NBA playoffs: 5 reasons the Pelicans could upset the Warriors

Here are five reasons why the New Orleans Pelicans can pull off a first round upset against the Golden State Warriors.

The playoffs are here! The NBA’s 82-game season has ended, and the bad teams have been weeded out (with some exceptions–looking at you, Brooklyn), leaving us with only the very best as the race for the championship gets started.

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The New Orleans Pelicans were the last team to claw their way into the Western Conference playoffs, fighting off ~~Russell Westbrook and some other people~~ the Thunder, the Suns, and the surprising Jazz.

Now their reward is to face the juggernaut Golden State Warriors, who only went 67-15 with the tenth-best record in NBA history, behind the play of MVP favorite Stephen Curry and a ridiculously deep rotation.

That doesn’t mean the Pelicans should give up before they start. Underdogs they might be, but this isn’t exactly a 1 vs. 16 game in the NCAA Tournament; the Pelicans have a real shot here. Don’t forget that last year, the eighth seeded Atlanta Hawks took the number one seed Indiana Pacers to seven games in the first round, narrowly missing out on the upset. Don’t forget, either, about the memorable 2007 Warriors, one of the few 8 seeds in NBA history to pull the upset over the number one seed.

So it’s not likely, but it is possible. Here are five reasons why the Pelicans could shock the basketball world and take down the high-flying Warriors.

(And no, they’re not all Anthony Davis.)

1. The Pelicans are not your ordinary number 8 seed

Speaking of last year’s Atlanta Hawks: the reason it was such a surprise when they took the Pacers to the wire last season was because the Hawks were 38-44 on the year. Most eight seeds in the Eastern Conference are like that, decent teams who were lucky to get in and will quickly be bounced by the far superior opponents they face.

The Pelicans are not one of those teams. New Orleans went 45-37 against the brutal competition of the Western Conference and they have a superstar in Anthony Davis with a deep lineup behind him. In short, they’re no pushovers. They may not have won 67 games this season, but they’re not some losing team who snuck in; they’ll put up a real fight.

Mar 6, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) reacts after scoring against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

2. New Orleans will have the best player on the floor

Yes, really. Anthony Davis is coming off an absurd season; his PER (player efficiency rating) is 31, the highest ever by a player not named Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, or LeBron James. PER isn’t everything, of course, but that is an absurd level to reach at age 21. Davis has averaged 24.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, and is already a strong contender as the NBA’s best defensive player. At age 21!

Don’t get me wrong, Stephen Curry is the best player on most floors. He’s the MVP favorite, and with good reason; he may be the league’s best pure shooter, and he’s an incredible scorer, passer, and defender. But when it comes to pure offensive and defensive quality, Davis has him beaten–by just a hair.

There are a million little factors that go into winning a basketball game, but sometimes it just comes down to having the best player on the floor, and if it does, New Orleans will have the advantage.

3. Strong outside shooting means they can get hot at the right time

The Pelicans ranked fourth in the NBA in three-point shooting, mostly behind the strength of Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, and Quincy Pondexter. Let’s face it, they’ll need their fair share of luck to win this series and luck tends to favor teams who can get hot with outside shooting. The Pelicans are one of those teams. They’ll need to have a couple days where all their shots are falling if they’re going to topple the Golden State juggernaut.

Feb 11, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Warriors won 94-91. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

4. They can take advantage while Stephen Curry is on the bench

This stat is kind of hard to believe considering how strong the Warriors’ bench seems, but it’s true nonetheless, the Warriors have actually been outscored while Stephen Curry is on the bench.

Now Curry won’t be on the bench for long, but when he is, that’s the time for New Orleans to strike. They should come at Golden State with their starting five while Curry is resting, and if they go off for a short burst of scoring in that time, it could be the difference in a close game.

It could also force the Warriors to bring Curry back on sooner than they’d like, which could tire him out and play to their advantage as well.

5. A strong big man is just the kind of player the Warriors don’t want to face

The Warriors are well equipped to face most kinds of superstars. The star guard can be defended by Curry, the star forward by Draymond Green or Andre Iguodala. If there’s one type of star player they’re not equipped to face, it’s a seven-foot behemoth like Davis. The brow’s shot-clocking and post-up skills just can’t be matched by Warriors center Andrew Bogut, which makes this one area where New Orleans will have a distinct advantage, not to mention one the Warriors really haven’t dealt with much all season.

So there you have it: five reasons to tune into this seemingly unbalanced series.

Now just to be clear, this is still highly unlikely. It would be one of the biggest upsets in NBA history, if not the biggest. The Warriors have maybe a 95 percent chance of winning the series and moving on, but it’s not a 100 percent chance, and there’s a path the Pelicans can follow that very well could result in a win.

Fun fact, a No. 8 seed Warriors knocked off a No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks back in 2007. Those ’07 Mavs had a 67-15 record, just like the Warriors this year.

So don’t skip out on this playoff series, assuming it’s a foregone conclusion–this will be a series of great basketball games and strong competition from the underdog. What more could you want?

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