Their qualification in the playoffs barely digested, the Pelicans are now attacking a completely different opponent than the Clippers, since they cross neither more nor less than the road of the Suns. In other words, the best team in the league, (almost) unplayable throughout this 2021/22 season.
Suffice to say that the teammates of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum will not start as favorites in this poster against the troops of Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Even if New Orleans will be able to rely on the presence on its bench of Willie Green, the former assistant of Monty Williams in Arizona, to try to thwart the plans of Phoenix…
On paper, it is in any case a rather unbalanced duel that is looming. With, on the one hand, a team at the top of their game and aiming for nothing but the title. While, on the other, we find an irregular team which had to work hard to join the Western Top 8 for the first time since 2018.
SUNS PRESENTATION
Holders: C. Paul, D. Booker, M. Bridges, J. Crowder, D. Ayton.
The replacements: C. Payne, E. Payton, A. Holiday, L. Shamet, T. Craig, C. Johnson, I. Wainright, B. Biyombo, J. McGee.
The absents : D. Saric.
The coach: M. Williams.
Under the leadership of Monty Williams, on track to become Coach of the Year, the Suns have shown remarkable solidity throughout this season. Coming out of an already superb 2020/21 financial year, they did even better in 2021/22, to finally achieve the best record in their history: 64 wins and 18 losses! Forgetting the team of Charles Barkley as well as the team of Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire. Just that !
Collectively, Phoenix seems a step above any other franchise and above all seems better armed than in the previous exercise. It must be said that his bench has strengthened in the meantime, with the successive arrivals of Elfrid Payton, Aaron Holiday, Landry Shamet, Ish Wainright, Bismack Biyombo or even JaVale McGee. Perfect complements to players already present a year ago, such as Chris Paul, Cameron Payne, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Torrey Craig, Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson and Deandre Ayton.
Finally, only Dario Saric, injured since the last Finalsmissing in the rotation of the Suns.
POINTS FORTS
– Collective continuity. Between the magic of the Chris Paul – Devin Booker duo in the “backcourt”, a sultry and precise Mikal Bridges – Jae Crowder pair on the wings or the solidity of Deandre Ayton in the racquet, the Suns have a veritable armada. Better still: on the bench, Monty Williams can count on varied and above all complementary profiles of his five. In attack as in defense, this team is capable of maneuvering any opponent and they know each other like the back of their hands. There is no doubt that she will also be able to use her failure in 2021 to better understand the event of the playoffs in 2022.
– Solidity in decisive moments. It has been repeated but the precision of the Suns this season in the hot moments was incredible, with in particular the best record (33 wins – 9 losses) when there was less than five points difference in the last five minutes. Even more incredible, Phoenix won the 47 games in which the team took the lead after three quarters. This is to say how difficult it is to reverse them…
WEAK POINTS
– Expectations. It’s hard to find a weak point in this Suns team, which topped the league from October to April. Legitimate favorites for the NBA title, solid as possible and imperial as soon as the meetings are played in one or two possessions, the men of Monty Williams can however be overtaken by the pressure. It must be said that, since the beginning of the 21st century, only the Celtics (2008), the Heat (2013), the Spurs (2003, 2014) and the Warriors (2015, 2017) have become champions by being at the top of the NBA at the end of the regular season. Can Phoenix players join this list?
PRESENTATION OF THE PELICANS
Holders: C. McCollum, H. Jones, B. Ingram, J. Hayes, J. Valanciunas.
The replacements: Graham D, Alvarado J, Temple G, Snell T, Marshall N, Murphy III T, Nance Jr L, Hernangomez W.
The absents : Z. Williamson, K. Lewis Jr.
The coach: W. Green.
Even without Zion Williamson for the entire season, the Pelicans were able to find the resources to hold the shock without one of their two All-Stars and finally find the playoffs, four years after their last participation. This is obviously something that Willie Green, the rookie coach of the Pels, can rejoice in, whose method quickly knew how to work with his players.
A success that New Orleans also owes to Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas, long heroic in keeping their team at a reasonable distance from the “play-in”, but also to CJ McCollum, whose arrival has strengthened this fairly young group, but no less ambitious. It is also necessary to underline the good job done by David Griffin in the offices of the franchise, since he knew how to unearth some nuggets today essential to the local rotation, like Herbert Jones, Trey Murphy and Jose Alvarado.
Three elements who will have a real card to play in this series, in the same way as Larry Nance Jr. off the bench, in the event of a “small ball” bet. Without forgetting the pocket guard Devonte ‘Graham, whose talent in attack can do damage, if he is in a good rhythm…
POINTS FORTS
– group dynamics. Authors of an atrocious start to the season (1 win – 12 losses), the Pelicans nevertheless managed to get their ticket to the playoffs. And this, after a convincing second half of the season (13 wins – 10 losses after the All-Star Weekend), illustrated by these two play-in matches won against the Spurs and then the Clippers. Qualified almost miraculously for the playoffs, the troop of Willie Green has therefore the morale inflated to block, in the wake of a pair CJ McCollum – Brandon Ingram who will carry on his shoulders almost all of the hopes of New Orleans in these playoffs.
WEAK POINTS
– The lack of experience. If the Pelicans have a lot of talent in their ranks, they nevertheless risk paying for the inexperience of part of their workforce. Starting with Brandon Ingram, who will discover the playoffs for the very first time, like Herbert Jones, Devonte’ Graham, Jaxson Hayes, Jose Alvarado, Willy Hernangomez, Naji Marshall or Trey Murphy. Another handicap, perhaps, for New Orleans: the absence of a real boss on the field, since CJ McCollum is in a phase of transition to the position of point guard but must still learn to alternate between personal involvement and collective management in the decisive moments.
THE KEY TO THE SERIES
– Weak time management. There is no doubt that the Pelicans will be able to compete with the Suns at times, with talented players like Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum or Jonas Valanciunas. However, it will be impossible for them to keep up the pace over an entire match (and more generally over an entire series) with a collective light years away from that of Phoenix. It is therefore the ability of Willie Green’s men to sufficiently resist (defensively) these periods without who will be closely scrutinized, against an armada as complete, provided and “clutch” as that of Phoenix. Without it, every “run” will be bloody for NOLA…
REGULAR SEASON
Phoenix 3-1
November 2: Phoenix – New Orleans (112-100)
4 janvier : New Orleans – Phoenix (110-123)
February 25: Phoenix – New Orleans (102-117)
15 mars : New Orleans – Phoenix (115-131)
VERDICT
To have a chance in this series, the Pelicans will not have to fall behind in the ignition.
As they have just played two cleaver games in the space of a week, they are already in the mood for the playoffs, unlike the Suns. Hence the need to take Game 1 and/or Game 2 for Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and others. Without that, at 0-2, it could be that the teammates of Devin Booker and Chris Paul start to unfold their basketball in Louisiana, because they will have gained confidence at home. Confidence is also already very high for the whole group, at the end of its excellent regular season.
It is for this reason that we can not imagine New Orleans keeping up against Phoenix.
If the NOLA players manage to take a game, it will already be a great thing, when you know that everything that follows for them is considered a bonus. Quite the opposite of the Arizona franchise, expected a minima in the conference final, not to say in Finals. On paper, this first lap shouldn’t be a problem for him anyway, unless there is an unspeakable catastrophe.
Thus, the 4-0 is far from being utopian in this series, especially if Mikal Bridges manages to limit the impact of Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum, because the collective of the best team in the league will certainly be there. you, him, given his depth…
Phoenix 4-0
CALENDAR
Game 1 : in Phoenix, Sunday April 17 (03:00, Sunday night to Monday in France)
Game 2 : in Phoenix, Tuesday April 19 (04:00, Tuesday night to Wednesday in France)
Game 3 : in New Orleans, Friday, April 22 (03:30 a.m., Friday night to Saturday in France)
Game 4 : in New Orleans, Sunday, April 24 (03:30 a.m., Sunday night to Monday in France)
Game 5* : in Phoenix, Tuesday, April 26 (TBD)
Game 6* : in New Orleans, Thursday, April 28 (TBD)
Game 7* : in Phoenix, Saturday, April 30 (TBD)
* If necessary.