Here is Blue Man Hoop’s way-too-early preview of the Western Conference semifinals matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Golden State Warriors aren’t the only 2018 NBA Playoffs team set to sweep their first round opponents: the sixth seed New Orleans Pelicans are also primed to sweep the third seed Portland Trail Blazers, which would result in a Western Conference semifinals matchup between the Dubs and the Pels.
Without a doubt, this year’s second round is going to be extremely entertaining, and it could possibly go the distance considering how well New Orleans has played in their first trifecta of games.
To put it simply, the Pelicans have convincingly defeated the Blazers in each of their three contests thus far. Rip City may have exactly the right personnel to consistently propel them to a successful regular season, but they’ve had a great deal of trouble matching up with teams in the postseason for as long as anyone can remember.
In all fairness, the Pelicans can be an incredibly difficult team with which to match up,, a notion solely centered around the presence of Anthony Davis. In his past trio of games, The Brow has averaged 28.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.7 blocks on 54.8 percent shooting.
Jrue Holiday has been excellent against the likes of Oakland-native, Damian Lillard, averaging 23.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals on 53.4 percent shooting from the field, 38.5 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Nikola Mirotic has also been earning his contract on averages of 21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.3 blocks. Currently a team-high +16.7 in 36.2 minutes per game, he’s by far been the team’s most efficient player, shooting 58.5 percent from the field, 47.8 percent from long range and a perfect 100 percent from the free throw line.
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Then, of course, there’s Rajon Rondo, who’s averaging 12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 12.3 assists and 1.0 steals on 50.0 percent shooting.
With Stephen Curry set to return in the second round, I’m not too worried about the Pelicans’ backcourt rotation. Klay Thompson has been playing out of his mind, and guys like Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguodala have really stepped up their game offensively.
New Orleans will also have to deal with a much more potent option on the wing in Kevin Durant, who may just be a little bit better than Al-Farouq Aminu.
The main cause for concern, obviously, is who on the Warriors is going to help limit Anthony Davis. We can all expect Draymond Green to play heavy minutes against The Brow, but who backs up Dray?
Do you risk David West tweaking his ankle again? Do you send Zaza Pachulia out there as a bruiser? Maybe you go to JaVale McGee again and reward him for how well he did against the Spurs.
Next: 4 takeaways from Game 3 vs. Spurs
Whatever the case ends up being, let’s just hope the Dubs get through the second round with their health intact.