The Thunder have lost 5 of their last 6, helping the Pelicans to propel themselves back into the playoff race once again. New Orleans has done their part too, beating the teams they were supposed to beat on a recent 4-game winning streak that now puts them back in control of their own playoff destiny with just six games left to go. But the road gets harder from here, and the Pelicans can’t count on anybody doing them a favor as they head down the stretch. They are going to have to do it themselves.
The #1 question I have gotten every day for the last week or so is, “Do you think the Warriors will rest their starters when they play us?” Or substitute the Spurs for the Warriors, and I even got a few Rockets, assuming they somehow clinch the second seed by the time the Pelicans play them. First, I have no earthly idea. And second, it seems like a question that is generated from fear. The underlying premise being that the person who asks doesn’t believe that the Pelicans can beat those teams if both squads are going all out. It is as if the question asker wants to sneak into the playoffs without having to do some heavy lifting.
And who can blame them actually? I mean, if the goal is to win games, then you want to give yourself the best chance possible to do so. Playing the Warriors without Stephen Curry is much easier than playing them with him. Add to that the fact that the Pelicans have only won two games against the top-6 teams in the Western Conference since Jrue went down, and the fact that they have to play those teams four times in the next six games, and you can see where the fear is coming from.
But the Pelicans can’t back into these playoffs. I mean, technically they can, but we shouldn’t want them to. This team hasn’t had many signature wins lately, and they are in need of a few to finish off their season. Making the playoffs is the type of goal that seems meaningful, but in reality it does not necessarily reflect how you are performing. Playing at the highest level you are capable of is the type of goal that actually has some meaning. And that should be the goal for this team as they head into these final six games. And that all starts with Anthony Davis.
It hurts to say, but AD has been struggling lately. Since returning from his most recent ankle injury, Davis is shooting just 49.2% from the field and 70.2% from the line – both huge drops from his pre All-Star break numbers (55% and 83%). His 16+ foot jumper has hovered right around 43% all year, but is just 35% since he returned and his numbers in the paint have gone down as well. Make no mistake, he is still playing at a high level and his raw numbers are excellent, but if the Pelicans want to see the postseason AD has to not only be what he was earlier in the season; he has to be better.
This is the time of year where teams ride their star players into the playoffs and the Pelicans revolve around Anthony Davis. When he is playing at the MVP level we have seen at different times this season, they are close to unbeatable. For the Pelicans to make the playoffs, this is the guy that they will need. The schedule is no longer full of creme puffs. Yes, Minnesota is one of the six games and Phoenix at home is another, but the four other match ups are absolutely brutal: Golden State and San Antonio at home, Memphis and Houston on the road. At minimum, the Pelicans will have to go 2-2 in those four games, and they can’t count on those teams resting guys to make it easier.
The Pelicans will have to earn their spot in the playoffs, and quite frankly, that is the way it should be. If they want to be categorized among the top teams, they need to show that they can beat the top teams, and this is their chance. So far this season, the Pelicans are 6-3 against the three Southwest division rivals they will face down the stretch, but have yet to win against the Warriors. Five of those six wins, however, happened before Jrue went down and the Pelicans have not shown they can be an elite team without him on a regular basis.
They get their chance starting tomorrow night. It’s all on them (and their MVP) to prove that they belong.
12 responses to “If Pelicans (and Their MVP) Want Playoffs, They Are Going to Have to Earn It”
Good read. Glad that you were honest and said Davis is in a slump but I believe Westbrook is too. So we should have a chance to make it to the playoffs.
Excellent point about this team….Time to put there big boy underwear on. Monty has too step up as well.
AD’s performance will be a key, as will Ryno’s mins, a declining 22, 20 & 18 in his first 3 games back. It’s also clear that Monty is playing for his job, although given his nature one assumes that means being less, not more flexible & creative. My guess is that we’ll see more of the same: Monty & Ryno joined together, be it sinking or swimming.
I couldn’t agree more. Like the old saying goes, “In order to be the man, first you gotta beat the man.”
We owe Golden State an ass-whipping, and I predict it’s coming on Tuesday.
I think we have to finish 4-2 to have a chance…OKC needs to lose to Spurs at home, at Indiana, and Portland at home. I think that will be a battle in Indiana, and the Portland game at home will be the night after the road trip to Indiana.
nolahog You are missing the
‘Wooooooooo’
6thMan Ryno is being used wrong IMO. Before he came back, I showed that the data said that he makes good players great and plays well when he is on the court with good players. He has struggled when he has been asked to carry the second unit.
But Monty has had him do the latter. It’s no surprise to me that he has struggled.
12-14 mins pg safe area for Ryno – 2 6-7 min runs, chances to make some 3s and get off court before D liabilities are exploited. Alas, suspect Monty still sees him as a 29+ min pg all-around 6th man. Also suspect Monty so values loyalty that he would rather sink the ship playing Ryno. To me, it’s a bromance (with shared religious sentiments) – in other words, the weird elements of a teenage suicide pact. Hope I’m wrong!
Anthony Davis needs to carry this team on his back into the playoffs. Russell Westbrook has shown that he can do it, and has been seen has gone from a “Robin” to a truly elite player, because of it. Anthony Davis needs to show that he can do it better.
A playoff birth is enormous for this team. Anybody who says otherwise is fooling themselves. Beating Golden State in a seven-game series is not that important, much less possible, but making it there, and playing well enough to excite the fans in New Orleans is. It means momentum going into next season. It means an opportunity for Anthony Davis to firmly establish himself as a star in this league in front of a national audience. It means generating a spark of excitement for potential fans.
Make no mistake about it, being in the playoffs, giving Golden State all they can handle, and Anthony Davis showing a national tv audience what he can do would be huge for this franchise.
Carrying a team into the postseason, and even beyond, has always been sort of a right of passage for elite players. Anthony Davis must prove that he can be the one to make that happen.
Portland loses in a makeup game tonight in Brooklyn that was originally cancelled due to a winter storm. Knowing the flight across the country and back would be tough on the team, the coach allowed his hurting players to stay in Portland…Aldridge, Batum, Kaman stayed back…too bad we didn’t have that same luck when we played them…I know that goes against the grain of this article, but I’m looking for some breaks in return for the injury bug we’ve dealt with all year…
Good Read. I understand your point that you would rather have the team win games to get into the playoffs, but we all should agree that even if we back into the playoffs playing those games have a much bigger impact on this team growing. I will take what ever means possible we get in. With that being said if we don’t make it i do not feel the season was a lost one.
I love that!
Playoffs start tonight!!