Glory Days: When The Pelicans Core Was Healthy

[jonathanlambert33]

Philadelphia @ New Orleans

Man, this game was beautiful. As you will see, it had it all, as the Pelicans played the way we all envisioned that it would when Dell Demps put this roster together. 14 points, 12 assists, and 6 rebounds for Jrue Holiday in just 29 minutes. 9 blocks for AD in only 28 minutes. Ryan Anderson going 6-10 from behind the arc. Eric Gordon 19 points on just 12 shots. And Tyreke Evans coming off the bench to give you 15 points on just 10 shots (would have been 18 if he knocked down his freebies). Full Box Score Here.

There were some occasional hiccups defensively, as you will see below, but you also see how dominant this team could have been if it remained healthy, as they were clicking on the offensive end, and this was only their first game together. Yes, Philly was a bad team (though not as bad as they would become later in the year), but that is what good teams do they demolish bad teams.

I took the advice from readers on what they wanted to know specifically about and created some categories and tried to lace each with some video highlights. On some of the highlights, you will have to sit through a commercial, but believe me, they are all worth it. It has been so long since we saw the real Pelicans team that I know most of you have forgotten what it looks like. Trust me, you will be brimming with optimism again after you are reminded what this core was like when it was healthy. Enjoy!

 
Utah @ New Orleans

The Pelicans came out a little flat after having 3 days off, but eventually pulled away from the Jazz in the second half thanks to the performances of Ryan Anderson (19 points on 9 FGA) and Anthony Davis (22 pts, 9 rebs, 8 blks, 4 assists).

The offense got plenty of good shots, but just couldn’t knock some wide open looks down, while the defense had several terrible sequences, due in large part to a lack of communication. Still, in stretches, you can see the makings of a dominant team, though Monty’s rotations were quite odd in this game and probably had as much to do with the narrow victory as anything else.

Cleveland @ New Orleans

This makes three straight wins for the Pelicans since they returned to full health. Well, full health minus Stiemsma. So basically, their best possible team. Unlike the other two games, though, the Pelicans trailed for most of this game as they constantly got down only to be saved by their Finishing Five. The starting unit was terrible, and the second unit struggled too, but the Finishing Five was incredible. They were on the floor for 15 minutes in this game and they outscored the Cavs 42-18.

The BOX SCORE will tell you the same thing, as every member of the Finishing Five was +13 or better and Jason Smith was -11 and Aminu was -12 in just 16 minutes of play. As you will see from the recap, the starting five just seemed out of place far too often offensively and they just missed easy opportunities. Couple that with the Cavs getting some breaks in the first half and Jarrett Jack getting red-hot in the second half, and it was an uphill battle most of the way for the Pelicans.

But the Finishing Five was everything it was advertised to be as they played with incredible pace and were able to force the Cavs into turnovers on the other end. Individually, I would probably call Jrue Holiday the MVP as he forced Kyrie Irving into some terrible shots and turnovers on one end (9-22 plus 4 TOs) while running the show and being efficient on the other end (15 points on 10 shots with 11 assists) on the other. Tyreke Evans probably gets the second star for his ability to push the pace. He was just 7-16, but four of his misses resulted in easy putbacks by his teammates because he drew so much attention.

Overall, it was a type of game that good teams need to win. You arent going to be on every night and on those nights, you still need to figure out a way to win games. The Pelicans did it in this one with two huge surges by their best lineup and by being aggressive on the offensive boards. At this point of the season, they were still in the infant stages when it came to running offensive sets crisply and communicating on defense, but every once in a while you saw moments of sheer brilliance.

 

[footballplaya52]

Glory Days: when the pelicans were the hornets and made the playoffs.

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

Glory Days: when the pelicans were the hornets and made the playoffs.

 
With Chris Paul lol.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

There are brighter days ahead than those Chris Paul years.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

New Orleans @ San Antonio
 

So far in our Glory Days series we have been spoiled by victories, and while some have speculated that they only got those wins because they played bad teams, that is not necessarily true or even relevant. The one thing that the Jazz, Cavs, and 76ers had in common was their lack of chemistry in large part due to the lack of time the players on their roster had spent together. The Pelicans had the same problem, but they had a talent advantage, so they were able to overcome. But when you go to San Antonio, that will never be an issue.

The Pelicans showed that they were as talented in different parts of this game, but the Spurs showed just how far the Pelicans have to go in order to maximize all their potential and make this a great team. But without that chemistry, this collection of individuals just got smoked by perhaps the best TEAM in the NBA. Looking at the BOX SCORE, there is almost nothing positive to take from this game. But looking at the tape, you see the potential for a team that can compete with these Spurs if they can just get out of their own way, and out of their own heads.

More than anything I saw nerves take over at the beginning, and then once they got down big they just began to panic. Fresh off a three-game winning streak, this team should have been feeling good about themselves, but instead they appeared resigned to the fact that they were supposed to lose this one. It was a great lesson for this young team to learn, and an example of being so close, yet having so far to go.

 

[jonathanlambert33]

Golden State @ New Orleans
 

It was a rare occurrence this season when the Pelicans could say that they were playing a team with as many key players missing, but on November 26, the Golden State Warriors went into the game without two key players. Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala were not active and the Warriors were forced to start Jermaine O’ Neal in Bogut’s place and Harrison Barnes in Iguodala’s.

Game Flow
The website known as Popcorn Machine does game flows for every NBA game, and these charts are an incredibly useful tool to understanding when runs occurred, who was in when they happened, etc. The explanation here should help understand the chart below. Also, I would recommend clicking on the chart to enlarge it.