February 13th - New Orleans Pelicans @ OKC Thunder - 29-28

[PELICANSFAN]

You can sit there and pretend everything is good, but I got through life and achieved my success by constantly looking for ways to improve in everything I do. If you want to pretend a bad situation is always good, do that. That’s not me. When they do good, I credit them.

Sorry, but your bar for what is considered good must be very high, because 90+ percent (and that may be generous) of your posts complain about the team and/or its players. Many here admit to being overly positive, but some need to admit that they are overly negative.

[PELICANSFAN]

Think about it...

In the second half OKC doubled and triple teamed BI and JV. That leaves the other four players being guarded by two or three players. You would think someone other the guy who just landed in town or GTA would step up. But all the others were MIA. It literally took two 'impossible shots' by BI to win the game. We scored exactly 43 points in the second half.

So, last night, it's one of two things:

1. Coaching failed us at halftime
2. Our players weren't good enough.

Neither appeals to me, but I hope it's # 1.

And yet we won. We doubled and tripled SGA which is why Williams had such a good game. And it worked. They only scored 49 in the second half.

[ramsters60]

my point will be simple and singular.... I don't know if they would have won that game with Graham, but I sure as hell know they wouldn't have won it without Richardson....

[Fedupfan]

Sorry, but your bar for what is considered good must be very high, because 90+ percent (and that may be generous) of your posts complain about the team and/or its players. Many here admit to being overly positive, but some need to admit that they are overly negative.

It’s probably higher than yours. I’ll admit.

[Fedupfan]

And yet we won. We doubled and tripled SGA which is why Williams had such a good game. And it worked. They only scored 49 in the second half.

Just curious, is it ok to also be good at offense in the same game that they are good at defense? I mean you clearly know what good basketball is…. Enlighten us who don’t know.

[luckyman]

I just want to give a shout out to #14. He's been on a tear these last few games.

He'll never get the fanfare, stat of stat breakdowns, and hoopla as #1 for doing the same things, but at this moment he is back to carrying this franchise on his back. And I don't think he's even 80% right with that toe yet.

Those shots he hit late last night were extremely difficult.

[Fedupfan]

I just want to give a shout out to #14. He's been on a tear these last few games.

He'll never get the fanfare, stat of stat breakdowns, and hoopla as #1 for doing the same things, but at this moment he is back to carrying this franchise on his back. And I don't think he's even 80% right with that toe yet.

Those shots he hit late last night were extremely difficult.

He’s been unreal. Smooth as it gets too. Doesn’t seem flustered at all.

[Fedupfan]

I'm very high on Dyson. I only hope that he's a Pelican when he flourishes.

Me too. I want him to develop here and play here.

[6warddude]

team need to run set plays on offense...trey need set screen plays so he can shoot 2 or 3 easy 3pt shots a game or more.....naji need set plays attacking the rim....put your shooters around jonas when teams go small and play inside out.....do some pick and rolls with kira and jax/nance....we free style to much on offense...

[RobertM320]

Think about it...

In the second half OKC doubled and triple teamed BI and JV. That leaves the other four players being guarded by two or three players. You would think someone other the guy who just landed in town or GTA would step up. But all the others were MIA. It literally took two 'impossible shots' by BI to win the game. We scored exactly 43 points in the second half.

So, last night, it's one of two things:

1. Coaching failed us at halftime
2. Our players weren't good enough.

Neither appeals to me, but I hope it's # 1.

So no credit at all to OKC for making adjustments? And OKC only scored 49 in the second half. It was a grind it out type of game. I know its not the type of game we usually play, but we also usually LOSE games like this. You people act like OKC is Houston or Detroit.

[PELICANSFAN]

Just curious, is it ok to also be good at offense in the same game that they are good at defense? I mean you clearly know what good basketball is…. Enlighten us who don’t know.

Is it ok to admit that there is another team on the court trying to win as well? Could they have anything to do with stopping our offense or is it just poor play by our players and poor coaching by our coach?

[Fedupfan]

Is it ok to admit that there is another team on the court trying to win as well? Could they have anything to do with stopping our offense or is it just poor play by our players and poor coaching by our coach?

75% poor coaching and 25% the other team. I’m sure you are crediting OKCs elite defense.

[Fedupfan]

Here I’ll break it down for you on why I think it’s coaching. Last night the Pelicans built a 20 point lead by feeding the bigs and running the PNR with BI and Jonas getting the bulk of the touches. The reserves then came in and provided a spark off of that momentum. Willie then decides to go small ball with BI being the focal point with no other inside presence on the floor and little to no spacing on the perimeter. Brandon Ingram is then double teamed without any repercussions for OKC. The rest of the players don’t even move for 15 to 20 seconds until the shot clock is low. Insert Jonas and repeat. No other offensive presence allowing him to be double teamed. All Willie had to do was play a consistent low post presence at all times and the game would have been much easier. It did not matter what OKC did…. They wouldn’t have been able to stop our bigs. It’s disrespectful to Billie what happened last night. I’m other words, the Pels constantly go away from what’s working, minus the other team having a solution. It’s mind boggling. Who else could you blame besides coaching. Who could you blame for playing Devante all the times next to Cj. Both of them are orange cones on defense.

[Fedupfan]

Also, I think they should learn the double screen with Trey and Jonas. Trey rotating to the corner or wing and Jonas getting to his spot. That would allow BI or Cj to hit the post or hit the elbow. Most of the time that opens up the mid range. Cleveland is a good example. They did it to the Pels for the majority of the second half.

[sterlr]

They say this team is versatile so Willie should play whatever gives us the advantage and not get stuck with lineups. Thebigs worked last night but in other games they won't

[HorneyTexan]

team need to run set plays on offense...trey need set screen plays so he can shoot 2 or 3 easy 3pt shots a game or more.....naji need set plays attacking the rim....put your shooters around jonas when teams go small and play inside out.....do some pick and rolls with kira and jax/nance....we free style to much on offense...

What he said!

[PELICANSFAN]

Here I’ll break it down for you on why I think it’s coaching. Last night the Pelicans built a 20 point lead by feeding the bigs and running the PNR with BI and Jonas getting the bulk of the touches. The reserves then came in and provided a spark off of that momentum. Willie then decides to go small ball with BI being the focal point with no other inside presence on the floor and little to no spacing on the perimeter. Brandon Ingram is then double teamed without any repercussions for OKC. The rest of the players don’t even move for 15 to 20 seconds until the shot clock is low. Insert Jonas and repeat. No other offensive presence allowing him to be double teamed. All Willie had to do was play a consistent low post presence at all times and the game would have been much easier. It did not matter what OKC did…. They wouldn’t have been able to stop our bigs. It’s disrespectful to Billie what happened last night. I’m other words, the Pels constantly go away from what’s working, minus the other team having a solution. It’s mind boggling. Who else could you blame besides coaching. Who could you blame for playing Devante all the times next to Cj. Both of them are orange cones on defense.

I don't completely disagree with much of this. I think Willie (and maybe moreso, his staff) have their weaknesses. I think Willie is a better motivator than coach. However, there are sometimes when I think the team deserves credit or there are some positives, rather than always accentuating the negatives.

[As I See It]

I don't completely disagree with much of this. I think Willie (and maybe moreso, his staff) have their weaknesses. I think Willie is a better motivator than coach. However, there are sometimes when I think the team deserves credit or there are some positives, rather than always accentuating the negatives.

Much more is learned from the mistakes that one makes than his/her successes. Moreover, one is destined to make the same mistakes over and over again if the mistake is failed to even be acknowledged. The old adage is true:

"I WISH I KNEW WHAT I KNOW NOW WHEN I WAS A KID."

I assure you, there is no shortage of cheerleaders in this forum. So, if someone wants to view the team strictly through rose-colored glasses, I'm sure he/she can get his/her fill and be amply sated. There are a few of us, however, that look beyond the W's and L's to form our opinions about the team. The OKC game is a perfect game to dissect; we won. But' does that tell the whole story?

Did we not blow a 20 point lead?
Did we not only score 43 points in the second half?
Was not the second best player on the court Monday night a brand new addition?
Did our 'much heralded' up-and-coming shooter go 3 for 11? AAHHH, but those 35' bombs were a thing of beauty, huh? Sheesh!!!
Why did Billy sit this one out against the type of team he could typically exploit?
Did you realize that we only had 29 defensive rebounds as a team? OUCH!!
Did you realize that our small ball line up allowed Shai, alone, to get 10 rebounds? (His season average is 4.7)
Did you realize that JV led the team with a +16 while LNJ (along with 3M3 ) was the team's worst (-13)? DUH!!

When we talk about player development...

Admit it, don't you cringe a little when our starting SG launches a three pointer?
Don't you shake your head a little when our 'up and coming' shooter falls asleep on defense?
Doesn't our second pick of 2019 (# 8) have that 'deer in the headlights' look on his face, all the time, four years into his career?

Now, go ahead and post how negative I am; if you don't someone else will.

EDIT: We talk about BI's Gravity and JV's Gravity and it's true. But if the others on the court either...

1. Don't present themselves
2. Never deliver

What good is the gravity?

[JJackisangry]

Willie has me unimpressed to be honest. He is a GREEN coach and deserves time, but that 10 game losing streak can’t happen even with talent missing. We still have plenty to pull out some of those games. I see the potential once he gets acquainted more with the league, but he isn’t nearly there yet.

[PELICANSFAN]

Much more is learned from the mistakes that one makes than his/her successes. Moreover, one is destined to make the same mistakes over and over again if the mistake is failed to even be acknowledged. The old adage is true:

"I WISH I KNEW WHAT I KNOW NOW WHEN I WAS A KID."

I assure you, there is no shortage of cheerleaders in this forum. So, if someone wants to view the team strictly through rose-colored glasses, I'm sure he/she can get his/her fill and be amply sated. There are a few of us, however, that look beyond the W's and L's to form our opinions about the team. The OKC game is a perfect game to dissect; we won. But' does that tell the whole story?

Did we not blow a 20 point lead?
Did we not only score 43 points in the second half?
Was not the second best player on the court Monday night a brand new addition?
Did our 'much heralded' up-and-coming shooter go 3 for 11? AAHHH, but those 35' bombs were a thing of beauty, huh? Sheesh!!!
Why did Billy sit this one out against the type of team he could typically exploit?
Did you realize that we only had 29 defensive rebounds as a team? OUCH!!
Did you realize that our small ball line up allowed Shai, alone, to get 10 rebounds? (His season average is 4.7)
Did you realize that JV led the team with a +16 while LNJ (along with 3M3 ) was the team's worst (-13)? DUH!!

When we talk about player development...

Admit it, don't you cringe a little when our starting SG launches a three pointer?
Don't you shake your head a little when our 'up and coming' shooter falls asleep on defense?
Doesn't our second pick of 2019 (# 8) have that 'deer in the headlights' look on his face, all the time, four years into his career?

Now, go ahead and post how negative I am; if you don't someone else will.

EDIT: We talk about BI's Gravity and JV's Gravity and it's true. But if the others on the court either...

1. Don't present themselves
2. Never deliver

What good is the gravity?

You call it rose colored glasses for anyone who has anything positive to say. Yet, some find fault with almost everything and then say that if someone does not agree, they are being a cheerleader or looking through rose-colored glasses. For instance, you complain that we only scored 43 in the half, but dismiss that we held them to 49.

[As I See It]

You call it rose colored glasses for anyone who has anything positive to say. Yet, some find fault with almost everything and then say that if someone does not agree, they are being a cheerleader or looking through rose-colored glasses. For instance, you complain that we only scored 43 in the half, but dismiss that we held them to 49.

Not at all. I am saying that those who look at only the positives while ignoring (or closing their eyes) to the negative choose not to see the whole picture (and that's okay). You don't need me to affirm everything about this team; there are plenty that carry that banner.

Are you suggesting that 49 points allowed defensively somehow trumps the paltry 43 points we score after halftime?

I couldn't help but notice that you didn't address the litany of concerns that I brought up about Monday's game. Can you? Or, is it that all you can offer is that we held OKC to 49 points (less than we scored in the second half)?

I think I will stick to sharing my perspective to those who care to read me, and for those who don't....no hard feelings.

Best wishes, but I will call it.............

AISI (and always will)