Damian Lillard, Steve Francis and the unbroken circle of NBA fandom

SAN FRANCISCO — Steve Francis was coming to town, and the Lillard brothers had to be there. Damian and older brother Houston were enamored with the explosive NBA star point guard, whose Rockets were visiting the hometown Warriors at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, not far from the East Oakland neighborhood where the Lillards lived So the brothers arrived early — Damian, 25, estimates he was in fifth or sixth grade at the time. They edged down as low as they could to get in the arena. They found ...