What happened the last time the Golden State Warriors faced the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA playoffs?
So, the last time the Golden State Warriors met the New Orleans Pelicans, it didn’t go well for the Pelicans. They were swept in the first round in 2015. Here’s the thing: That’s the only meeting between these teams.
Let’s get into it.
So, even though it was a sweep, I remember that the games were close. The Pelicans, according to most people (including myself), were supposed to be blown away to the land of nowhere. However, the Pelicans gave the eventual NBA champion Warriors a run for their money.
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Andre Iguodala was NBA Finals MVP.
The Warriors were led by the same players we see today. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and MVP Iguodala. The Pelicans also had familiar faces in Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, and…uh, that’s about it for key players still around for 2018’s match-up.
Actually, I need to be honest. My former Sixers Iguodala and Holiday didn’t play all that well during the series. Iguodala shot only 31 percent from the field. The Jruth was coming off of the bench even though he was really a starter during the regular season. Jrue’s problem was he only played 40 games during the regular season.
The Warriors scored, on average, eight more points per game than the Pelicans during the series. One game did go to overtime. If you’re into this kind of stuff, the player with the highest Game Score for the series was Davis. Game Score is pretty much how it sounds. Davis was essentially the best player in the series looking at his stats.
Must Read: 2018 NBA Playoffs: Golden State Warriors vs. New Orleans Pelicans Primer
But, Davis was going up against three players who had above average game scores, including Curry, who had a Game Score of 24.0 to counter Davis’ 25.1. Davis was great, but he didn’t have much help to counter the combined awesomeness of the Warriors. That’s pretty much what this series came down to. The Warriors were far and away better than the Pelicans and it’s that simple.