NEW ORLEANS — The playoffs essentially began a month ago for both the New Orleans Pelicans (47-34) and the San Antonio Spurs (47-34).
While both teams have clinched Western Conference playoff spots
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seeding.
Unless Memphis pulls off a monster upset and defeats the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road Wednesday, the Pelicans, currently the fifth seed, would
finish anywhere from the fourth, fifth or sixth seed with a victory over the
Spurs. The Pelicans would drop to the eighth seed with a loss, setting up a
first-round matchup with the No. 1 Houston Rockets.
The Spurs also could fall anywhere from the fourth to the eighth seed, given a myriad of possibilities.
The only solace for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is that the Spurs, playing most of the season without All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard, have made the
playoffs for the 21st consecutive season. That streak is 11 years longer than
Popovich’s nearest competitor, Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat.
“Oh, it’s wonderful,” Popovich said, using his characteristic deadpan delivery Monday night after the Spurs clinched their playoff spot with a 98-85
victory over Sacramento.
“They deserve a lot of credit
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The Pelicans have won four consecutive games to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Coach Alvin Gentry said there are so many possible
playoff matchups that he wants his team to focus on what it can control.
“We’re just going to do the best we can do (to beat the Spurs), and whoever we play, we play,” Gentry said. ‘We just want to continue to play good
basketball.”
The Pelicans’ four-game winning streak could not have been timelier, and forward Anthony Davis has been the catalyst during the streak. Davis, who has
made the playoffs only once in his five NBA seasons, said he was proud the
Pelicans did not collapse after the season-ending Achilles injury to center
DeMarcus Cousins on Jan. 26.
“A lot of people counted us out when he went down, but we just kept fighting, changed the way we play a little bit,” Davis said. “We believed in ourselves —
all the guys in this locker room. We just wanted to make sure no matter what
happens with anybody else — that we were in. This whole road trip we came out
aggressive.”
The Pelicans have won two of three against San Antonio this season, winning 107-90 at home on Nov. 22 and 121-116 in San Antonio on Feb. 28 and losing 98-93
in San Antonio on March 15. Davis had averaged 25.3 points on .509 shooting and
13.3 rebounds in the three games, while the Spurs have been led by Dejounte
Murray with 16.7 points
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The Spurs said Leonard would not be available to play against the Pelicans as he returns from a season-long quad injury.
Pelicans point guard Rajon Rondo, who delivered an off-the-backboard assist to Davis for a thunderous, one-handed dunk against the Los Angeles Clippers on
Monday night, said he likes what he sees in New Orleans’ recent play.
“I think if we come in with the right focus, the right mindset — obviously, you’ve got to make some shots — we can beat anyone,” Rondo said. “We know that
as a team.”
Derrius Guice walked onto his new home field taking cellphone video of his surroundings and waving to fans.
It's the kind of moment he could have had on stage at the NFL draft had he gone in the first round as projected. Instead, the LSU running back slipped to
late in the second round amid some off-field character concerns and will now
give the Washington Redskins a very motivated rusher.
"I already ran angry and now I'm going to run angrier than ever," Guice said Saturday. "It's going to be tough for a lot of teams to bring me down."
In getting a run-stuffing defensive tackle in Alabama's Da'Ron Payne at 13th , a powerful running back in Guice at 59th and Louisville offensive tackle Geron
Christian at 74th, the Redskins hope to solve problems in the ground game on
each side of the ball. They were worst in the NFL in stopping the run and
fifth-worst in rushing.
"I stop the run for a living, so I think that's going to be something easy," Payne said.
The Redskins addressed most of their needs in one way or another at the draft
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up on defensive depth.
Guice could end up being the best value, considering that the SEC record-holder for most 250-yard games dropped amid reports of an argument during
his visit with the Eagles. Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman denied
there was any altercation, and Washington was satisfied enough in its meetings
with Guice that it ended his freefall.
"No one wants to hear their name be slandered like that," Guice said, repeating that he didn't know where the reports came from. "(The Redskins)
didn't just go off rumors, they didn't just hear everything and believe it
because they met me. They know me as a person, so they already know who I am as
a person. Just to see a team not let rumors and stuff like that affect their
decision to bring me in, I have to give my all to these guys. They changed my
life, they believed in me, they trusted me."
NEED FOR SPEED: Washington added speedy Penn State safety Troy Apke with its fourth-round pick 109th overall to add to a group that already includes
hard-hitting D.J. Swearinger and Montae Nicholson. Apke's 4.34-second 40-yard
dash was the fastest among safeties at the scouting combine.
"I think my speed will help with everything," Apke said. "I'm going to make a name for myself on special teams first, and then after that
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ON GUARD: Coach Jay Gruden saying that Christian will remain at tackle makes it a strong likelihood that Ty Nsekhe moves inside to fill the hole at starting
left guard. That was the Redskins' one starting job left open going in.
"You can never have too many big bodies," Gruden said. "I believe that, and it's about protecting the passer (and) running the football."
ROLL TIDE: Taking Payne and then inside linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton in the sixth round gives the Redskins four Alabama products over the past two drafts.
Payne joked that former teammates and 2017 picks Jonathan Allen and Ryan
Anderson were more excited about the Crimson Tide defensive reunion than he
was.
"It should be a lot of fun," Payne said. "Just being able to come in and already have some guys that I know there ... they'll help me out with little
things and just guide me in the right direction."
NEW D: Swearinger was so happy about adding Payne, Apke, fifth-round defensive tackle Tim Settle, seventh-round cornerback Greg Stroman and Hamilton
that he tweeted : "Welcome to the rebirth of the new and improved Redskins
defense." Time will tell if he's correct, but after injuries in 2017, at the
very least, Washington has more depth.
STILL NEED: Tight end depth and a developmental quarterback prospect. Injuries to TE Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis being 34 make it a position to watch
well into training camp, along with QB, if the front office wants to start
thinking about the post-Smith era.
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