Damian Lillard Reportedly Playing Through Separated Ribs Gives the Warriors Another Unfair Advantage

Well what do you know? Yet another star player gets injured while playing the Golden State Warriors in a monumental playoff series.

We've all been wondering what's up with Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, who clearly hasn't been himself for this series, but his latest 5-for-18 effort really turned heads, especially since his team was up big on the Warriors for a good portion of Game 3.

And now we know why.

It's pretty evident when he suffered the injury, which came in Game 2 when Kevon Looney dove for a loose ball and landed with every ounce of his body weight on top of Lillard.

Still, that's probably not an excuse to defend his first game and a half of this series, and it was also reported that the injury actually isn't a big deal because Lillard plays through such ailments all the time.

Then again, "playing through injuries" is a bit different when it's on the penultimate stage against the NBA's best team. Also, we'd venture to assume that a separate rib has a significant impact on a basketball player's ability to perform a majority of the game's nightly responsibilities.

Once again, the Warriors have a clear path to the Finals with little challenge.