The New Orleans Pelicans will have eight games to try and catch the Memphis Grizzlies for the 8th seed in the playoffs, which won’t be easy.
The New Orleans Pelicans will get a chance to make the playoffs, but they will have to overtake the Memphis Grizzlies one way or the other.
If the Pelicans (28-36) or one of the other Western Conference fringe teams can stay within four games of Memphis (32-33) for the 9th seed, they will be granted a three game playoff in which Memphis starts with a one game lead.
This means that whoever grabs the nine seed out of the New Orleans Pelicans, Suns, Spurs, Kings or Trail Blazers, would then need to beat Memphis twice to get a first round playoff series.
The odds against this are long, but could the New Orleans Pelicans possibly catch Memphis in the eight remaining games?
The schedule proposed for the Pelicans would have them playing the Kings, Jazz, Clippers, Spurs, Grizzlies, Kings, Grizzlies and Magic. It is possible that the Pelicans would be favored in all but the one game against the Clippers.
That certainly doesn’t mean they are going to win all of those games, but there is a realistic chance that the Pelicans emerge with a winning record.
The Memphis Grizzlies will reportedly play the Trail Blazers, Jazz, Spurs, Thunder, Bucks, Pelicans, Pelicans and Celtics.
The Grizzlies will likely be underdogs in six of those games and the games against the Trail Blazers and Spurs will be no gimmes.
Again, this doesn’t mean Memphis is going to lose all of those games, but there is a realistic chance that they emerge with a losing record.
Even if they do, it might not be enough.
The New Orleans Pelicans would likely need to go at least 6-2 to have a chance to overtake the Grizzlies.
This of course assumes that the Grizzlies win no more than two games, which is not likely but also not impossible.
If the Pelicans go 7-1 and the Grizzlies 2-6, then the Pelicans would take the 8th seed and the advantage in the three game series.
It’s not going to be an easy road either way, but if the Pelicans can somehow overtake Memphis in the remaining eight games, they’d have an easier road to that first round series with the Lakers.
They are not only going to need to win their games but also get some help from Memphis and everyone who plays them.
Either way it is going to be an exciting ending to a season that’s so far been memorable for all the wrong reasons.