Vol 3 Chapter 270: Pelican standing up from the ruins

Back in Oklahoma, Donovan immediately gave his players a day off. Although they swept the Timberwolves and became the first Western Conference team to advance to the playoffs, their opponents in the second round are about to come out.
On April 25, 2020, the Pelicans ushered in their fourth game with the Portland Trail Blazers at their home court. In the first three matches between the two teams, they all had the last laugh. In this game, whether the Pelicans can continue their excellent state and defeat their opponents again is what everyone is most concerned about. It is also something that the Thunder are concerned about.
In fact, the start of this series was quite unexpected. As a fifth-ranked team, the Pelicans have won two consecutive away games. Back at home, they won again. It was originally considered a close match, but now it has become a game that the Pelicans may sweep. You know, since 2001, no team ranked below fifth in the league has swept the opponent in the first round, and the Pelicans are moving towards this goal today. What's interesting is that the team that swept the opponent in 2001 was the predecessor of this Pelicans: the Charlotte Hornets. They were still in the Eastern Conference at the time and made the playoffs with a record of sixth in the regular season. And in the first round, the Heat swept the third place in the East with 3:0.
This season, the ill-fated Pelicans saw hope for a revival. They formed the super twin towers of Davis + Cousins. With the assistance of Rondo and Holiday, they used a set of old-fashioned tactics to make a breakthrough in this fast-paced, three-pointer era. world. Fans in New Orleans seem to have seen the city recover from the ruins. This makes them extremely excited!
Whether it is this city or this team, they have experienced too much hardship over the years. A huge tsunami caused the pelican, who was still a wasp, to settle in Oklahoma City. Then the alliance took over and Paul left. Had it not been for Tom Benson to bite his teeth and bought the team in 2012, leaving the Pelicans in New Orleans. The Pelicans don't know what it will be like now. Later, the arrival of Davis gave the Pelicans the hope of revival. But a 0:4 first round of the playoffs, and let this team fall into the trough.
Just as everyone was looking forward to what height Davis and Cousins ​​would take the Pelicans, disaster once again fell on the Pelicans. Cousins ​​was reimbursed for the season with a torn left Achilles tendon in a game against the Rockets on January 27, which caused the team to suffer a heavy blow. Many people think that the Pelicans are over again this season. But one person allowed the Pelicans to stabilize the situation.
This man is called Mirotic, a 210 Spanish big man. After experiencing a period of ups and downs, Gentry put him back into the starting lineup. The shaved beard of the Titans ushered in a big explosion. In the final five games of the regular season, he averaged 25.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, and averaged 4 three-pointers per game and made 46.5% of his three-pointers. His rise has greatly reduced the pressure on Big Eyebrows. The Pelicans are equivalent to reorganizing the inside twin towers, and Mirotic does not occupy the ball, which not only benefits Big Eyebrows but also defender Holiday. When the Pelicans were still fighting against the Cousins ​​Twin Towers, Holiday had relatively few possessions, because Cousins ​​would attack with the ball in the game and possess a lot of possession. Mirotic basically acts as an offensive finisher. His offensive methods are mostly catching shots or layups. Holiday's performance in the second half of the season was significantly better. After the All-Star Game, he averaged 19.8 points, 7.2 assists, and 50.8% field goal percentage. All three statistics have improved compared to before the All-Star game.
Mirotic successfully made up for the position of Cousins, which also allowed them to finally break through the obstacles once again after experiencing a set of twists and turns, and advanced into the playoffs as the fifth in the Western Conference.
But before the start of the playoffs, no one was optimistic about the Pelicans. 22 ESPN experts agreed that the Blazers will beat the Pelicans in this round of the series. But the Pelicans hit the experts hard in the face. Although those guys are often beaten in the face.
Judging from the performance of the playoffs, the Pelicans swept the Trail Blazers is very likely. The Pelicans performed crazy in the playoffs. According to local media reports in New Orleans, in the first three games of the series, the Pelicans started with Holiday, Rondo, Moore, Mirotic, and Davis at the same time 60 Minutes, the five-man offensive efficiency reached 122.3 and the defensive efficiency reached 93.5. It is even more efficient than the Thunder's starting lineup that also swept the opponent!
The overall performance dominates, the performance of the core players, the Pelicans have the upper hand.
As the absolute core of the Pelicans, Anthony Davis has shown a superstar level in the past three games. He played very well both offensively and defensively. An average of 35+12+5 per game is the best proof.
In fact, Davis' superstar-like performance is also due to the performance of another player ~ EbookFREE.me ~ this person is Rondo. A key factor in the transformation of the Pelicans is that Rondo instilled his successful experience into this team. Rondo, who was regarded as the locker room poison for both the Mavericks and the Bulls, became the pelican's medicine. This team tolerated Rondo's personality and gave him a new lease of life.
In fact, Rondo is a typical playoff player. Once in the playoffs, he became an All-Star point guard. In the previous three games, Rondo averaged at least 11 points, 7 rebounds and 13 assists in a quasi triple-double. Especially in the field of assists, Rondo ranked first among all players in the playoffs, more than Westbrook and Harden. Under Rondo's combing, the Pelicans' offense played vigorously. The most frightening thing is that Rondo's excellence is not only on the offensive end, he also directs the Pelicans players to defend. In the first three games, Rondo contributed to Lillard's downturn. He even played a guest role as a coach, and in some rounds he replaced coach Gentry in tactics.
In addition to these players, Holiday is also the key to the Pelicans' past three victories. He not only caused a lot of trouble for Lillard on the defensive end, but also blasted the opponent on the offensive end. After Rondo took over the organization of the team, Holiday was completely liberated. In the first three games, he averaged 23.3 points and 6 assists per game, shot 53.4% ​​from the field and 38.5% from the three-point range. The data has been greatly improved compared to the regular season.
On the other hand, the Blazers, their core player Lillard's performance is very sluggish. In the first three games, he made 10 of 30 two-pointers, 33.3% from the field. He made 8 of 25 three-pointers and 32.0% from the field. To win, Lillard must find his status.