New Orleans Pelicans can make March memorable
By Rick Stone
The New Orleans Pelicans will have a chance at a memorable March in 2017, due to their schedule’s winnable games.
The 2016-2017 season is difficult all around for the New Orleans Pelicans. However, there is a small window of hope near the end of the season, as the schedule begins to ease up.
That begins in March.
After the NBA All-Star Weekend and a tough three-game stretch to end February, the Pelicans will look at a balanced set of challenges during the month of Saint Patrick’s Day. It begins with a two-game home stand against the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs.
Even with their strong performances last year, the Pelicans beat each in at least one game. While it may be tough against Andre Drummond and Kawhi Leonard respectfully, New Orleans will have the home crowd on their side. It could make the difference between key wins and losses to start the month.
More from Pelicans News
- How will the Pelicans round out rotation without Trey Murphy III
- Why you can’t blame Brandon Ingram for all Team USA’s failures
- New Orleans Pelicans avoid potential disaster with latest injury reports
- 3 New Orleans Pelicans whose role will increase next season
- Pelicans getting the fans involved with their upcoming festival
The Pels then go on the first of three back-to-backs of the month against the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz. The Lakers were the worst team in the West last year, while the Jazz’s slow play could give the Pelicans transition scoring the green light. The Pels won a game against both teams last year as well.
The schedule then goes into the biggest stretch, with tough challenges against the Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail-Blazers and Miami Heat. Each a playoff team a year prior, they all play the same slow paced basketball as almost every team New Orleans plays in March. For Head Coach Alvin Gentry, it might finally be time for his vision to show it’s effectiveness.
It is a tough task for Jrue Holiday, as the first half of March will pit him against skilled point guards Kemba Walker, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, Tony Parker and Goran Dragic. On the other hand, Anthony Davis will get easier matchups during this stretch. It opens the door for him to accumulate big numbers.
The opening shows itself in the second half of the month. The New Orleans Pelicans will go on a three game home stand starting March 17th. They will play the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies during that stretch.
Memphis is still a tough out, yet Houston and Minnesota are still seen as question marks. The T-Wolves are young and it’s unsure if they’re ready to make the leap into a contending team. Houston just lost Dwight Howard in the offseason and replaced him with shooters who struggle to defend. It is not outlandish to think New Orleans can beat both of these teams.
More from Pelican Debrief
- How will the Pelicans round out rotation without Trey Murphy III
- Why you can’t blame Brandon Ingram for all Team USA’s failures
- Ranking 10 worst starters of the Anthony Davis era
- New Orleans Pelicans avoid potential disaster with latest injury reports
- 4 Most underrated players on New Orleans Pelicans current roster
The Pelicans follow their home stand with a three-game road trip. They’ll play the Houston Rockets again, along with the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz. Just like Houston and Utah, Denver has a lot of question marks to their team. They have plenty of good role players, yet lack a “star” to showcase the floor. Without that star, the team has looked lost at times and wavers from their gameplan.
New Orleans finishes up March back at home for two more games against the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings. The Pelicans split the season series with the Mavs, who still struggle to slow down Davis in their matchups. As far as the Kings, New Orleans swept Sacramento last season.
Case in point? Every team in the month of March is beatable. It does not mean the New Orleans Pelicans will win every game. However, they could fathomable do it. That would make it a memorable month in the team’s history.
The challenges still exist. Houston can outgun them. Denver, Utah or Minnesota could outwork them. The Pels can fall apart in the tough tests during the first half of March. However, with the vision this team comes into the season with, their style of play can beat every team they will face in the third Calendar month.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans will be busy in the Month of February
The New Orleans Pelicans have a chance to break through in the final full month of the regular season. With the schedule covered in winnable games, the youngsters could be set to show everyone what they’re really capable of. With three-fourths of the season to get accustomed to the gameplan, the New Orleans Pelicans could very well be set in March to have their best month of the entire 2016-2017 campaign.