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In the wake of the blowout, the response is more important than the result for the Pelicans
Mama said there would be days like this in the NBA, although no one likes them to happen on TNT. The New Orleans Pelicans suffered their first blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns 111-86 Tuesday night on the road, marking the first real wall the squad has hit in the new era. While blowout losses […]
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Pace is Good and Pace is Bad
It’s been one game since the Fire-Ice combo took the court for the first time. It resulted in a 30 point loss to the Moreyball Rockets, so now it’s time to make sweeping conclusions. Just kidding. Sort of. The Pelicans posted a poor offensive rating in their first game Anno Boogie, but I came away […]
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Stats Highlights, 1st Week
*Sample size disclaimer — 3 games have been played, meaning the sample of data that we have to work with is extremely limited. However, the phrase “small sample size” in basketball is often misunderstood as “the data is useless.” The data isn’t useless — you simply can’t extrapolate with it. Statistics are still useful to describe what has […]
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Searching for Pieces
Offseason always feels like an eternity to me. After the adrenaline rush of free agency, we are exposed to the horrors of Summer League.. then we wait a few months and are rewarded with preseason pickup basketball.. I mean, NBA preseason games. There are a lot of projection models that are not, erm, high on the Pelicans […]
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Blowing It All Up (To Get Younger Edition)
Yesterday, our own Michael McNamara wrote an article about the difference between tanking and blowing it all up. “Tanking” has become polarizing due to the much maligned and highly ridiculed process that Sam Hinkie and the Philadelphia 76ers are taking. And while the validity of that process is a debate for another day, fear of […]
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Dreaming of the Draft
It’s hard to argue that the Pelicans are going to trade for a draft pick. According to a source, they haven’t brought anyone in for workouts yet, and the rumor mill has been churching up nothing for the Pelicans thus far. Recent history doesn’t suggest the Pelicans will be trading into the draft either. Since […]
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Moleskin Moments: Warriors v. Pelicans Game 4
Will be interesting to see how Monty matches up w/ @warriors smaller lineups. Referenced that maybe sitting Asik was a mistake in Gm 3. @Jrue_Holiday11 is a go for tonight. @PelicansNBA were +17 with @ryananderson33 on the floor in Game 3. @ryananderson33 went 10/14 shooting last game for 26 points, after going only 2/11 the […]
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A Test for the Pelicans
You’ll see what the New Orleans Pelicans team has today. According to ESPN Stats and Info, the New Orleans had a 38% chance of being swept by the Golden State Warriors if they lost on Thursday night. Well the Pelicans lost, so now we’ll see what happens. Not only did they lost, but they lost […]
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Warriors v. Pelicans Game 3 Recap
Quotes and a Recap “If you play poorly on offense, it’ll put you in difficult positions defensively.” “They kicked our butts for three quarters, but fortunately we had time to come back.” -Golden State Warriors Head Coach Kerr on the Warriors’ struggles early on. Head Coach Monty Williams Tidbit: Said the plan was to foul […]
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Moleskin Moments: Warriors v. Pelicans Game 3
Moleskin Moments Pre-Game @PelicansNBA were 34-10 when scoring 100+ points during the reg. season. (Haven’t scored 100 yet in the postseason.) @PelicansNBA were 1-10 on the season when their opponent makes 10+ 3s. In G2, @PelicansNBA were outscored 11-4 when @AntDavis23 was sitting (2:56). Got to be able to afford giving him a bigger break […]
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Game On: Warriors v. Pelicans Game 3
“It’s not a series until someone wins on the road,” is an old adage that Quincy Pondexter was quoted as saying after the New Orleans Pelicans lost Game 2. The Pelicans know they need to win today if they want to win the series. The stats are daunting, if the Golden State Warriors win tonight, […]
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Nostalgia Before the Night: New Orleans Last Home Win
It didn’t matter that it was merely a first round game. That the team had squandered their home court advantage in Game 3. That they wouldn’t win another game the rest of the series. That there was no owner, and other cities and prospective buyers were licking their lips. On this night, it didn’t matter. […]
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Moleskin Moments (And the Morning After): Game 2
Notes of the New Orleans Pelicans game 2 defeat against the Golden State Warriors, where we saw a lot of things get better, but not enough for the win. Omer Asik started the game. Many at Tracey’s were wondering if Ryan Anderson should start. I even heard some “Alexis Ajinca starting” talk being brought up […]
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The Key to Beating the Dubs, Part One: Offense
The New Orleans Pelicans made the playoffs for many reasons (and not all of them are named Anthony Davis). One of the main reasons is that they had a top-10 offense for most of the year, finishing with an offensive rating of 108.2, good for 8th in the league. The Pelicans offense rated just behind […]
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The Big Time
You couldn’t have drawn up a better script. One game, for all the marbles (sort of.) It is the basketball equivalent of the final game in the film Major League. If the Pelicans win, with their weird theme music, ragtag crew and eccentric fans; against the epitome of a dynasty in the defending champion San […]
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Moleskin Moments: Pels Win a Huge Game Against the Warriors
This was a classic tale of two halves for the New Orleans Pelicans (42-35) as they beat the Golden State Warriors (63-15) 103-100. The Pelicans started the game off being very much like a team that doesn’t make the playoffs, a team the Pelicans have looked like before. The Pelicans struggled mightily at the end […]
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Game On: Pelicans v. Warriors
When our own Michael McNamara said that “If Pelicans (and Their MVP) Want Playoffs, They Are Going to Have to Earn It,” this is one of the games circled. After being 3.5 games out of the playoffs just a short while ago, the New Orleans Pelicans (41-35) went on a four game winning streak (while […]
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Quotes, Stats, and Moleskin Moments: Pels Lose A Tough One to the Rockets
The New Orleans Pelicans (37-34) suffered a huge loss to the Houston Rockets (48-24). The Pelicans lead by as many as 17 in the second quarter, but went into the half only up by 3. Later, they trailed by as many as 11. Stats that really stick out: The Pelicans gave up 62 points in […]
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Game On: Pelicans take on Rockets
The New Orleans Pelicans (37-33) takes on the Houston Rockets (47-23), in a game with major playoff implications. The two teams have been heading in very different directions of late. The Houston Rockets have won four of five, moving up to third in the conference, and only 2 ½ games back of the Memphis Grizzlies. […]
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Learning the Hard Way: Late Game Defense
“The thing that I liked about it was our guys felt bad about the execution down the stretch, and about the way we won. And I had to bring them back a little bit. This time of the year, playing playoff teams, it’s going to be a fight. Any way you can get the win, you take […]