Anthony Davis and the Pelicans crashed the playoffs Wednesday. (USATSI)
You can't predict the young.
There's no telling how a young star is going to react to "the moment." The moment doesn't occur very often. It takes a perfect set of circumstances. A team with a chance facing a huge, if not insurmountable challenge, needing a stellar performance from its signature star.
The New Orleans Pelicans got that opportunity on Wednesday night. Facing playoff elimination at home vs. the defending champions, they needed what felt like a miracle to secure the 8th seed and a delightful first-round series vs. the Warriors. The Spurs win these games. That's what they do.
Only they didn't. The Pelicans won. And in doing so, they secured the 8th seed in the playoffs, returning to the postseason for the first time since 2011.
Making the playoffs for New Orleans took more than just Anthony Davis... but the Brow was a huge part. His 16 first-half points were the product of confidence and explosiveness.
Davis was the threat that opened the floor for the Pelicans, and that allowed Tyreke Evans to get loose. But Evans deserves a world of credit for his decision-making in this game. He racked up 11 assists, and punished the Spurs for helping down. San Antonio gambled that Evans wouldn't make the right play, and Reke made them pay.
The defensive energy for the Pelicans was instrumental, however. You couldn't be blamed for forgetting how crazy the New Orleans crowd gets for a big game, but they fed off this one, off every possession being vital, and that fueled the Pelicans, which pushed the fans further.
There was even the big collapse. Davis shot just 3-of-8 in the third quarter, and the Spurs just kept chipping away, possession by possession, the way they always do. There was every reason for the Pelicans to fold up the tents and go home.
Davis was there. Despite mid-range struggles against Tim Duncan, Davis scored four points, including clinching free throws, added two blocks and two crucial rebounds in the final 1:36. There would be no comeback from the unstoppable Silver and Black, and instead joy in the Crescent City.
New Orleans faces an impossible task, the playoff-vetted, best-record, best-point-differential, statistically-abberational Golden State Warriors in the first-round. Stealing a game would be considered a win. But for a team that could never seem to get out of its own way, that could never get a streak of sustained health, it's a key step forward. No matter how this season ends, the Pelicans know this doesn't represent the start, but the beginning of something -- the Anthony Davis Era not only in New Orleans, but in the NBA.
The Brow has truly arrived, and he's headed to the postseason.
0 comments:
Post a Comment