The Pelicans must continue to play up to their level, not up to the competition.
THE New Orleans Pelicans have been on a playoff or bust mission since they gathered for an informal training camp around Labor Day 2023. Making noise during the playoffs is the only way Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum would get the respect of the entire league as a trio. The Pelicans currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference, but Willie Green isn’t looking too far ahead. The third-year head coach has stuck to a simple mantra over the final 20 games of the regular season.
THE Pelicans need to improve in a few key areas before the playoffs begin. Herb Jones challenged New Orleans Big Three publicly before the team flies north to face the Toronto Raptors. Green insists the same “earn your minutes” manta to everyone in the locker room, regardless of what the scoreboard reads, a consistent line message that remained the same after his team’s recent resounding victory.
“My talk in the huddle was, ‘Earn your minutes,’” Green said after the Pelicans beat the Raptors on Tuesday. “Every individual that hits the floor, we have a standard that we want to play to. You never know when your number is going to be called, so whatever the score, we keep playing. We play together, we play hard and we take quality shots. It starts with our defense, as I mentioned earlier. (I’m) just extremely proud of this group. (Another road win) is a big step in the right direction. It’s nice to have a win to start our road trip.
Pelicans meet their standards more consistently
New Orleans’ 139-98 The road win over Toronto was the fourth time since February 10 that the Pelicans held a team under 100 points. The Raptors shot just 39% from the field. Green insisted that the level of defense is the key to this team’s season.
“[Defense is] the base of this team, getting deflections, getting steals. Collectively, as a team, it was a dominant wire-to-wire performance,” Green explained. “It’s about focusing on our opponent, focusing on the details that our guys are doing. The discipline of our game plan was extremely high. We want every game to give us a chance to win it. It’s special when you can go out on the road and win games. This lets you know that you have the opportunity to build a really good team.
The Pelicans have some advantages in the Western Conference playoff race. They can’t waste a top-six spot when they have 17 double-digit leads this season. The priority is to play up to the team and not up to the competition. This was an issue earlier this season, but the team’s two most recent wins suggest New Orleans has overcome those issues. This locker room has grown together; now it’s time to show his work to the world.
“The challenge for us is to always look in the mirror and come out with the mentality that we want to dominate every game,” Green admitted. “We want to execute on both ends of the floor. Every game we should have an opportunity to win, period. This will be the challenge ahead. These games are going to be exciting. There are teams fighting for positioning and we are one of them. Every game we play, we’re going to have to have a mentality that we want to execute on both ends of the floor.
About the Author
Chris Dodson has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball on and off for more than a decade. A lifer of bayou basketball, his wiggling gumbo form matches his elbow-dropping celebrations. Fast enough for college hoops, big enough for a football scholarship. He has words and will travel, but not on the field.
