Resilient Pelicans Will Bounce Back

The New Orleans Pelicans are young, aggressive, confident, and resilient team. Losing a hard fought game to an excellent Denver team won't prevent them from bouncing back and continuing a run for the postseason.

THE RESILIANT PELICANS

Sunday's disappointing 138-130 overtime fall, New Orleans head coach Willie Green said the [loss], "really valuable for us. It's going to continue to build our guys, our toughness, our mentality."

The Pelicans are resilient. They have repeatedly been knocked down but not "knocked out.| Many times, they've persevered and had the will to continue fighting.

As the season began, the Pelicans were presented with more questions than answers.

How would a franchise transition from having its third head coach in as many seasons?
What is the status of not only Zion Williamson's injury but his future in New Orleans?
Would the team respond after a 3-16 start to 2021-22?

BUYING INTO THE SYSTEM

Buying into head coach Willie Green's philosophy begins with answering the questions. Green is considered an underdog, and throughout both his professional career and now coaching stint, resiliency has been a central theme.

He was a guy who went to a small college, wasn't a 1st round pick, and bounced around between 4 teams in 5 years at one point.

Green has instilled the same no-quit attitude he demonstrated in his playing days to his young Pelican squad, and they have responded. The team has roared up the standings to play some of their best basketball and are currently 10th in the Western Conference standings.

All this without their young superstar Williamson, who has yet to step on the court this season. No, these are not your older brother's Pelicans.

PELICANS DISPLAYED GRIT

Sunday night was a small testament to the team's grit and determination. They entered the game winning 4-straight matches, especially after dismantling the Utah Jazz 124-90 with an impressive victory.

The team and fanbase were riding sky high, but the NBA doesn't hand out lollipops and gumdrops for Ws, and the Pelicans quickly found out the hard way.

The Nuggets immediately hit the Pels in the mouth, jumping out to a 16-point first-quarter lead. Denver extended its lead to 21 points in the second quarter, and the game looked bleak.

Brandon Ingram was scoreless going 0-6 from the floor and the team looked lost. In the past, most Pelican teams would have folded, but not this team.

The Pelicans dominated the next two quarters outscoring the Nuggets 75-49 and positioned themselves for the victory at Ball Arena.

Ingram picked up the slack by hitting 9 of his next 12 shots and finished with a team-high 38 points.

If it were not for a herculean effort from the MVP Nikola Jokic (and maybe some referee assistance), the Pelicans would have left the Mile High City victorious.

What may be lost in the defeat is how the Pelicans overcame a huge deficit and positioned themselves for the win. Their performance spoke volumes to the mindset of the coach, staff, and players. They will draw from this experience during the difficult times ahead of the 2022 NBA Playoffs.

THE RESILIANT PELICANS

BUYING INTO THE SYSTEM

PELICANS DISPLAYED GRIT

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