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New Orleans Pelicans @ Portland Trail Blazers
Tonight, the New Orleans Pelicans (6-17) play the Portland Trail Blazers (10-15) in Portland for the second and final time this season. The Trail Blazers lead the series 1-0, and given the teams’ relative positioning, a tie-breaker scenario could be important down the road. The game tips just after 9 pm CT (UTC -6), and […]
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In the NO Podcast Ep. 237: Is it time for the Tank?
In a lot of respects the Boston loss (and its aftermath) crystalized just how bad this team has been over the course of the season for many fans. So Michael and I talk fallout – trades, what we want this team to do, what we think they will do, what is a decent outcome if […]
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A Blueprint for Blowing It Up
Mark Borchardt is arguably the greatest subject in a documentary film, possibly ever. But before he was the centerpiece of American Movie, he was an aspiring director with a series of movies under his belt titled, “I Blow Up.” (see video here) The footage is grainy, and there is no sound, but essentially the victims […]
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Pelicans Outscored by 10 in 4th Quarter, Fall 98-94 to Bulls
For three quarters, the Pelicans looked like the better team in Chicago tonight. They didn’t play great offensively, but they were on the second night of a back-to-back against a very good defensive Bulls team. Their defense was solid, holding Chicago to 20-58 shooting from the field. Simply put, the Pels played well enough to win this […]
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Game On: Pelicans at Bulls
Fresh off of an entertaining 2-point win over the Wizards, New Orleans now will be further tested in Chicago against a tough Bulls team tonight. The Bulls enter tonight’s game 3rd in the NBA in defensive rating, but also have the league’s 3rd worst defensive rating. Scoring against this Chicago team won’t be easy, especially since he Pelicans are going […]
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Game On: Pels Host Wizards After 3 Days Off
The Pelicans have not beaten the Washington Wizards in New Orleans since 2011, enroute to 7 straight losses overall, and tonight does not look too encouraging a time to break that streak. Given the 5-16 start to the season, the Pels really needed a couple a days off to practice and work on improving something, anything that […]
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New Orleans Pelicans Nearing the Point of No Return
In Back to the Future III, Doc Brown sets up a demonstration for young Marty showcasing his two options for his potential trip back to the year 1985. The plan is risky, with the worst case scenario being a gruesome death that would see Marty and the DeLorean plunge off a steep cliff after failing […]
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Examining Lineup Data – Get Well Soon, Q-Pon
With the return of Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole last week, the Pelicans inched ever so close to the roster that the team envisioned before the season; unfortunately, results since their return have been less than ideal. Though the team put together an impressive overtime victory over the Cavaliers, New Orleans has also dropped games to the […]
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In the NO Podcast Ep. 236: Mini Pod
Michael and I rip of a smallish podcast for you – since my inability to record properly destroyed the longer one we put together. Bleh. Anyways – we talk Asik return, Norris Cole, “are our guards any good?” and how Michael is really down on the crew right now. We also predict the upcoming week […]
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Finding the Real Eric Gordon
The stat line doesn’t tell the whole story, and if that’s all you looked at, you might think Eric Gordon has had a relatively consistent season. The truth is that Gordon has been up and down. He’s had a few incredibly efficient games, but he’s also put up a few stinkers. Variance in player performance […]
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New Orleans Pelicans’ New Lineup Wins
The New Orleans Pelicans (5-15) defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 114-108 in overtime at the Smoothie King Center. In the pregame post, I noted that rebounding would be a key, along with not only scoring efficiently, but also actually hitting baskets at a high rate generally. The Pelicans managed to succeed in both areas and came […]
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New Orleans Pelicans Hoping Against Cleveland Cavaliers
The New Orleans Pelicans host the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at the Smoothie King Center. The game coverage starts at 8:30 pm CT (UTC -6), and it’s being broadcast on the Pelicans Radio Network (99.5 FM locally), Fox Sports New Orleans, and ESPN. The Pelicans are starting Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Alonzo Gee, Anthony Davis, and […]
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The Correct Argument for Firing Dell Demps
When things are going wrong for a franchise – in any sport – there are two things you can count on the fan base wanting: Players traded and people fired. Most don’t care how the problem is fixed, just that it is fixed and somebody is held accountable. The trading part is harder to pull […]
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Pelicans work hard to cause bitterness
The Pelicans needed to tread water through the tough part of this schedule. They aren’t. Instead, they are tying lead weights to their feet, just to see what happens. Tonight, they showed another real cost of all the injuries and line-up uncertainties: these guys simply haven’t played together and when the pressure ratcheted up a little, […]
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Omer Asik’s Contract Incentives
When news first broke that Omer Asik would be signing a contract extension with the New Orleans Pelicans, it was originally reported as a 5-year, $60 million deal. That estimation was quickly proven to be an overstatement, as the deal’s total value and length continued to trend downward. Before getting to what the incentives in Asik’s contract […]
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Another Frustrating Loss for the Pelicans
And this one started off so well. In the end, it didn’t matter as the Pelicans dropped their 14th game this season. Tonight, they lost 113-104 to the Memphis Grizzlies. For some perspective, here is the Pelicans scoring by quarter: 38, 27, 20, and 19. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, pulled out in front […]
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Maximizing Roster Output – Time for a Rotation Change?
First, a word of warning: the last time I suggested a rotation change, it involved benching Eric Gordon last November, which looks hilariously bad in hindsight. I clearly jumped the gun on that one, not allowing him enough time to get out of his early season funk (though he didn’t really do that until returning from injury […]
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Watch Party Wednesday, 12/2 @ Tracey’s!
Last year the Pelicans had a one game road trip to Houston (which they won!) and do you know what happened? Bourbon Street Shots had a watch party at Tracey’s Original Irish Channel Bar that night. You know what else happened? Eric Gordon showed up and hung out with us during the game. So you […]
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The Learning Curve: Guard Play and Ball Stoppers
Let me tell you what I think is going on, and let me preface this by saying I am an all around positive guy, everything I write is positive. But not today. It shouldn’t be this bad. November is over for the Pelicans and they have yet to play a full 48 minutes of good […]
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In the NO Ep 235: Terrible on the Road
Michael and I continue to be flummoxed by some of the trends for this team – including just how bad they are on the road. We also play “what is more disappointing?”, “Rap lyric vs Shakespeare”, “Which Pelicans not named Davis could be the third best player on a good team?”, “Who on the Rockets […]