Western Conference Semifinals Playoff Preview
(2)Golden State Warriors (58-24) Vs (6)New Orleans Pelicans (48-34)
This matchup features the 2nd seed Warriors taking on the 6th seed Pelicans. The Warriors won 3 of the 4 regular season matchups. Each game featured a different mix of players for both teams. The Pelicans won the last meeting between these teams with the lineup they are bringing into this series. However, that game did not feature Steph Curry for the Warriors and he is expected to return from injury in this series.
The Warriors are fresh off a 4-1 series win over the Spurs. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson led the way for the Warriors averaging 28.2 and 22.6 points respectively. Klay Thompson has been shooting lights out from the field, hitting 52.9% of his field goals including 51.6% of his 3 pointers. The Warriors were able to win that series without the services of Steph Curry. Curry is expected to return sometime during this series and will be a game time decision for game 1. They will need him in the backcourt going up against the hot combination of Rajon Rondo and Jrue Holiday.
The Pelicans shocked everybody by not only upsetting but sweeping the Portland Trailblazers in the first round. They were led by Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, and Rajon Rondo. They were able to keep Trailblazer star Damian Lillard in check holding him to only 35% shooting in the series. The Warriors present a whole new challenge for their backcourt as they will have to contend with Klay Thompson, who has been on fire, and Steph Curry who can light it up on any given night. The health of Steph Curry could be a determining factor in the Pelicans chance of winning the series. If Steph Curry is anywhere close to his normal self, the Warriors could make quick work of these Pelicans but if he is off even a little bit that could give the Pelicans the chance they need to steal this series.
This is a very intriguing matchup. The Warriors don’t have anybody down low to contend with Anthony Davis while on the other end nobody on the Pelicans can matchup with the versatility of Kevin Durant. The backcourts could be the difference maker here. If the Pelicans can dominate on defense and manage to shut down Thompson and Curry the Pelicans can certainly win this series. Accomplishing that however might prove too tough a task. All things considered, I believe this will be a very competitive series. I predict the Warriors win this series in 6 games.
Photo: By Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA - Anthony Davis, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64951165
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