Pelicans Shine Where The Spotlight Does Not
By Mike Delayo
Russell Westbrook has been a freak of nature over the past month. He has six games of forty point scoring, five triple doubles (including three in a row) and managed to vault himself into the MVP conversation.
In this latest act of the six month performance that is the NBA, Westbrook has dominated the spotlight.
Mar 4, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) adjusts his face mask in a break in action against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Meanwhile a team from the Crescent City, forgotten by the national media, has put itself in position to steal the show.
Not only is Anthony Davis a fantastic basketball player, but he is an incredible human being.
On February 26th Davis was presented with the NBA Cares Community Assist Award, an honor he has pursued with admirable vigor.
Davis told SB Nation’s Paul Flannery in early February, “Most guys worry about MVPs and scoring titles and all that. For me it was the Community Assist award. I was kind of pissed when Steph (Curry) won. That’s my brother, you know, but man I really wanted that award. Second’s not bad. This year I wanted to do more. I feel like I needed to do more and embrace the situation that I’m in”.
Davis cares about his community, but he has also shown great unselfishness towards his NBA peers.
He humbly got himself injured for a couple of stretches to let his pal Russell Westbrook shine. The realization that maybe his own consistently gaudy stat lines were becoming too commonplace convinced him to let Westbrook have a couple weeks all to himself. What a great guy.
Now, the next phase of our superstar tactician Anthony Davis’ master plan is underway. While the rest of the league is transfixed with the masked version of Russell Westbrook Davis and the Pelicans are ready to strike, just like their airborne ancestors:
Davis returned to the floor against the Detroit Pistons to the tune of a phenomenal 39 points, 13 rebounds, 8 blocks and three steals to win what was the Pelicans sixth game in seven tries. Surely such an astounding stat line would not go unnoticed.
Unless of course, another star player matched those numbers in a victory of his own.
Naturally the spotlight was on Westbrook who had just completed with fourth triple double in as many games, and managed to squeak out a win against the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime. Yes, those 76ers. In overtime.
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Davis’ plan was so well constructed that despite his incredible performance against top tier big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, he was still overshadowed by Westbrook.
Another great Westbrook performance took place in Chicago last night, although the Bulls were able to steal away the win.
While Westbrook’s numbers have been spreading across the media like wildfire, many outlets are failing to see the peculiar position that the entire Oklahoma City Thunder team find themselves in.
Despite the fantastic performances put on by the Thunder guard, Oklahoma City finds themselves in the playoffs by only half a game.
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With a win tonight against the Boston Celtics, New Orleans would overtake OKC for the eighth seed in the Western Conference (thanks to this gem of a tiebreaker-clincher).
Mar 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) drives past Detroit Pistons forward Greg Monroe (10) and center Andre Drummond (0) during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. The Pelicans defeated the Pistons 88-85. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
This means that if both teams won the rest of their games for the entire season, New Orleans would be preparing for a best of seven series while Oklahoma City closed up shop.
Although that scenario itself is unlikely, the end result remains resolute: the Pelicans will control their own fate.
No more worrying about who the Thunder are playing against that night, or who the Suns blew out the night before.
All that matters is the schedule that lies ahead of the Pels.
Davis’ injury came not only as a nod to his Team USA teammate Russell Westbrook, but as an opportunity for his under appreciated teammates show what they were made of. Alexis Ajinca, Quincy Pondexter and Luke Babbitt helped lead the Pelicans on an improbable, season saving five game winning streak in the absence of their superstar.
Career highs from Ajinca and Q-Pon were overshadowed by the awe of the ever-enigmatic Westbrook. Even the addition of Norris Cole, who has performed admirably since his arrival, was overshadowed by the Thunder acquiring Enes Kanter.
Now with Davis back in the fold, the Pelicans have a superstar forward, a red hot Eric Gordon, a slightly less Tyreke Evans, a large bruiser of a Turkish man Omer Asik, and a newly confident and capable set of role players to round out a roster that is in hot pursuit of a playoff berth.
I admit that it is possible that Anthony Davis did not plan any of this to occur when he went down with his latest injury. But that possibility is no fun at all!
Even though Davis has returned, the spotlight is still deservedly on Russell Westbrook. And given the recent success of the Pelicans, I think it is safe to say that the Special Man himself will continue to say: