Enes Kanter's status for the Western Conference semifinals remains uncertain after he suffered a separated shoulder against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 5.

"I think the Blazers are doing a very good job taking care of it. But, I mean obviously, I'm not going to lie, it hurts pretty bad. I mean I'm having a hard time changing my shirt or eating food. So it's a process. We're just taking it day by day, see how it feels," said Kanter.

Kanter added that he will eventually have to push through the injury.

"They just said it's a separation, it's normally around a month to just heal it. But I mean, you don't have a month to take off, so I'm just going to push through it."

Paul George managed to contest Damian Lillard's shocking 37-foot buzzer beater to close out their first round series.

“Tip my hat off to the shots he made," said George. "Tough ones. It was his night.”

George was then asked if there's anything to be done to defend a 37-foot shot.

"That's a bad, bad shot," said George. "I don't care what anybody says. That's a bad shot. But hey, he made it. That story won't be told that it was a bad shot. We live with that."

Lillard explained his thought process leading to the shot.

“I didn’t want to put it in the referee’s hands – where if there was contact and maybe they get away with contact or I end up having to take a tougher shot because there’s contact and they don’t want to decide the game," said Lillard. "When I was standing there, I was like I’m going to shoot it. He was a little bit off of me and I was like this is enough space for me to just raise up and shoot it for game. At the last second, he stepped towards me a little bit and I was like, okay I’m going to pound-dribble, side-step and raise up. I just had to let it fly, shoot the ball high in the air to give it a chance and that’s what I did."

Lillard responded to George's comments later to Chris Haynes of Yhoo! Sports.

“It’s a bad shot, but I was 8-of-12 from 30-plus feet in the series and I work on it regularly. ... It wasn’t a bad shot tonight,” said Lillard.

The Portland Trail Blazers closed out the Oklahoma City Thunder with a 118-115 win in game 5 after Damian Lillard hit a 37-foot shot at the buzzer. Lillard finished with 50 points, while hitting 10-18 from 3 in the game. 

Lillard is shooting 8-12 from 30-plus feet, according to Second Spectrum.

"I didn't want to put it into the referee hands. Where if there was contact or maybe they get away with contact or I end up having to take a tougher shot because there was contact and they don't want to decide the game. So I was standing there looking at the rim and I was like this is a comfortable range," said Lillard on his game-winner. 

Lillard added that his 50-point performance was "probably" the best game he's ever played.

"There's been a lot of back and forth, a lot of talk and all this stuff, and that was the last word. That was having the last word," added Lillard.

Paul George, who was defending Lillard on the final possession, said Lillard took a bad shot.

"That's a bad, bad shot. I don't care what anybody says. That's a bad shot. But hey, he made it. That story won't be told that it was a bad shot. We live with that," said George.

The Phoenix Suns will request permission to interview Monty Williams and David Vanterpool.

Williams is currently assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Williams is also a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Vanterpool is an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Damian Lillard recognized that the Portland Trail Blazers need to adjust their play to the officiating following their 120-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 3. Lillard and C.J. McCollum combined for less free throw attempts (14) than Paul George in the game (17).

“We are going to have to get a little smarter and realize how the game is being called. If it’s a quick whistle to every bump, every little grab and contact in the paint, we have to recognize that, and maybe we need to dial that back a little bit," said Lillard.

Moe Harkless added that the series, and the battle between Lillard and Russell Westbrook, will get chippier the longer it goes.

“I think it’s one of the things that’s just going to come with the series, and the longer it goes, the more you are probably going to see it. It’s two competitive guys and neither one of them guys is going to back down.”

Damian Lillard said that Enes Kanter was "the MVP" of the Portland Trail Blazers' 104-99 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 1 of their playoff series.

Kanter finished the game with 20 points and 18 rebounds.

"[Kanter] was the MVP of the game, especially down the stretch getting us second opportunities, third opportunities. He had a huge presence down the stretch and played a huge part in us winning this game," said Lillard. 

Kanter, who began the season on the Knicks, said he appreciated the opportunity to compete in a playoff game. 

"I was on the worst team in the league and I wasn't even playing because they thought I was too old...it was frustrating because I just wanted to go out there and win...a couple of days ago I looked in the mirror and said I am blessed...it feels amazing," added Kanter. 

Damian Lillard said he's looking to bounce back from the embarrassment of getting swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in last season's playoffs.

The Blazers will match up against the Thunder in the first round.

“We are the team that went through what we went through last year, everybody else just witnessed it. Y’all didn’t have to lose. We had to lose. We got embarrassed, y’all didn’t get embarrassed. Everybody else didn’t go through what we went through. We experienced it. This is not about what somebody has to say about our (playoff) performance, or none of that. This is about going in there and correcting it. Redeeming ourselves," said Lillard.

Seth Curry said that he could feel the tension from last season's playoffs hover over the team when he joined the Blazers in training camp.

“From Day One, you knew it affected the team. But Neil and Terry addressed it in the first meeting we had. They addressed that loss. They didn’t want guys to be walking around it," added Curry.

Damian Lillard admitted that there was a tension between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of their first round playoff matchup. 

The Blazers secured the 3rd seed following a comeback win against the Kings. The Thunder clinched the 6 seed after beating the Bucks.

The Thunder swept the season series between the two teams 4-0, with games filled with heated moments.

"There's something there. There's something there," said Lillard. 

Andre Drummond and Damian Lillard have been named the NBA's Players of the Week.

Drummond led the Pistons to a 2-1 week by averaging 17.7 points (60.5% FG), 18.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.7 blocks and 2.3 steals per game. 

Lillard averaged 25.3 points (37.0% FG, 30.3% 3-PT, 95.5% FT), 5.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists for the week, guiding the Trail Blazers to a 3-1 record with wins over Brooklyn, Chicago and Atlanta.