Pelicans Drop 6th Straight to Dallas Mavericks

The search for a win continues.

At this point I should be somewhat accustomed to losses, but for some reason this one hurt especially bad. The reason it hurt worse is because for the first time this season the Pelicans were so darn close up until the fourth quarter.

At halftime, I was jumping around my house.

The Pelicans were up 48-42, they had 3 more rebounds, three more assists, and AD actually had some pre-halftime rhythm for the first time as well.

In the second quarter specifically, the Mavericks were laying absolute bricks in the final minutes. They shot 31% worse from the field then the Pelicans, after shooting 5% better in the first. 31%!

The biggest schematic things to take note of were the mismatches created by switching pick and rolls, and the way in which both teams attempted to get to the rim.

For those who don’t know, switching a pick and roll simply when the big and guard switch defensive assignments off a screen instead of recovering to their man. The advantage is that you basically negate the effect of the pick and roll, but the disadvantage is that you now generally create size mismatches that the offense can take advantage of.

Nov 7, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson (33) holds the ball as Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (5) defends in the second quarter in tat American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Mavericks switched religiously, meaning Ryan Anderson got to do his signature “Everyone thinks I’m just a three-point specialist but I’m actually low-key a Dirk fall-away post fade master” move on Wes Mathews and the rest of the Mavs guards instead of Zaza or Dirk himself.

The Mavs tried to take advantage in the post as well, but Dirk was ice-cold in the first half shooting 2-10 from the field.

That’s why this game hurt so bad; we got lucky. So far we’ve lost half our team to injuries, played Golden State twice, and for every open shot we missed our opponents have made a contested one. That’s not even just an opinion, thanks to a tweet from “the Bird Writes” we have a stat to prove it.

See what I’m saying? Life isn’t fair. But as Calvin would say to Hobbes; “How come life isn’t ever unfair in our favor?”

I thought tonight it would be! Dirk was missing, Rhino was hitting, AD was in his groove, and all of a sudden were up by 6 at halftime and a game finally looks winnable! WE WERE GETTING LUCKY!

The third quarter was a bit of a let down, but we were still involved. Ajinca started using his size really well inside and we had a really nice string of Gordon – AD pick and rolls which helped to stimulate the offense a little.

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Ish – AD pick and rolls don’t really work since opposing teams are more than happy to leave Ish all by himself, and though Gordon – AD pick and rolls aren’t ideal, they’re better than nothing. Nothing being Ish Smith in this scenario.

A lot of our fan-base will rave about Ish Smith because he runs fast and tries really hard, but he’s simply a terrible player.

We need his penetration, I get that, but he’s still well below a net negative. Sure he will occasionally string together a block, rebound, and transition lay-up, but more often than not he strings together five offensive possessions in which he dribbles 1358295 times and chucks up a 14 footer.

It’s just ugly.

The fourth quarter is when I started comfort eating tortilla chips to cope with the disappointment. The Pelicans straight up could not get to the rim. The Gordon – AD pick and rolls which were surprisingly average were gone.

Nov 7, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Eric Gordon (10) catches a pass in the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

If for instance, the first 5 minutes of the fourth quarter were a rock band from the 70s, they would be called “Tony Douglass and the Brick Layers.”

If it were an Oscar-winning movie, it would be called “The Curious Case of Tony Douglas and not being able to get to the rim.”

If it were a scientific research report it would be called “Scientific data about Tony Douglas and the rest of the Pelicans inability to get to the rim.”

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As you may be able to tell, it was slightly frustrating.

The Mavs took off, and eventually were up 16 with just about half a quarter to go. Gordon hit some heat check threes and AD did his thing just enough to almost make the game close, but the Mavs ultimately stayed consistent through the 4th with Dirk regaining his touch.

LIFE ISN’T FAIR.

This game was supposed to be our regression to the mean game. It was supposed to represent hope and our ability to bounce back. We were supposed to get lucky for once, not just two quarters.

Still though, it’s only uphill from here. The hole which has been dug means this team is probably winning in the low 40s this year instead of the low 50s, but that’s most likely still a playoff team in the West.

Also, AD looks great again.

Nov 7, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) is guarded by Dallas Mavericks center Zaza Pachulia (27) in the first quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

He didn’t hit any threes tonight but he’s back to getting 25-10 on a nightly basis with a few life changing blocks to round out the box score. He looks motivated out there, and that’s all we can ask for.

The Pelicans next game is a rematch against the Mavericks three days from now, hopefully this team figures out a way to stay competitive before AND after halftime, instead of having it be one or the other……….