In a shortened season, every game will matter, which is why a brutal 8-game stretch in March may determine if the New Orleans Pelicans make the playoffs.
The Pelicans’ 2nd-half schedule was released yesterday and overall it looks pretty difficult, though there are still many paths for the Pels to sneak into the playoffs in the crowded Western Conference.
The New Orleans Pelicans will play 36 games overall in the 2nd half of the season, 20 of which will be against teams currently in the playoffs.
Of those 20 teams, seven are from the Eastern Conference, so I use the term “playoff teams” lightly, as you don’t even need a winning record to crack the top-four in the East.
Two of those games are against the Knicks, who are technically in the playoff picture, though they have a losing record and are not a very good team.
If the Pelicans can take advantage of the bottom feeders in the East, they should be able to creep into the play-in game, though they’ll have to get through a brutal stretch in March that could determine the outcome of the season.
New Orleans Pelicans’ Schedule: 8-game stretch in March will determine season
If the New Orleans Pelicans are going to make the playoffs then they will have to stay above water in a brutal 8-game stretch that starts on March 14th and ends on March 29th.
In that time the Pels will play the Clippers, Trail Blazers (twice), Nuggets, Lakers, Nuggets again, Mavericks and Celtics. Yikes.
All of those teams have title aspirations this season and are tough matchups for the young Pelicans, who would be ecstatic to walk away with a split in those eight games.
The Pelicans have actually played better against good teams this season and have a losing record against teams below .500, so it is not out of the question, but it’s a tough ask to have to continue to beat playoff teams night after night.
This is why the Pels have to take advantage when they play teams like Cleveland, Atlanta and Washington and cannot drop winnable games to bad teams.
If they do, this 8-game stretch will likely kill any hope that they have of making a run at the playoffs.