It wasn't supposed to be like this.
The Pelicans, young darlings of the Western Conference, were supposed to get better. After a season punctuated by a semi-competitive series against the Golden State Warriors. There were glimpses of what the Pelicans could be - outscoring the Warriors 86-78 in the last three quarters of Game 1, keeping the game close up to the 45th minute of Game 2, going up big against the Warriors entering the 4th quarter of Game 3. That's on top of what the Pelicans had to do in the final month of the regular season -- overcoming a tough 3-game deficit against the Thunder with impressive (and needed) wins against the Warriors and the Spurs to snatch the 8th seed from OKC.