Willie Green, CJ McCollum Pass First Playoff Test with Pelicans

Willie Green got every answer right in his first elimination game test to lead the New Orleans Pelicans to a 113-103 win over Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs.

Author:
Chris Dodson
Apr 14, 2022 2:24 PM EDT

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San Antonio Spurs

New Orleans Pelicans

In his first elimination game test, the Pelicans head coach Willie Green got every answer right by leading New Orleans to a 113-103 win over Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs. The team will take off a night to enjoy this accomplishment before flying to face off against the LA Clippers on Friday, Apr. 15.

CELEBRATE, BUT PREPARE FOR CLIPPERS

Green said after the game, “We will celebrate tonight, and tomorrow morning we will get up and start preparing for the Clippers. We have a good idea of who they are as a team, but it's going to be another extremely difficult challenge for us. We just have to get ready.”

GREEN'S FAITH IN HIS ROOKIES

Where most coaches would lean on veteran savvy, Green relied on his rookies. Jose Alvarado (12 points) and Trey Murphy III (2 points) played solid basketball to help the reserves unit maintain leads.

Even though the Spurs made a run late, Herb Jones (12 points, 5 rebounds) made life miserable for Dejounte Murray throughout the game. Without Murray’s scoring, the Spurs could not keep up.

Green said it was an easy decision because “They have really grown up in front of our eyes. Credit to Griff (David Griffin), Trajan (Langdon), Swin (Cash), and our management team that went after these guys, because they recognized how special they were. At one point, I had three rookies on the floor at the same time. I was nervous as heck with those guys on the floor. They worked at it and improved to earn the opportunity to be on the floor.”

Apr 13, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) blocks the shot of San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) during the second half of a play-in playoff game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

PELICANS DEFENSIVE PLAN

Green had a great defensive game plan to keep the Spurs below their usual scoring average. He allowed his veterans CJ McCollum (32 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds) and Brandon Ingram (27 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists) to run the offense.

Combined, they made ten free throws while shooting 23/42 from the field. Their constant pressure and the energy from the supporting cast pushed the Pelicans to a 21-point lead before the Spurs made things interesting late in the fourth quarter.

Apr 13, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) controls the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) during the second half of a play-in playoff game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Jonas Valancuinas (22 points, 14 rebounds) enjoyed his first playoff game in New Orleans and hoped to enjoy a few more nights in front of the Smoothie King Center fans.

Valancuinas shared, "Some moments I had to cover my ears. It was great. I mean great atmosphere, great support. That's what we need, and it's fun to play in front of this crowd. I said earlier, this was as loud as this has been here, and now we've got to keep building on that. This is great. We need the fans, and I hope we didn't disappoint them, and we need them every game."

Apr 13, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) dribbles against San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray (5) during the first half of a play-in playoff game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

McCOLLUM & HIS TEAM

McCollum explained he "understood the magnitude of the game" and "told BI (Brandon Ingram), he's got to get back out here because we need to get in rhythm for the playoffs. He looked great. He looked like he didn't miss a beat. He was fresh. He got to his spots. He showed some explosiveness around the basket."

The new leader of the locker room continued, "JV (Jonas Valančiūnas) was great. We got him some touches in that third quarter. I think he was really aggressive. Obviously, he rebounded the ball well, finishing with how many rebounds…14. So, he was very aggressive. I thought Herb (Jones) was great. I thought everybody was really locked in. Jose (Alvarado) did a great job playing in a hostile environment. You could tell he was excited about the opportunity and he delivered. So, I was excited to really obviously play a meaningful game with fans and to really see how our team was going to respond, being so young. You know, the sellout crowd at the crib, you never know how it's going to go, but I thought they went out there, and they hooped."

New Orleans will face one more elimination game to earn an NBA Playoffs series against the Phoenix Suns. If Willie Green wants to face off against Monty Williams and Chris Paul, he needs one more win over Ty Lue’s resurgent LA Clippers. The Pelicans will play Paul George’s team on Friday in the Cyrpto.com Arena.