The New Orleans Pelicans can learn a lot from the four conference finalists.
The New Orleans Pelicans hope to be participating in next season’s playoffs instead of watching them from home, but they are going to need to get better.
The NBA is a copycat league, so teams will be watching these four conference finalists closely to see what strategies they might be able to steal and employ.
The Golden State Warriors are the ultimate example of this, as teams realized 3-point shooting is vital and everyone started looking for the next Stephen Curry after the Warriors took over the league.
Of the four conference finalists, only the Lakers built their team through free agency, as the other three all built from within, using trades and savvy draft picks to put together deep and talented teams.
The Heat, Celtics and Nuggets are all examples of “culture” teams, a word that has been thrown around a ton during these playoffs. They play well together, have good chemistry and rely mostly on guys they picked outside of the lottery.
This is an exciting time for the NBA, as the breakup of the Warriors’ dynasty has left the league wide open, with a lot of teams who feel they have a chance to be contenders.
If Denver ends up beating the odds and making the Finals, every playoff team in the West will start believing that they can do it too.
The New Orleans Pelicans are still a tier below the elite of the Western Conference, but they can get there with the right moves and by paying attention to what is working for the contenders.
Here is one thing that the Pelicans can learn from each of the four conference finalists that they can hopefully apply to next season.