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How Do You Like It Served?
The buzz around the NLL is at an all time high, with the season commencing this week. One of the most anticipated seasons in recent history, the teams at the top are looking to hold the fort while teams on the outside are trying to force their way in to the playoff picture. New Orleans is one of the franchises that is set to bring all the troops and to improve on their disappointing 2015-16 season.
With this being the third off season at the helm for GM Blackmajestic, fans are wondering where this franchise is heading. Are they good enough to make the playoffs and content for the championship? Is the roster full of injury prone players that continue to derail their ambitions? Should some of the New Orleans depth be traded to try and bring in some star power?
This 2016 - 17 season will hold all the answers to those questions and more and may be make or break for GM BM...
Opening week for New Orleans is big with a 5 game schedule, all against strong opponents that made the playoffs last season. A 3 win, 2 loss week would be magical but a week with 2 wins is expected. So let's take a look at how it panned out...
Welcome home...Opening night of the NLL for the New Orleans Pelicans has finally arrived as they do battle against the Conference rivals, The Houston Rockets. First of two meeting between these two clubs in week one, New Orleans is keen to get the jump on the Rockets and the mental advantage coming into their up coming match up.
The first half of the Pelicans verse Rockets game was quite tame. New Orleans looked like the more dominate team without being able to drastically pull away, only managing to hold a seven point lead heading into the main break. After half time is when things got very interesting. Holding their lead for as long as they could as it slowly evaporated to nothing, the Pelicans found themselves in quite the dog fight. Fans of both sides were sitting on the edge of their seats, cheering and screaming at the same time, as both clubs exchanging buckets right down to the final minute of the game. Affalo hits a big three to put the Rockets up by two, only for Okafor to counter with a hard earned two in the paint, leveling the score at 89. With 4 seconds remaining, Brandon Knight nails what looks like a game winning mid range two to put the home side up, enter IT2. In the dying seconds of the game, Mike D'Antoni drew up a play that allowed Thomas to hit a game winning three on the buzzer to stab a dagger straight into the heart of the New Orleans franchise, this early in the season.
The Pelicans produced a well rounded effort across the board with four of the five starters scoring in double figures and Darren Collison off the bench, putting up 13 points of his own. Special mention to A.J Hammons, who brought a defensive presence off the bench but it was Markieff Morris who was the best for the home side. Morris put in an efficient 12 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, but it was his defensive efforts, with 2 steals and 5 blocks that caught the attention of coach staff. Last season these two teams met 4 times and every time it seemed like Thomas would get off the leash and to start the season, it seemed as though that trend would continue. Thomas had 16 points and 13 assists but it was the game winning three in the dying seconds that got him the Player of the Game award.
Final Score - HOU 93 defeated NOP 92
Everything is bigger in Texas...
Three of the four games for the Pelicans in week one are against divisional rivals, given two are against Houston, the other is on the road against the Dallas Mavericks. Ever since GM Blackmajestic has been the NLL, Dallas has been a powerhouse franchise and and Smokey has put together a team that is feared around the league, so to get the W in this contest would be huge.
From the opening tip, New Orleans energy was high and you could tell that they were out to prove a point, controlling the majority of the first quarter and finishing it on a seven to zero run to take command of the contest. Down by double digits this early in the game, the Mavericks fans sat there, waiting for their team to charge back into the contest and wrestle the momentum back but the run never came, as the Pelicans won the second and third quarters, silencing the crowd and taking a sizeable lead of 15 points entering the final term. Dallas looked like the dominate species that they are in the last but the hole was too deep to climb out of, giving the birds their first win of the season.
Hopefully this doesn't become a recurring problem, but the Mavericks Point Guard, Emanuel Mudiay was spectacular in this one. With 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, without turning the ball over once, Mudiay did all he possibly could to get his team in the contest. For New Orleans, you would think a 23 point, 10 assist game by Brandon Knight would be enough to get him man of the match honours but it wasn't. Markieff Morris backed up his stellar performance against Houston with another gem tonight. With 25 points, 17 rebounds and a splatter of defensive contributions, Morris is really starting to live up to that potential that everyone knew he possessed.
Final Score - NOP 106 defeated DAL 97
The first half of the Pelicans verse Rockets game was quite tame. New Orleans looked like the more dominate team without being able to drastically pull away, only managing to hold a seven point lead heading into the main break. After half time is when things got very interesting. Holding their lead for as long as they could as it slowly evaporated to nothing, the Pelicans found themselves in quite the dog fight. Fans of both sides were sitting on the edge of their seats, cheering and screaming at the same time, as both clubs exchanging buckets right down to the final minute of the game. Affalo hits a big three to put the Rockets up by two, only for Okafor to counter with a hard earned two in the paint, leveling the score at 89. With 4 seconds remaining, Brandon Knight nails what looks like a game winning mid range two to put the home side up, enter IT2. In the dying seconds of the game, Mike D'Antoni drew up a play that allowed Thomas to hit a game winning three on the buzzer to stab a dagger straight into the heart of the New Orleans franchise, this early in the season.
The Pelicans produced a well rounded effort across the board with four of the five starters scoring in double figures and Darren Collison off the bench, putting up 13 points of his own. Special mention to A.J Hammons, who brought a defensive presence off the bench but it was Markieff Morris who was the best for the home side. Morris put in an efficient 12 points and pulled down 15 rebounds, but it was his defensive efforts, with 2 steals and 5 blocks that caught the attention of coach staff. Last season these two teams met 4 times and every time it seemed like Thomas would get off the leash and to start the season, it seemed as though that trend would continue. Thomas had 16 points and 13 assists but it was the game winning three in the dying seconds that got him the Player of the Game award.
Final Score - HOU 93 defeated NOP 92
Everything is bigger in Texas...
Three of the four games for the Pelicans in week one are against divisional rivals, given two are against Houston, the other is on the road against the Dallas Mavericks. Ever since GM Blackmajestic has been the NLL, Dallas has been a powerhouse franchise and and Smokey has put together a team that is feared around the league, so to get the W in this contest would be huge.
From the opening tip, New Orleans energy was high and you could tell that they were out to prove a point, controlling the majority of the first quarter and finishing it on a seven to zero run to take command of the contest. Down by double digits this early in the game, the Mavericks fans sat there, waiting for their team to charge back into the contest and wrestle the momentum back but the run never came, as the Pelicans won the second and third quarters, silencing the crowd and taking a sizeable lead of 15 points entering the final term. Dallas looked like the dominate species that they are in the last but the hole was too deep to climb out of, giving the birds their first win of the season.
Hopefully this doesn't become a recurring problem, but the Mavericks Point Guard, Emanuel Mudiay was spectacular in this one. With 20 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, without turning the ball over once, Mudiay did all he possibly could to get his team in the contest. For New Orleans, you would think a 23 point, 10 assist game by Brandon Knight would be enough to get him man of the match honours but it wasn't. Markieff Morris backed up his stellar performance against Houston with another gem tonight. With 25 points, 17 rebounds and a splatter of defensive contributions, Morris is really starting to live up to that potential that everyone knew he possessed.
Final Score - NOP 106 defeated DAL 97
How do you like it served...
Still regurgitating that taste of cold steel from the dagger delivered by Isiah Thomas, the Houston Rockets were back in town to see if they could steal another win from the Smootie King Centre, as they did only days ago.
Much like the game earlier in the schedule, both teams took their turn to try and control the momentum and enforce their dominance on the contest but as usual, neither team was able to do so, resulting in an action packed, fast paced battle in the first half.
It was reported that the New Orleans players were saying, "not again, not tonight" as they were re entering the arena to get the second half under way, holding a five point lead. The crowd were loud but they could feel the tension building, as the Rockets continued to pile in the points and trimmed the margain to just one, with one quarter to go. Energized and determined Brandon Knight and co. knuckled down in the last pushed the lead out to a margain that couldn't be over come with one shot and ran out victors on the night.
Despite being in foul trouble early in the game, Hassan Whiteside put up a healthy stat line, with and efficient 19 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. For the home team though, Brandon Knight again put in a very solid performance with 20 and 10 but again was looked over for the best on honours that went out to Jahlil Okafor. Okafor was dominate inside with 26 poinys to go along with his 8 rebounds and uncharacteristic 3 blocks.
Final Score - NOP 108 defeated HOU 101
The fat lady has started...
The fourth game of a monster five game week, saw the Pelicans fly into Salt Lake City to face off against GM Merencio and the Utah Jazz. The Jazz, known for their high energy, break neck speed style of play, have always been a team that is tough to overcome and the task itself is always greater infront of their one eyed supporter base.
Maybe it was the attitude or maybe it was the amount of games in a short space of time, but New Orleans came out of the gates extremely flat, a step slow on defense and setting up their offense, letting the shot clock run down and jacking up contested shots, resulting in the Pelicans falling into a double digit defict to end the first half of action. A few energy drinks and a pep talk by coach Gentry and the switch was flipped after the main break. The things that made the birds successful at the start of the season were back in full force. The strong ball movement, pounding the ball inside and interior defense got the Pelicans back into the game, managing to level the scores half way through the last, though all the energy used to get back into it was in vain as Andrew Wiggins and the Jazz managed to pull away at the end. Great signs for the Pelicans though, just bad habits creeping in cost them in the end.
For New Orleans, it was the two big boys inside that did the majority of the damage, especially Jahlil Okafor, who filled the stat sheet with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and a splattering of defensive contributions. The majority of the Utah starters were dominate in their own way. Faried and Randle were ruthless on the offensive glass and Wiggins felt like he couldn't be stopped, espically when the game was tight but it was Olipido that was man of the match. Making the most of his limited opportunities, Olidipo had 15 points, 3 connections from deep, 4 rebounds and was a large reason why Parson had such an ineffective night.
Final Score - UTA 95 defeated NOP 88
Still regurgitating that taste of cold steel from the dagger delivered by Isiah Thomas, the Houston Rockets were back in town to see if they could steal another win from the Smootie King Centre, as they did only days ago.
Much like the game earlier in the schedule, both teams took their turn to try and control the momentum and enforce their dominance on the contest but as usual, neither team was able to do so, resulting in an action packed, fast paced battle in the first half.
It was reported that the New Orleans players were saying, "not again, not tonight" as they were re entering the arena to get the second half under way, holding a five point lead. The crowd were loud but they could feel the tension building, as the Rockets continued to pile in the points and trimmed the margain to just one, with one quarter to go. Energized and determined Brandon Knight and co. knuckled down in the last pushed the lead out to a margain that couldn't be over come with one shot and ran out victors on the night.
Despite being in foul trouble early in the game, Hassan Whiteside put up a healthy stat line, with and efficient 19 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. For the home team though, Brandon Knight again put in a very solid performance with 20 and 10 but again was looked over for the best on honours that went out to Jahlil Okafor. Okafor was dominate inside with 26 poinys to go along with his 8 rebounds and uncharacteristic 3 blocks.
Final Score - NOP 108 defeated HOU 101
The fat lady has started...
The fourth game of a monster five game week, saw the Pelicans fly into Salt Lake City to face off against GM Merencio and the Utah Jazz. The Jazz, known for their high energy, break neck speed style of play, have always been a team that is tough to overcome and the task itself is always greater infront of their one eyed supporter base.
Maybe it was the attitude or maybe it was the amount of games in a short space of time, but New Orleans came out of the gates extremely flat, a step slow on defense and setting up their offense, letting the shot clock run down and jacking up contested shots, resulting in the Pelicans falling into a double digit defict to end the first half of action. A few energy drinks and a pep talk by coach Gentry and the switch was flipped after the main break. The things that made the birds successful at the start of the season were back in full force. The strong ball movement, pounding the ball inside and interior defense got the Pelicans back into the game, managing to level the scores half way through the last, though all the energy used to get back into it was in vain as Andrew Wiggins and the Jazz managed to pull away at the end. Great signs for the Pelicans though, just bad habits creeping in cost them in the end.
For New Orleans, it was the two big boys inside that did the majority of the damage, especially Jahlil Okafor, who filled the stat sheet with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and a splattering of defensive contributions. The majority of the Utah starters were dominate in their own way. Faried and Randle were ruthless on the offensive glass and Wiggins felt like he couldn't be stopped, espically when the game was tight but it was Olipido that was man of the match. Making the most of his limited opportunities, Olidipo had 15 points, 3 connections from deep, 4 rebounds and was a large reason why Parson had such an ineffective night.
Final Score - UTA 95 defeated NOP 88
Offense verse offense....
The final game on the schedule for a big opening week in the NLL, saw the New Orleans Pelicans head to "The Mecca" to face off against James Harden and the New York Knicks.
"Maybe next time, we won't go into the locker rooms at half time. Maybe next time we will just stay out here on the court." Quoted Alvin Gentry at the press conference after the Pelicans failed to capitalise on their good start.
After coming out sluggish in their previous game against the Jazz and costing themselves the opportunity to win the game, the Pelicans were on to start they game against the Knicks. Their defense was intense, their ball movement to find the open shooter was impressive and they were rebounding with purpose, resulting in a slim lead againstvone of the best teams in the league. After the main break though, a complete flip. In the third quarter, The birds only managed to produce 19 points, due to squandered easy opportunities and like the Jazz game in the first half, they were to slow to get into their offense, with the shot clock often running down and forcing tough shots or just a break down in the offense. On the other side of the court though, New York looked like a well oiled machine, with smart shots and smooth cuts, scoring the ball this ease. In the end, the more developed team got the chocolates but sustainability will be key for New Orleans this season.
The Pelicans shot the ball realitively poorly as a group tonight but the best of the bunch would be the 200 point man, Chandler Parsons. Parsons hasn't been scoring the ball in bunches as expected but he is contributing is a variety of ways. Tonight against the Knicks, Parsons had 16 points, 4 makes from distance, 5 boards and 6 assists in a full stat line. For the victors, that backcourt of Kyrie and Harden is practically unstoppable. Harden had 23 points and 9 assists but it was Kyrie who did the majority of the heavy lifting tonight. After the first quarter, it looked as though Irving was going to have a tough night, hitting 3 from 10 from the field and struggling to get his shot to fall. After that though, it was all you could eat for Irving, with 31 points, 5 boards, 8 assists and 2 steals to cap off a magical night at The Mecca.
Final Score - NYK 116 defeated NOP 101
The final game on the schedule for a big opening week in the NLL, saw the New Orleans Pelicans head to "The Mecca" to face off against James Harden and the New York Knicks.
"Maybe next time, we won't go into the locker rooms at half time. Maybe next time we will just stay out here on the court." Quoted Alvin Gentry at the press conference after the Pelicans failed to capitalise on their good start.
After coming out sluggish in their previous game against the Jazz and costing themselves the opportunity to win the game, the Pelicans were on to start they game against the Knicks. Their defense was intense, their ball movement to find the open shooter was impressive and they were rebounding with purpose, resulting in a slim lead againstvone of the best teams in the league. After the main break though, a complete flip. In the third quarter, The birds only managed to produce 19 points, due to squandered easy opportunities and like the Jazz game in the first half, they were to slow to get into their offense, with the shot clock often running down and forcing tough shots or just a break down in the offense. On the other side of the court though, New York looked like a well oiled machine, with smart shots and smooth cuts, scoring the ball this ease. In the end, the more developed team got the chocolates but sustainability will be key for New Orleans this season.
The Pelicans shot the ball realitively poorly as a group tonight but the best of the bunch would be the 200 point man, Chandler Parsons. Parsons hasn't been scoring the ball in bunches as expected but he is contributing is a variety of ways. Tonight against the Knicks, Parsons had 16 points, 4 makes from distance, 5 boards and 6 assists in a full stat line. For the victors, that backcourt of Kyrie and Harden is practically unstoppable. Harden had 23 points and 9 assists but it was Kyrie who did the majority of the heavy lifting tonight. After the first quarter, it looked as though Irving was going to have a tough night, hitting 3 from 10 from the field and struggling to get his shot to fall. After that though, it was all you could eat for Irving, with 31 points, 5 boards, 8 assists and 2 steals to cap off a magical night at The Mecca.
Final Score - NYK 116 defeated NOP 101
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