March 12th - New Orleans Pelicans VS Cleveland Cavaliers - 15-22

[Pelicanidae]

Run it back 💪 #PelicansGameday

🏀 vs. Cleveland
🕖 7 p.m. CT
📺 @FOXSportsNOLA
📻 100.3 FM @ESPNRadioNOLA @SmoothieKing | #WBD pic.twitter.com/vzIN9jqNkW

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 12, 2021

Having lost embarrassingly to Minnesota, we move on to the Cavs.

Cavs are 14-22, so they have basically the same record as us, and achieve it by being 28th in Offense and 22nd in Defense. Theoretically, they shouldn't be a good enough offense to truly take advantage of our woeful D, while their bad D should be porous for our good offense. Sadly, that's on paper: in reality we all know everyone plays Nets Offense against us, so they can probably expect their ORtg to leap a few spots after tonight. As for the offense... well, it's still good, but it looked rough last game - bad shooting from almost everywhere and a lack of real playmaking led to our ORtg dropping 2 spots (From 6th to 8th) in the span of one night.

Something that really needs to improve is - and here it is again - the shooting. I know we had a hot month in February, but look at this. We are 1-5 over our last 6 games. In that span, this is how some of our guys have shot from 3:

Ingram: 7/31, good for 22.6%
Ball: 19/55, good for 34.2%
Hart: 4/23, good for 17.4%
Bledsoe: 9/30, good for 30.0%

That's just horrendously bad. Literally nobody even up to league average among our big minute guys. Redick was shooting better (he was up to 46% in February after starting the year like garbage, as we all remember) but he's out right now and he had only been about 36% over the most recent couple of games.

Not going to win games if nobody can shoot. We have enough trouble with the nonexistent defense for our offense to decide to give out now as well.

Let's see what we do.

[Taker597]

Well, if Garland goes off and we lose... I can see this thread having a nuclear meltdown.

I like Garland in the draft process, but never wanted him.i think I wanted Hunter.

[6warddude]

getting beat by minnesota twice is the lowest this team can go imo....

pride is on the line tonight...

[Fedupfan]

Well, if Garland goes off and we lose... I can see this thread having a nuclear meltdown.

I like Garland in the draft process, but never wanted him.i think I wanted Hunter.

Include me in the list of full meltdown. I for some reason can’t watch them without getting infuriated. It’s a curse. Because, I also can’t stop watching them.

[DroopyDawg]

What's the O/U number of 3s the Cavs hit tonight? I'll set it at 17.

[DroopyDawg]

getting beat by minnesota twice is the lowest this team can go imo....

pride is on the line tonight...

The Bulls sweep is bad too.

[Pelicanidae]

What's the O/U number of 3s the Cavs hit tonight? I'll set it at 17.

Whatever they average in a game +4

[luckyman]

As has occurred all over the league, shooting slumps happen.

It's the other end that is horrendous. If Bledsoe continues to show no interest in guarding his man with any effort, get him off the floor immediately. Or just not play him at all.

They can start there.

[Funcrusher]

This team doesn't deserve you Dae, lmao.

[Pelicanidae]

As has occurred all over the league, shooting slumps happen.

It's the other end that is horrendous. If Bledsoe continues to show no interest in guarding his man with any effort, get him off the floor immediately. Or just not play him at all.

They can start there.

This is true, but it does suck when everyone is slumping on the team at the same time. That's rough.

The defense is, of course, the biggest issue but that's not news to anyone.

[Pelicanidae]

This team doesn't deserve you Dae, lmao.

Please tweet them this and tell them they owe me a win.

[Funcrusher]

Please tweet them this and tell them they owe me a win.

You're being modest but they owe you a hell of a lot more than "one" win. They damn near owe fans a chip at this point just for the countless years of pure poverty. I've only been a fan since the Zion era and I'm already losing my mind

[new city champ]

Count yourself lucky. Those who have been fans since the team moved to New Orleans are caught in an endless time loop wherein the franchise is blessed with a savior (Chris Paul), the team promises it is building over many years towards being a contender if we will just be patient, only to see those hopes burn to ashes and the savior depart in bitterness at which point the franchise is blessed with a savior (Anthony Davis), the new team promises it is building over many years towards being a contender if we will just be patient, only to see those hopes burn to ashes and the savior depart in bitterness at which point the franchise is blessed with a savior (Zion Williamson), the new team promises it is building towards being a contender if we will just be patient...

[HornetGuru]

I want to see a starting lineup of

Kira
Naw
Ingram
Zion
Adams

Just once

[Funcrusher]

Count yourself lucky. Those who have been fans since the team moved to New Orleans are caught in an endless time loop wherein the franchise is blessed with a savior (Chris Paul), the team promises it is building over many years towards being a contender if we will just be patient, only to see those hopes burn to ashes and the savior depart in bitterness at which point the franchise is blessed with a savior (Anthony Davis), the new team promises it is building over many years towards being a contender if we will just be patient, only to see those hopes burn to ashes and the savior depart in bitterness at which point the franchise is blessed with a savior (Zion Williamson), the new team promises it is building towards being a contender if we will just be patient...

A Greek tragedy comparable to the likes of Sisyphus, damn

[Tpstr]

A Greek tragedy comparable to the likes of Sisyphus, damn

The 30 for 30 doc starts when Boogie shoots the FT...

[Funcrusher]

The 30 for 30 doc starts when Boogie shoots the FT...

What if I told you, a franchise was so bad, that they could only post a winning record 5 times in a 16 year span with three top 5 draft picks...

[Fedupfan]

Count yourself lucky. Those who have been fans since the team moved to New Orleans are caught in an endless time loop wherein the franchise is blessed with a savior (Chris Paul), the team promises it is building over many years towards being a contender if we will just be patient, only to see those hopes burn to ashes and the savior depart in bitterness at which point the franchise is blessed with a savior (Anthony Davis), the new team promises it is building over many years towards being a contender if we will just be patient, only to see those hopes burn to ashes and the savior depart in bitterness at which point the franchise is blessed with a savior (Zion Williamson), the new team promises it is building towards being a contender if we will just be patient...

Hey, I been looking for someone to share this pain with. Nice to meet you.

[Pelicanidae]

What if I told you, a franchise was so bad, that they could only post a winning record 5 times in a 16 year span with three top 5 draft picks...

I'd say

''What do you mean? We all know about Toronto.''

- Founded 1995-6
- 16 years later had only had 5 seasons over .500
- During that time drafted in the top 5 a total of 5 times (Marcus Camby #2 in 1996, Antawn Jamison #4 in 1998, Chris Bosh #4 in 2003, Andrea Bargnani #1 in 2006, Jonas Valanciunas #5 in 2011)*

*In fairness, Valanciunas was at the very end of that 16 year period, you might count that as going into year 17, but either way, at least 4 top 5 picks in that span.

[Pelicanidae]

Love and Nance return

Garland not playing

[Fedupfan]

Zion is going to have to go through three centers to score

[JJackisangry]

I just like seeing how hard these young men work. Even if we lose, I can live with our young guys getting minutes. They want it

[JJackisangry]

And I’m glad Jax isn’t being scapegoated for the godawful defense anymore. For a while this place was toxic when it came to Jaxson Hayes. Good to see him getting burn as well

[Taker597]

Cavs aren't even trying to gas threes. Seems like an easy win.

[AusPel]

Anyone see Nico doing ISO work down low? That was pretty