Results matter, but they don’t matter as much as the process. I know it seems like a tired old sports cliché, but it is true. Let me explain. A lot of different variables and factors dictate the outcome of any game in any sport, and it is impossible to control for all of these variables.  That means that the outcome of an NBA game is never absolutely determined. Someone could get injured. A bad call could happen. You could always lose.

Of course, that also means you could always win. You could absolutely stink for 3 and a half quarters, then you hit a couple of low percentage shots, get a lucky turnover, and now you are back in the game. That doesn’t mean you’re the better team or that you even played well. You still may have lost 99 out of 100 times. This is just the one time it all came together for you

If it isn’t clear yet, here is where I’m going with this. The Pelicans didn’t play well tonight. I don’t care that they were in the game at the end. They shouldn’t have been. There were poor shot choices. There were poor line-up decisions made. It just wasn’t winning basketball all around. At the end of the day, we can thank an 81% free throw shooter for missing a couple of free throws a the end of the game to keep us in it a bit longer.

I’m sorry for being a Debbie downer, but these types of losses are some of the most difficult. The ones you don’t deserve to win, but you still have a chance at the very end. Anyway, here are some of my notes from the game.

Nick’s Notes

1)   I told you Al Jefferson has been playing really well lately. By the end of the game, his stat line wasn’t all that impressive. He had 33 points on 30 shots, but also had 4 turnovers. Still, he started off the game aggressive and made us pay down low.

2)   So it took a while to figure out that AD was our best option on Jefferson. I figured that would happen, but I’m not sure why anyone would think that Stiemsma would do a better job than Ajinca.

3)   We saw a couple of odd line-ups tonight. I was excited to see something new and creative, but I really couldn’t understand why weren’t putting more shooters on the floor with our second unit. Tyreke needs at least two guys who are above average shooters with him.

4)   Speaking Tyreke, that was rough. He totaled 4 points on 2-13 shooting with a turnover. He did have 7 assists and 5 rebounds, though. But it took him 25 minutes.

5)   I have been hard on Brian Roberts before, but he deserves some credit. He has played well since the Atlanta game earlier this month and was a rare bright spot tonight.

6)   We attempted 11 free throws. They attempted 36. Again, that isn’t winning basketball.

7)   We did get up and hit a decent amount of threes tonight. There’s that.

8)   Davis fouled out tonight. I believe it was the first foul out of his career.

9)   When people asked me if Monty deserved to be fired or if he was a bad coach, I answered honestly and said I didn’t know. I am NOT ready to say either of those things now, but it feels like the same mistakes are being made again and again. Players aren’t the only ones who can develop in a NBA franchise. Coaches can grow and improve, but we can’t keep trying what hasn’t worked.

The Pelicans next game is tomorrow at 6 PM against the Washington Wizards.

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