NBA news: Can the New Orleans Pelicans beat Phoenix Suns and cause a huge sporting upset?
- Tyler Vaysman
- 25 April 2022
The New Orleans Pelicans have surprised everybody in the NBA. Can they go on to win the series and cause one of the greatest upsets in sporting history?
The New Orleans Pelicans have been a pleasant surprise in these NBA Playoffs, as not many people had them getting there after having to win two play-in games to get there.
In a lot of ways, they're reminiscent of the Saint Peter's Peacocks, who recently made a run all the way to the Elite 8 despite being a 15th seeded team in the NCAA Tournament.
Now that the Pelicans are here, they are showing they belong, as they have somehow been able to even up the series at 2-2 despite being nearly 30 games behind the Phoenix Suns in the standings.
This has been a coming-out party for Brandon Ingram in his first playoffs, as he's averaging 29.8 points on over 51 percent shooting to go along with 6.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
CJ McCollum has enjoyed a huge playoffs in his first year with the Pelicans, as he's averaging 24.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game.
great vibes. now off to Phoenix ✈️ pic.twitter.com/eHkU4c5v81
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 25, 2022
Can the Pelicans Actually Win The Series?
A huge reason why the Pelicans find themselves in this spot is because of the play of McCollum and Ingram, but their role players have also stepped up big time.
Jonas Valanciunas has been what the Pelicans can hope for out of their big man, as he's averaging 15.0 points and 16.0 rebounds per game.
Jose Alvarado has been huge for the Pelicans off the bench, and while his 6.3 points per game average doesn't necessarily pop out, his defensive intensity and overall spirit has given this team a huge lift. He forced Chris Paul into an eight-second violation while picking him up 94 feet before the basket!
Herb Jones has also been huge for the Pelicans, as he's averaging 11.0 points per game while also providing solid lockdown defense of his own.
The core group of the Pelicans has been coming together at the right time, but the Suns also ran into some bad luck, as Devin Booker has been ruled out for the rest of this series and likely beyond due to a hamstring strain.
While the Suns still have Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges, losing Booker all of a sudden puts them in a tough spot, as they lose their most reliable shot creator and someone who can control the flow of the game.
But the Pelicans have proven they can take full advantage of that and really test the Suns throughout this series, so if the Suns can't get more out of CP3, who looked very human in Game 4, they'll be in huge trouble and could end up being on the wrong end of one of the greatest upsets in sports history.
