The Breakdown: The Thing about the Pelicans Blazers game one
By Joshua Lea
The New Orleans Pelicans won their first playoff game since 2011. This team has to be riding high after stealing a game in Rip City.
The New Orleans Pelicans stunned the NBA yesterday. They got a critical win in game one of their best of seven series with the third-seeded Portland Trailblazers. The final score was closer than some Pelican fans would have liked at 97-95.
However, if beginning to mid-way through the fourth quarter, the Pelicans looked dominant. Anthony Davis was his usual self, notching 35 points, 14 rebounds, two steals, and four blocks. The rest of the team contributed masterfully to this win as well.
Some will say this is a statement win for the Pelicans. Other’s will say that Portland’s shooting guards struggled to get open/good shots. The fact of the matter is New Orleans simply out hustled and out worked the Trailblazers in game one.
This was an excellent win at the end of the day. Still, the Pelicans must remain in attack mode for the remainder of the series. It’s highly unlikely that Damian Lillard is going to shoot 6-of-23 from the floor throughout the series. He and C.J. McCollum are dynamite players and can light up the scoreboard with ease.
The Pelicans cannot relax and assume this series is over. I’m not saying that they will, I’m merely pointing it out. When teams get a 20 point lead, they have the tendency to relax and coast until the final buzzer sounds. That is exactly what happened last night. Just when the game looked all but finished for Portland, they put together one last run.
The run from Portland got them as close as 93-92. Lillard had a chance to get the lead with a floater that was short. Jrue Holiday had a very timely block on Pat Connaughton‘s layup with 6.3 seconds to go. That iced the game for the Pelicans.
Let’s give Rajon Rondo some love.
Also, everyone who has ever doubted the fundamental skill and leadership qualities that Rajon Rondo has should apologize. This man was the Flex Seal glue that held this team together. Rondo is a floor-general and the last of his kind. His offensive command of this game was a symphony to watch. His 17 assist only tell part of the story as to why the Pelicans won this game.
If you watched the game on ESPN, you heard Doris Burke speak of how Rondo was in the ear of each player. He was calming them down and calling the plays on every possession. It was truly one of the Pelicans best games.
Both Rondo and Holiday played about as great a defensive game as you could play. Jrue Holiday was without question an unsung hero this season for the Pelicans. Last night, his contributions were put on display and the nation saw how good he is.
Next: Pelicans get the win in game one
By no means is this series over, it’s only just beginning. Game two is set for Tuesday night in Portland. I would expect for Portland to have a different defensive scheme in play. They’ll look to contain Anthony Davis which means Rondo, Holiday, and Nikola Mirotic are going to have to continue their stellar play as they did in game one.