LAS VEGAS — He had just been hounded by a trio of reporters, who peppered him with questions about a painful moment he'd rather not rehash.

So when the last query finally had been asked, Chandler Parsons twisted around in his Mendenhall Center courtside chair, looked at Damian Lillard and sighed.

"This is never gonna leave me, Dame," Parsons shouted to Lillard, who was seated a few chairs away. "I'm going to live with that shot for the rest of my life."

"That shot" would be The Shot, Lillard's breathtaking Game 6 game-winner over Parsons that delivered the Trail Blazers a series-clinching victory against the Houston Rockets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Lillard has accomplished a lot during two NBA seasons, earning All-NBA Third Team accolades, an All-Star berth, a USA Basketball training camp invitation and a Rookie of the Year trophy. But The Shot, which cemented his reputation as one of the game's budding clutch players and moved the Blazers to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, is the defining moment of his young career.

It's been a regular conversation piece in NBA circles this offseason, earning an ESPY nomination for best play and winning a fan vote as the NBA's Game of the Year (it will be re-aired Friday on NBATV). The conversation has spilled over to USA Basketball training camp this week in Las Vegas, where Lillard, Parsons and Rockets All-Star James Harden are all competing for spots on the 12-man FIBA World Cup roster.

Lillard says he is asked about The Shot all the time. From players, coaches, fans — it was even the most-asked question by participants at his youth basketball camp earlier this month in Portland. Different times this month, Harden and Parsons each asked Lillard the same question:

"The first thing they both — James asked me and (Parsons) asked me — was: 'Did I know if it was going in?' Lillard said Tuesday after Day 2 of the USA Basketball training camp. "I said: 'Yeah.' "

On Monday night, Lillard and Parsons went out to dinner with a group that also included Washington Wizards guard John Wall and Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart. Eventually, as the dinner progressed and the conversation expanded, the Blazers-Rockets playoff series became a topic.

Initially, Lillard and Parsons bantered back and forth about the series in general, reliving the intensity, the overtimes, the big plays — and the animosity between the teams.

"It was cool, just talking about the series and everything we went through and what they went through and just all the trash talking," Parsons said. "There was a lot of trash talking (in the series). It was an interesting dinner. But even though it still stings a lot, it was cool just to get to know these guys on a personal level and just hang out. You respect each other. None of that stuff during the season is personal, so this is a good chance to kick it and hang out."

At one point during the dinner, Lillard told Parsons the Blazers were infuriated by comments Parsons allegedly made claiming he was the best small forward in the series. According to Parsons, it was an erroneous report that surfaced because a reporter embellished his comments.

"I was like, 'Yeah, y'all kind of (ticked) us off,' because it came back to us that you were like, 'I'm definitely the best small forward in the series and we deserve to win.' And I said: 'That's not true,' " Lillard said, revealing what he told Parsons Monday night. "Then he said: 'The reporter said the wrong thing. He twisted it up.' We laughed about it."

And despite the agonizing memory of The Shot, Parsons is finally starting to accept what happened and move on.

It was Parsons who unsuccessfully guarded Lillard. During an inbound play along the sideline, Lillard raced away from Parsons on the opposite end of the court and sprinted toward Nicolas Batum, who was inbounding the ball. With 0.9 seconds left, Lillard collected the pass, twirled and heaved a shot in one motion. Parsons soared to try to block it at the last second, but Lillard had separated himself just enough and swished the improbable game-winner.

"It's just sad, man," Parsons said. "It still hurts. It stings. I can't dodge it — anywhere. But it was a big-time shot by a big-time player. So I've got respect for him. That's just one of those plays, man."

Perhaps the only saving grace, Parsons said, is that it did not win an ESPY. Auburn's "Pick Six" during a remarkable last-second college football victory over Alabama earned the ESPY for best play.

"I'm just glad that Auburn had that crazy play," Parsons said, laughing. "It saved me."

But while Parsons was diplomatic and graceful about the uncomfortable memory, Harden — the mercurial and temperamental All-Star — remained sullen. Even though Lillard acknowledged he and Harden had talked at length about the play, Harden denied it. When asked about it on Tuesday, Harden mostly gave one-word answers and brushed off questions. Apparently, he's still holding on to the what-ifs.

"It was an unbelievable shot," Harden said. "If he doesn't make that shot, we win Game 6 and we go home with momentum for Game 7."

--Joe Freeman | @BlazerFreeman