New Orleans Pelicans Make 2015 NBA Playoffs, Schedule Begins Saturday
New Orleans Pelicans fans can finally celebrate. The Pelicans made the 2015 NBA Playoffs by beating the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night (April 15). The official playoff schedule begins on Saturday (April 18), when the Pelicans are set to play the Golden State Warriors. The start time for Game 1 hasn’t yet been released, but a report from NBA.com confirmed it will be shown on ABC.
It was a tough fight for the Pelicans to make it into the postseason, and the team was actually tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final NBA standings. The Pelicans won the head-to-head tie-breaker, though, giving them the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. Now comes a tough match-up with the No. 1 seeded Warriors.
On the final day of the regular season, the Pelicans had to go up against a San Antonio Spurs team that was on an 11-game winning streak. The Spurs could win that game and clinch the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. With everything on the line, it presented an even tougher challenge for the New Orleans Pelicans. The team persevered in every facet, winning 108-103 to make the postseason for the first time in four years.
Anthony Davis was the hero of the game, scoring 31 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. He also blocked three shots and had two steals in an effort that made it obvious he didn’t want to miss out on the 2015 NBA Playoffs. Four other players finished in double-figures scoring for the Pelicans, and the team was able to finish the season with an impressive 45-37 record.
It’s very interesting to note that the Pelicans finished last place in the Southwest Division. It shows just how good the division was this season, as all five teams have qualified for the 2015 NBA Playoffs. It was also remarkable how evenly matched the teams were, as the best record within the division was the 9-7 that the Memphis Grizzlies had, and the worst was 7-9 from the Dallas Mavericks.
During the regular season, the New Orleans Pelicans lost three times to the Golden State Warriors. The fourth game, though, took place on April 7 and became a 103-100 victory for the Pelicans. While the team may have lost the season series against its first-round opponent, the most recent game proved that an upset could just be possible. Defending the “Splash Brothers” won’t be an easy task for the back court of the Pelicans though. As reported previously on the Inquisitr, Klay Thompson of the Warriors scored 37 points in a single quarter this season.
The full playoff schedule for the New Orleans Pelicans will be released by the NBA once all the seeding and teams have been set. Until then, fans can enjoy the fact that the team is ready to make some postseason noise again.
[Image Source: Scott Halleran/Getty Images]
