Today’s game will be the biggest game the Pelicans have played since Chris Paul led the New Orleans Hornets to a surprisingly contentious series against the Los Angeles Lakers in round 1 of the 2010-11 playoffs. Unlike that team, whose future seemed unclear, except for the fact that they were probably on a downward slope, these Pelicans, are on the upswing.
But part of the reason this season has to be viewed as a success, is that we have and (one more time) will see how this team responds to pressure situations. They’ve played many big games over this season, to the point where Anthony Davis called the win against the Warriors a “Good win, not a big win.