In the first game of the playoff, the Pelicans won 113-103 at home to the Spurs, and in the second playoff against the Clippers, the Pelicans looked like they would have a good chance of making the playoffs as George was unable to play because of a health and safety agreement triggered. In the end, despite the twists and turns, they still narrowly won 105:101 to reach the playoffs as the eighth in the West.
It's also the Pelicans' return to the playoffs since the 2017-2018 season, when they swept the Trail Blazers in the first round under Davis and Rondo on their last playoff trip, and were eliminated in the second round with a 1:4 loss to cosmic braves. With the next season missing the playoffs again, in the 2019 offseason, the Pelicans used Davis to trade young players such as Ingram and Hart from the Lakers, and Ingram also became the team's new boss. In the two seasons after the deal, although the Pelicans had high hopes every season, they still missed the playoffs for various reasons.
Although in the offseason, the Pelicans used chips such as Bledsoe and Adams to exchange for Valanciunas, who averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds per game last season, at the beginning of the season, with Williamson seriously injured, the media had only a 3.6% chance of them making the playoffs, and at the beginning of the season, the Pelicans only achieved a 1-12 record. By the middle of the season, despite a pick-up in their record, they were still in the bottom position in the West, with the media predicting that they would make the playoffs with only an 8 percent chance. If this trend continues, the Pelicans will once again be a strong contender for the title this season.
The situation did not last, and before the trade deadline, the Pelicans made a big deal that changed the team's fate this season, using chips such as Hart, Satoransky and the 2022 first-round picks to exchange all-Star guard McCollum from the Blazers, who averaged 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game for the Blazers this season. While there were high hopes for the Pelicans' deal, in the first five games McCollum joined the team, they had a dismal record of only 1 win and 4 losses, and the team's record at that time was only 23-36.
Just when many media began to look down on the deal, believing that McCollum and Ingram were completely incompatible, according to later reports, McCollum took the initiative to talk to Ingram and head coach Green. In that conversation, McCollum said: "That night, we spoke freely, said what we wanted, and what we could do, and finally found a common direction." And Ingram agrees that it was McCollum's openness that gave him an idea of what McCollum went through and what he thought about the game, which was crucial to Ingram.
And it was that conversation that made the pelicans' overall temperament change dramatically, they played a 13-10 record after the All-Star Game, in addition to Ingram's absence in 13 games, the Pelicans achieved an excellent record of 8 wins and 2 losses, and successfully surpassed the Lakers in the final stage of the regular season, ranking ninth in the West with a record of 36 wins and 44 losses. Despite this, the outside world is still not optimistic that the Pelicans can enter the playoffs, after all, whether it is the Spurs, or a team among the Clippers and Timberwolves, it is not a small challenge for the Pelicans.
Even after the victory over the Spurs, the Pelicans were not expected to be able to defeat the Clippers who led them by as many as six wins in the regular season and had George. But the miracle happened again, and with George unable to play in the game, the Pelicans eventually had a thrilling victory over the Clippers to advance. Admittedly, there was a fluke in it, but the Pelicans this season have been enough to surprise everyone, with the mid-season deal being a key turning point in their season, with McCollum bringing the Pelicans a dramatic change.
In the 26 games he played for the Pelicans this season, McCollum averaged 24.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in 33.8 minutes per game, shooting a career-high 49.3 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three-point range, all of which set career highs. In the Pelicans' current roster, McCollum is undoubtedly one of the most important outside cores, on the offensive end, when Ingram is off the bench, McCollum is often able to turn the tide for the team through his unsolvable scoring ability, and when the two are on the floor at the same time, he can also transform into a no-ball player and contribute outside scoring with Ingram.
On the organizational side, before McCollum arrived, the Pelicans had a lot of excellent scoring points, but their offense was like a mess, and this problem was well solved after McCollum arrived. Under his organizational tandem, the Pelicans' offense has become more and more fluid, and many of the team's young players have played better after his arrival. In addition, under the influence of McCollum, Ingram has also become more and more excellent in the organizational end, and he can average a career-high 5.6 assists per game this season.
At critical moments, mcCollum with a big heart has also become one of the Pelicans' most reliant offensive points, just like in these two play-off games, McCollum also provided great help to the team at key moments. Not only that, but Ingram's performances in key moments of the season have also become more and more stable, and these temperaments have largely been brought to him by McCollum. In short, after experiencing the run-in, the "two-mu combination" has become better because of each other. In the following playoffs, the Pelicans will challenge the league's number one Suns in the first round.
Despite the extreme strength of the opponent, the Pelicans, who are currently in hot form, are not completely without a chance of winning, and even if they cannot break through the first round, the Pelicans should do their best to create trouble for the opponent. As one of the most experienced players in the playoffs on the team, McCollum will play a huge role in it. And next season, the Pelicans, who welcome Williamson's comeback, are likely to become one of the strongest teams in the West.