Not long after New Orleans’ 108-103 win over San Antonio that extended the season Wednesday, fifth-year head coach Monty Williams divided his 14 players in the Pelicans’ locker room into two groups, based on whether they’d ever been to the NBA playoffs. The seven Pelicans without a postseason appearance were then told to meet their seven experienced teammates on the other side of the room, a symbolic gesture that ignited what was already a raucous celebration.
“He put all the guys who’ve been in the playoffs on one side, and the guys who haven’t on the other side, and then we welcomed them in,” explained guard Norris Cole, a two-time NBA champion with Miami. “We welcomed them to the playoffs. It was fun. It was a brotherhood moment that we had. It was special.”
“(Williams) said (to the first-timers), ‘Come on over,’ ” said guard Jrue Holiday, a playoff veteran with Philadelphia. “It’s definitely a team atmosphere. We all made it to the playoffs together.”
With Game 1 of its first-round series vs. Golden State (67-15) quickly approaching Saturday, New Orleans (45-37) didn’t have much time to enjoy reaching the playoffs, for the first time in the Pelicans era of the franchise. But at least for a few hours, there was palpable satisfaction in accomplishing something half of the roster had never achieved, particularly with the clincher coming against the defending champions, in a true must-win situation.
“When you think about it, the Western Conference is so tough,” forward Ryan Anderson said. “There are so many great teams. To play against San Antonio, the defending champs, in one game that really, really matters, it makes this so much sweeter.”
For seventh-year guard Eric Gordon and sixth-year guard Tyreke Evans, the wait to finally get in the playoffs was particularly long. Third-year forward Anthony Davis is also set to make his NBA postseason debut, along with centers Alexis Ajinca and Jeff Withey, forward Luke Babbitt and guard Jimmer Fredette (the latter was with Chicago during the 2014 playoffs but did not appear in a game).
“This will be my first time, so I’m just going to enjoy it,” said Gordon, the longest-tenured Pelican. “It’s very special. I was here when they were going through a rebuild, so it was tough for us to make the playoffs. It means a lot now. People counted us out a lot, because of injuries, but we’re a very talented team. I’m glad people found that out tonight.”
Evans: “We stuck together through thick and thin. Guys got injured, and we brought guys in who were dedicated to the work. We stayed together and figured it out, how to win tough games. I think we all deserve it. Coach (Williams) talked about how nothing was given to us. We had to earn everything. That was our mindset, playing the champs. We weren’t going to back down from them.”
The Pelicans will need a similar mentality in their best-of-seven series vs. Golden State, which finished tied for the sixth-most regular season wins in NBA history. The Warriors also went 39-2 at Oracle Arena, including manhandling the Pelicans twice.
“This is cloud nine right now, but (Thursday) we’ve got to get back to work and figure out a way to take down the Warriors,” said forward Quincy Pondexter, now 5-for-5 in making the NBA postseason, doing so in ’11 as a New Orleans rookie. “This is probably one of the best playoff experiences I’ve had, because of so much doubt. Not many people believed in us that we would make it this far. It’s been one hell of a ride this year, and it’s not over with. I’m really excited to see the finished product of this season.”
On Saturday the Pelicans will be on a national stage (2:30 p.m. Central, ABC and ESPN Radio) for one of the rare times since they rebranded in 2013-14. Despite the presence of one of the game’s greatest talents in Davis, New Orleans only made three national TV appearances this season. Coincidentally, one of those was a TNT game Dec. 4 at Golden State, won by the Warriors 112-85. Impressed by the Warriors’ homecourt advantage, Davis has recently complimented the decibel level of fans at Oracle Arena even for regular season games. They’ll likely crank the volume up to an even greater level Saturday for the playoff opener of the NBA’s best team.
“It’s going to be a different environment,” Davis said Wednesday. “Some of us have never been here before. It was our goal, to make the playoffs. We haven’t been able to do it since I’ve been here, or even come close. But now that we did it, it’s just a fun experience. We’re all excited.”