How Zion Williamson & Pelicans Got Big Win Over LA Clippers & Why New Orleans Is A Dangerous Team

How Zion Williamson & Pelicans Got Big Win Over LA Clippers & Why New Orleans Is A Dangerous Team

On today’s show Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans get a big win against the LA Clippers over the weekend a potential first round playoff preview why the Pelicans should be confident about a matchup with the Clippers in the first round and why New Orleans should be taken seriously this postseason it’s

All coming up right here at locked on NBA you are locked on NBA your daily NBA podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what’s up and welcome to another edition of locked on NBA the biggest stories with the local experts I’m your host Jackson

Gatlin also host of locked on Rockets right here on the locked on podcast Network your team every day now today’s episode is brought to you by LinkedIn when you’re hiring for your small business you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role that’s why you have to check out

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Locked on Pelicans Jake Madison you can track down wherever you listen to your podcast and on YouTube just search locked on Pelicans Jake a likely first round playoff preview Friday night as the Pelicans got a big win against the LA Clippers who were you know albeit

With minus James Harden but still a big win nonetheless 112 104 behind 34 points from Zion Williamson what do we learn about the Pelicans from this win Friday night yeah they figured out like the best version of themselves and that’s Point Zion this is something they went

Away from earlier on in the year they tried to make their offense a little bit more uh Brandon Ingram focus at times CJ Focus but they’re finally starting to just put the ball in the hands of their best player in Zion and you’re seeing what he’s doing he was fantastic in that

Game basically Unstoppable 34 points shooting you know making two-thirds his shots getting to the line dishing out assists and you’re seeing an energized version of him too you’re seeing him compete on the defensive side of the ball you’re seeing some blocks that we haven’t seen from his time at Duke so

This is just kind of the Pelicans figuring out who they are what works best and this is called just peaking at the right time essentially look much has been made about kind of the fit right in the past between Zion and Brandon Ingram and even at times you know CJ McCullum

And how those how that triumvirate kind of works together do you notice at all you know at any times a fall off or a drop off in play from bi from CJ when the Pelicans do go to more of that point Zion style offense I mean somewhat right

I think both of those players are starting to learn that right now it’s going to be a Zion Centric offense and you need to fit and work around that you know the next night on the second night of a back to back in the win over the Portland Trailblazer CJ scored 30 so

He’s very capable of doing this he’s a great three-point shooter he’s one of the better in uh best in the League this year you’re seeing him work more off ball and be very comfortable kind of being the third guy on the team at times the fourth guy when you factor in Trey

Murphy as well on offense and he seems okay with that you know I think it takes a moment to kind of find your Rhythm as more of a spot-up shooter than say a pull-up shooter or a point guard for CJ but he’s definitely kind of proven that

This year and he’s been very reliable overall for the Pelicans for Brandon Ingram it’s a little bit of adjustment right because this is a guy who likes the ball in his hands wants to go and get into the his spots from mid-range take those shots but that condenses the

Court that kind of kills your spacing they need him to take more threes in the game against the Clippers he took four that doesn’t sound like a lot but that’s better than like the one he’ll take a game so I think you’re seeing him kind of learn that right now I’m not the

Primary scoring option I need to work more as a facilitator I think he had seven assists in that game his assist numbers have been up all year playing off of Zion and I think when you see them in this kind of game it gives you hope that that pairing which the pel

Explored breaking up this past off season but I think it gives them a lot of hope that they can do well in a playoff series and that you can keep these two guys as your core going forward now after that win against the Clippers Friday night the Pelicans are

Now three and one in their season series against the Clippers how important was that win for New Orleans Jake now just a game and a half back of La for that fourth seed in the Western Conference and potentially homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs yeah

Look I you know I think it’s it was a big game right there’s no getting around that beating that team winning the season series 3-1 is important it’s aam you’re chasing in the St needs it keeps pressure on the Los Angeles Clippers this is a team that though they haven’t

Done their load management that we usually see from them in years pass probably would like to get a little bit more rest for Kawhi Leonard for Paul George at the end of the season and have the fourth spot or even the third spot locked up but now they can’t because of

The pressure the Pelicans put on them there but it also could come down to this final game of the regular season winning That season series now means the Pelicans don’t need to finish one game up over the Los Angeles Clippers right if we were talking hey one and a half

Games back well if you want to make make sure you get home court it’s really two and a half games right but not when you win that season series and have that tiebreaker here and that gives the Pelicans a little bit more margin for eror though they have a tougher schedule

Than the clippers but beyond all of that right as you said in the open here this is going to be the four five seed it looks like one of them will have home court one of them won’t but the Pelicans feel probably pretty good going in that

Even if they are the fifth seed this is a team that they match up well with in a series like this and they can win no matter which seed they are which of those matchups are are the ones that kind of of inspire a lot of confidence

Because that was going to be my very next question just regardless of who is the four or the five seed we it looks like we are barreling towards a first round playoff matchup of the pels and Clippers in the first round as the four five matchup eventually and when you

Look at just the season series at least you know Zion’s averaging 255 and five against the Clippers uh so far this regular season I know the regular season is a different Beast than the playoffs but it when I look at these two teams I feel like the the the Pelicans actually

Match up incredibly well with the Clippers they got wings like herb Jones and Trey Murphy to throw it you know at kawhai at PG and then you look at the Clippers and I just don’t think they really have any but anybody very few teams do but I don’t think they have

Anybody that you can throw at Zion to slow him down right like I think the key to the series and like this dude’s gonna get run out of Los Angeles the zubach right like he was horrible against the Pelicans on Friday he’s been horrible when he’s played against them this

Season like he just doesn’t do well in a matchup with Zion as you said there’s very few guys that really do match up well when Zion’s kind of playing his Peak here and New Orleans just basically like gets Zion going downhill right at zubach and like there’s nothing he can

Do and so if he’s not playable in this series that’s a big Advantage for New Orleans because I do think their centered position of vonas valent chunis of Larry n Jr isn’t IDE deal for what they want valunas isn’t a good Defender Larry n Jr is a little bit undersized I

Think that can hurt them but here the center spot because zubach is a weakness for the Clippers doesn’t actually do that so I think this is an ideal first round matchup them and even the Minnesota Timberwolves I think uh do a very good job they can do a very good

Job against you know and then you throw in a guy like herb Jones who should be on the all defensive first team not second team first team that block he had on Paul George was just kind of insane that he then turned into a dunk on the

Fast break when you have a guy that can shut down one of their two better Wing players in Paul George or Kawhi Leonard that gives you a huge Advantage here in New Orleans BR and Ingram’s playing very very good defense I’m about to talk about that on locked on Pelicans on the

Monday episode so when you look at this defense and what they’re capable of doing I think it limits a lot of the strengths that the Clippers have Jake there are a lot of unproven teams you know kind of in the top of the West this year you’ve got the Wolves the Thunder

The Pelicans are one of them why should this New Orleans team be taken seriously this year look I I don’t think they should be taken seriously as like a title Contender I think they’re a little bit of a ways away maybe not a ways away but they’re not there this season but

When you have Zion playing this well like good good luck you know brain Ingram is a guy that can get you buckets and I think kind of a playoff atmosphere ref’s call games teams are going to give you those mid-range shots try to take away the threes try and take away the

Shots at The Rim that’s a guy that really does exceed you have CJ McCullum who’s been there before and then there’s some depth here and I think that’s both good and bad for New Orleans Trey Murphy off the bench has been really great Naji Marshall has been good for this team

This season too Jose Alvarado is a pest and proved it two years ago against the Phoenix Suns in the first round there’s a lot of guys here that you look at and you you don’t see a huge weakness on this Pelicans team I don’t think that gets them into the Conference Finals or

The NBA Finals but it definitely means they can take a first round series and be troubl for some team in the second round can the Pelicans ultimately catch the Clippers and claim the fourth seed and possible homecourt advantage in the playoffs how will New Orleans and La

Match up in this postseason because hey look it it might shake out differently but I think we’re getting a four five match up between LA and New Orleans you’re going to have to cover for all that and so much more over at locked on Pelicans Jake thanks for stopping by

Lock on NBA with me yeah thanks for having me On

How Zion Williamson & Pelicans Got Big Win Over LA Clippers & Why New Orleans Is A Dangerous Team

Jackson Gatlin (@LockedOnRockets) is joined by Jake Madison (@LockedOnPelicans) to discuss the New Orleans Pelicans big win and (likely) first round playoff preview vs the LA Clippers, what the story of the game was, how important owning the head-to-head tiebreaker is, why a playoff matchup might favor the Pelicans, and why teams should take New Orleans seriously despite lack of postseason experience.

#Pelicans #NBA #ZionWilliamson

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