#1 Golden State Warriors (67-15) vs. #8 New Orleans Pelicans (45-37):
On paper, the Golden State Warriors should have no problem winning this series. They have the league's best record, they took the season series with the Pelicans 3-1, they have Stephen Curry, who many feel will win the NBA MVP award, and they have won 16 of their last 18 games. I could make my entire argument for why they win this series on these points alone and call this one a wrap.
The only issue with doing so would be that I wouldn't have addressed the Pelicans at all, and while they don't have the same resume as the Warriors, they really aren't too shabby. The Pelicans are a team that has flown under the radar all season largely due to their location, goofy mascot, and new nickname. When people talk about teams that are dangerous in the Western Conference, nobody mentions the Pelicans because half of the time they forget the Pelicans exist.
While there are good explanations for why nobody talks about the Pelicans, that doesn't mean those explanations justify ignoring them. The Pelicans have the best big man in the league in Anthony Davis, a multifaceted force of nature who does it all. Davis averages 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.9 blocks per game. He's a living nightmare for all who face him and the Warriors are no exception.
While the Warriors have enough weapons to get by the Pelicans with relative ease, it would be a mistake to infer that this has anything to do with Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis is the only reason this series should even be played. His presence makes this series worth watching and at least mildly interesting.
The Warriors do not have any answer for Davis inside and that is why the Pelicans have a shot in the dark at winning this series. Warriors fans will tell me they have Andrew Bogut to slow down Anthony Davis, but Bogut simply isn't enough to stop him. Davis is just too dominant and overwhelming. When he is on his game, he's like Wilt Chamberlain out there, doing whatever he wants when he wants.
While Stephen Curry is deserving of the NBA's MVP award, I would rather have Anthony Davis on my team because of all that he can do. On any given night, he can be the best player on the floor and dominate games in ways that Stephen Curry cannot. I don't view this as any disrespect to Stephen Curry. Big guys are the most valuable players in this game and when faced with a chance to have a dominant big guy or a dominate wing player, you take the dominant big guy every time.
That all being said, the reason why I think the Warriors win this series is because they simply have more weapons across the board and they have home court advantage. The Pelicans have nice weapons around Davis like Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, and Eric Gordon, but none of those guys form the same supporting cast that Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut, and Andre Iguodala form around Stephen Curry. As for home court advantage, it is almost impossible to win a playoff game on the road in Oracle Arena, which makes the Pelicans' task of winning this series almost impossible. I see the Warriors winning this series in 5 games.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord
No comments:
Post a Comment