobody talks about that."

Lillard talks about Dirk Nowitzki and the respect he demands. How his one championship in Dallas carries the weight of what three or four on a superteam chasing rings would. Legacy is a complicated topic in professional sports. But Lillard already understands what he wants his to be.

"It's the people I work with every day, my teammates, the coaching staff, our training staff," he said. "I value that and the impact it has on me and the impact I have on it. I think you've got to take those things into consideration. We're all working together to try and win a championship; that's our main thing we want to accomplish.

"But if it doesn't happen, you still have to have a certain level of appreciation and love of the other things."

IN THE CHURN of rumors and stars leveraging their way to different situations, Lillard's name rarely comes up. There's no back channeling, no offshore recruiting going on at events or All-Star Games.

He isn't listening. But if you call, he'll have something to say: If you want to play with a star, come here. We're the ones that are winning.

"I look at somebody that's close in age with me that's a really good player that could bump us up a level," Lillard said. "When I think of that, I'm saying, OK, Anthony Davis. We've got a winning culture. We win, we're not jealous of each other, we have a good time.

"A player like that, when I think of these situations, that's what I think of. He'll win, he'll get to be himself and he'll get to be on a team that fits. I think he would be perfect for us."

Portland isn't the kind of place that makes superstar shortlists, however. It's the kind of place, like Oklahoma City or San Antonio or Utah, that you have to see behind the scenes to understand.

Like how the Thunder took their chance with Paul George or the Raptors are with Kawhi Leonard, Lillard thinks the Blazers could sell the same thing: passionate fan base, high-quality leadership, a strong front office. And maybe most importantly, an established franchise player that any kind of star should want to join.

"I know if a bunch of people come around, they'll see. I'm not for show," Lillard said. "I'm not in competition with nobody. I'm trying to be the best version of myself and get the job done. ... It would take people to be a part of it to see it. That's just the part that is unfortunate.

"Because you don't get official visits in the NBA."

Whatever the future holds for the Blazers, though, if it's another first-round out or a deep, validating playoff run, the perspective isn't changing.

"I just stay the course," Lillard said. "We got swept; it was bad. Sometimes, it's your turn."