It's going to be a late Saturday night for New Orleans Pelicans fans.
According to the New Orleans Advocate, the Pelicans and Warriors are set to tipoff at 9:30 p.m. CD on Saturday at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Game 1 will be broadcast on TNT.
Even with two-time MVP Steph Curry likely to miss the start of the Western Conference semifinals with his Grade 2 MCL sprain, Golden State has the kind of talent edge here that typically wins out in today’s NBA. Thompson is healthy, as are fellow All-Stars Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. Add in veterans like Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and David West, and even New Orleans coach Alvin Gentry would be the first to admit this will be an uphill climb for his team. And should Curry make a surprise return sometime soon, of course, then that’s as big a game-changer as you’ll find in all the league.
But there’s something special about the way his Pelicans tore through Portland in the first round, and that mandates a certain level of respect. Big man Anthony Davis led the way (33 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.75 blocks per game in the series), backcourt mates Jrue Holiday (27.8 points, 6.5 assists) and Rajon Rondo (11.3 points, 13.3 assists) dominating their Blazers counterparts Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum while small forward Nikola Mirotic (18.3 points, 9.5 rebounds) played the role of X-factor.
When it comes to evidence worth studying, New Orleans’ 126-120 win over the Warriors at Oracle Arena on April 7 is the only game worth re-watching because, well, Mirotic was involved and big man DeMarcus Cousins was not. The Pelicans’ style changed in a major way when Cousins tore his Achilles tendon back in late January, rendering the three matchups that came before then irrelevant (the Warriors won all three). New Orleans general manager Dell Demps landed Mirotic via trade from Chicago just a few days later, and his team went on to win 20 of its final 28 games to ensure its playoff berth.
The main takeaway from that game? Davis vs. Durant is going to be a whole lot of fun. The two stars were virtually unstoppable, with Durant finishing with 41 points and 10 rebounds while Davis had 34 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.
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