Damian Lillard Mocks Russell Westbrook's 'Trash Talk'

Lillard thinks that there aren't any harsh, line-crossing trash-talkers nowadays as there were back in the day.

Now, it's all about making gestures more than trying to insult and demeanor your rival like it happened in the good-old days:

"You don't see too much Kevin Garnett- and Gary Payton-type trash talk," the All-Star guard said in the interview. It's not really a verbal assault like it used to be. There are trash-talkers in the league, but in this era, it's more gestures."

Lillard has starred in some of the most iconic trash-talking moments in recent NBA history, starting for that time he waved the Oklahoma City Thunder goodbye after hitting a huge three over Paul George:

"That was probably the most trash talk I've ever done in my life, like in the game, where we all was just kind of talking s--- to each other," Lillard said. "Everybody on both teams. People was getting separated. People were saying stuff after the game in the media, stuff like that."

That wasn't the only time Lillard was on the wrong end of Russell Westbrook's presence. They've gone back-and-forth multiple times and have had a lot to say about the other.

From Westbrook's days with the Oklahoma City Thunder to their battles with the Houston Rockets, Lillard has often gotten the best of him.

Nonetheless, it seems like Westbrook isn't your average trash-talker, and instead, he tries to get into his rivals' head by talking to himself:

"That's just Russ," Lillard said. "He talks to himself out there."

As we mentioned before, the league has changed a lot. The players have changed, their attitude has changed, and even the money has changed.

The NBA will go to great lengths to prevent a 'Malice at the Palace' from ever happening again, and the players are mostly friendly to each other off the court.

Some say the league has watered down and is soft nowadays, but in reality; trash-talking is just a part of the game, not the game itself. You have MMA and boxing for that.