Coach Willie Green Credits Staff for Keeping Pelicans Prepared For Playoff Series vs. Thunder

While coach Willie Green had his mind on the Play-In Tournament, his coaching staff kept the New Orleans Pelicans prepared for all playoff possibilities.

The New Orleans Pelicans went from a team celebrating a Play-In Tournament victory inside the Smoothie King Center Friday night to boarding a flight to Oklahoma City less than 24 hours later. As a result of defeating the Sacramento Kings, the Pelicans will open the Western Conference first round of the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night, inside the Paycom Center.

From an outside perspective, it appears that the Pelicans have not had the appropriate amount of time to prepare for their first-round opponent. But despite hosting a pair of Play-In Tournament games, coach Willie Green had his staff preparing for all postseason possibilities.

"Our assistant coaches do a great job of working on the possible teams we will play," Green said on Saturday. "At one point, it was Minnesota [Timberwolves] and then it was Denver [Nuggets], and then OKC. They are working on [stuff] behind the scenes. Our assistants do a great job of being prepared when we have a quick turnaround, which we did."

Green noted he held film sessions with his staff and players upon the Pelicans' arrival in Oklahoma City. He revealed that rebounding will be a significant point of emphasis. It was a major weakness for the Thunder during the regular season, where they averaged 42.0 rebounds and finished 27th in the league.

In the Pelicans' lone regular season victory on Nov. 1, New Orleans exploited Oklahoma City's weakness in a 110-106 road win. They out-rebounded the Thunder 58-49, C.J. McCollum registered a season-best 11 rebounds in the win.

Winning the battle of the boards will be one of several strategies for Green — as the Pelicans try to become the seventh eighth-seeded team in league history to dethrone a No. 1 seed.

"It's a concept our guys are aware of to execute on the floor to give ourselves a chance to win," Green said. "They are good at taking care of the ball, getting quality shots. They are a good defensive team. But those are going to be the keys for us. Taking care of the ball. Rebounding the basketball to get extra possessions. Our whole goal is to continue taking another step."