Another week down, and just a handful remain in the NBA regular season. Will the New Orleans Pelicans scratch their way into the playoffs and get a couple extra weeks of work? Probably not if the previous 21 weeks are any indication. Even wins are not enough when their primary competition continue to pile up victories as well.
Consider that since the All-Star Break the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets are 6-4 while the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trail Blazers are each 6-3. Over the next 16 games New Orleans must beat out all four of those teams by at least two games a piece (Minnesota and Dallas) or more (they trail Portland by 3.