Dame Lillard won't play without 'a true opportunity to get into the playoffs'

Before the suspension the Blazers were ninth in the Western Conference standings

Portland Trail Blazers star Dame Lillard said to Yahoo Sports that he will play only if his team will have a real chance to reach the playoffs when the season resumes.

“If we come back and they’re just like, ‘We’re adding a few games to finish the regular season,’ and they’re throwing us out there for meaningless games and we don’t have a true opportunity to get into the playoffs, I’m going to be with my team because I’m a part of the team. But I’m not going to be participating. I’m telling you that right now. And you can put that [expletive] in there,” Lillard told Yahoo Sports.

Before the suspension the Blazers were ninth in the Western Conference standings with 29 wins over 66 games, 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the last playoff spot.