On Tuesday night, the New Orleans Pelicans confidently took down the Portland Trail Blazers, bringing them to their third straight win. After a rocky start to the season, New Orleans (11-21) now finds itself two games behind the 10th seed, the final spot in the play-In tournament.
One of the main factors in the recent win streak is the comfort the players have with first-year head coach Willie Green.
“Everything in you wants to be more harsh and grind and say we need to do more," Green said. "..Knowing that things aren't going our way and that we are facing some adversity, our guys, our team right now needs consistency from me, and I'm called to be that type of leader.”
Green’s demeanor is widely regarded among the players as one of the main reasons the Pelicans have been able to perform so well.
“It helps just understanding he's steady. He's the same person whether we won three in a row or lost three in a row," Pelicans guard/forward Garrett Temple said Wednesday following practice. "You're not going to get berated after a 15-20 point loss; he's not going to be hype for you after a 20-point win. He's going to be steady."
As the Pelicans gear up for a Thursday night matchup at the Orlando Magic (6-25), they will look to build on the momentum gained over the previous few games. Rookie forward Trey Murphy talked about the energy that the starting lineup has been bringing as well as the team’s chemistry during his interview with reporters Wednesday.
"Our energy level is a lot higher, we're really focused on the details, and team chemistry is getting a lot better," Murphy said. "You can tell guys are getting used to playing with each other and getting accustomed to each other. This is a very new team, and it takes time to become a well-oiled machine."