Legit contenders
To say Anthony Davis had an eventful offseason would be to underscore the obvious. Following an outstanding second half of a 2017-18 campaign that saw him lead the Pelicans to their first playoff series victory in his six-year career, he went about making significant changes to his outlook. Among other things, he boldly declared his intent to be a perennial fixture in Most Valuable Player (MVP) discussions, rightly noting it to be both integral to and caused by collective success. He was committed to show all and sundry that he didn’t just possess the talent to dominate, but the resolve to win, even going so far as to share agents with acknowledged best LeBron James. And for good measure, he wound up being named the league’s best power forward and center in a survey of general managers conducted annually by NBA.com.
Needless to say, Davis’ extremely positive outlook was informed by his immediate past experience; he made the Pelicans legitimate contenders in the highly competitive West, sweeping the third-seed Blazers in the first round and then taking a game from the powerhouse Warriors — which, not coincidentally, the James-led Cavaliers failed to do in the Finals — before bowing out of the postseason. Meanwhile, he made sure to prep new starters Nicola Mirotic and Elfrid Payton on the vital roles they were slated to play moving forward. His goal: hit the ground running en route to claiming homecourt advantage to start the 2019 playoffs.
Yesterday, Davis and the Pelicans did just that, embarrassing the highly touted Rockets at the Toyota Center to signal their lofty aims. And they didn’t merely prevail against the reigning conference runners-up; they were ahead from the get-go and able to put up the consistent effort required to keep the hosts at bay in front of a hostile crowd. Of course, the five-time All-Star was at the forefront, coming up with 32 on 21 shots, 16, eight, three, and three in an MVP-type performance that stood as the best by far of all the players who had already made their season debuts. Likewise transcendent were, as he predicted, Mirotic (with 30 on six-of-eight shooting from three-point territory, 10, and three) and Payton (with a triple-double line).
How superb were the Pelicans? Consider this: They managed to score a whopping 76 points in the paint and — with Davis having established an unstoppable presence down low — another 30 off 25 shots from beyond the arc, on the way to 131 at the buzzer. In reaching a scoring mark they topped only twice last season, they won an opener for the first time in four years. Parenthetically, it was the most the Rockets had given up since 2016.
Granted, one game does not an entire campaign make. Given Davis’ pronouncements and his avowed purpose of walking the talk, however, the Pelicans have reason to look at the bright side. And if only because he’s motivated, they look to rub elbows with the established elite for the foreseeable future.
How superb were the Pelicans? Consider this: They managed to score a whopping 76 points in the paint and — with Davis having established an unstoppable presence down low — another 30 off 25 shots from beyond the arc, on the way to 131 at the buzzer. In reaching a scoring mark they topped only twice last season, they won an opener for the first time in four years. Parenthetically, it was the most the Rockets had given up since 2016.