New Orleans Pelicans: Two Months Ago Zion Williamson Put the Lakers on Notice

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans may not have won the game, but they let the Lakers know the next generation is coming soon.

Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans played the Los Angeles Lakers on March 1st, 2020 in what was supposed to be their coming out party, but ended up being one of the last games of the season.

The Pelicans had just lost to the Lakers the week before, but were coming home to New Orleans for a showdown with the best team in the Western Conference.

This was also a potential first round playoff preview, as the New Orleans Pelicans were clawing their way to the 8th seed, just 3.5 games behind the Memphis Grizzlies.

With no disrespect to the Grizzlies, basketball fans around the world were hoping for that Lakers/Pelicans first round matchup.

The New Orleans Pelicans wanted to show that they were not only worthy of that matchup, but weren’t going to just roll over.

The Pels carried a 95-93 lead into the 4th quarter and with the crowd behind them it looked like the Pelicans were finally going to beat LeBron James and the Lakers.

LeBron had other ideas. The Lakers tightened their defense and allowed the New Orleans Pelicans just 19 points in the 4th quarter, sealing the game behind the brilliance of King James.

LeBron finished the game with an incredible 34 points, 13 assists and 12 rebounds, almost as a way of saying “Not yet, Pelicans.”

The Pelicans were poor in clutch time all season, so it wasn’t surprising that the Lakers were able to shut them down late, as the Pels struggle in half court sets and the Lakers have one of most stifling half court defenses in the NBA.

One player who didn’t struggle was rookie sensation Zion Williamson, who hasn’t taken LeBron’s crown yet, but definitely made his mark.

Zion Williamson finished the game with a career-high 35 points and seven rebounds and did it in spectacular fashion and often over LeBron:

The student may not be master yet, but Zion Williamson put a few moves on LeBron that showed he is not afraid of anyone, including one of the greatest players of all time.

The New Orleans Pelicans were reminiscent of the early Michael Jordan-led Bulls, who had to overcome the bigger, stronger and more experienced Detroit Pistons before winning a title.

The Pelicans aren’t quite there yet, but they let the Lakers know that they aren’t going to be pushed around and that the future of the Western Conference goes through New Orleans.

If the season is cancelled we may never get that first round matchup that everyone wanted, but we saw enough to know the Pelicans aren’t going to go away.

The Lakers may be at the top of the heap now but the Pelicans and Zion Williamson are coming.

Thanks for reading and stay safe out there!