With 82 NBA games on the horizon, locals are gearing up to completely ignore the 2016-17 season for the New Orleans Pelicans.
“Uh, again?” Mid City resident John Landry said as he blocked a phone number on his smartphone coming from the Pelicans ticket sales office. “Didn’t they just have a season?”
Though, after wrapping up the preseason with a 765-61 loss to the Orlando Magic, the team appears primed for a breakout year as they enter the regular season and may change the minds of a local or two.
“I really think we opened some eyes and dropped some jaws,” coach Alvin Gentry said, whose surprising squad (1-5) ranked a commanding #1 in yawns per game during the preseason.
League experts have pegged the Pelicans as the team to beat this year, a team that has convincingly advanced to the NBA offseason four times in the last five years.
“Oh yeah, just about everyone should beat them [Pelicans],” NBA Insider analyst Adam McCreary said. “Dell Demps and Alvin Gentry have done an incredible job building an annual contender for the offseason. As far as I see it, the Philadelphia 76ers might be the only team out there that can challenge them. It’s really a two-team race at this point.”
Star player Anthony Davis is excited to get started on a promising season.
“I believe in this team and what we can do,” Davis said, glancing down at a team-provided talking points list. “It’s going to be an exciting year with a lot of basketball, so be sure to purchase your 3-game, 10-game, 12-game, half season, or full season ticket packages today by going to w-w-w dot New Orleans Pelicans dot com and let’s take flight. Flip page over.”
The New Orleans Pelicans begin the defense of their offseason crown at 7:00 p.m. tonight against the Denver Nuggets at the Smoothie King Center.