Can the Pelicans exhaust the Warriors?
By Dave Daniels
Can the New Orleans Pelicans outrun the Golden State Warriors? Anthony Davis will certainly try.
The Golden State Warriors look locked in right now. They beat the New Orleans Pelicans by 22 in Game 1, and the Dubs are set to get Stephen Curry back on the floor for Game 2.
Curry is probably the biggest question mark hanging over these playoffs for the Warriors because if he isn’t back to his old self then getting past the Pelicans and Houston Rockets or Utah Jazz will be quite difficult. Making matters even more interesting is the fact that the Pelicans’ game plan is to raise the pace — a strategy not often employed against Golden State.
“Man, it was tiring,” Klay Thompson said to ESPN. “This team is kind of like playing ourselves. It’s like, you make a bucket, you can’t relax. You have to sprint back, find a shooter and they are pushing the tempo. It’s a whole different ballgame.”
Thompson scored 27 points in the game, and he’ll be a crucial player in this series if the pace stays this way. He is one of the best shooters in the league, and he has the benefit of excellent stamina as well.
Will the Pelicans win this thing by playing fast? It’s doubtful. But Anthony Davis might be the best player on the court in this series, and Rajon Rondo is a different animal in the playoffs than during the regular season. Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry has claimed that his team will continue to play with intense speed, because that is the way they’ve done it all season. There is some sound logic to not forgetting who you are, but the Warriors are a team you have to plan for differently.
“We’re very confident, man,” Davis said. “It’s one game. so we just got to come out with a different mindset, have pride in our defense, and try to get out and run.”
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He recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in Game 1, but he is the type of player who could drop 40 or 50 points when his team plays super fast. Does that mean the Pelicans can win the series balling like that? Probably not. But it’s sure going to be fun to watch them try.