Even before tip-off yesterday, head coach Alvin Gentry received pushback from members of the media for the Pelicans’ decision to sit All-Star Anthony Davis in their homestand against the Lakers. The questions had to be asked, of course; given the future Hall of Famer’s thinly veiled bid to exchange his navy blues for purples prior to the trade deadline, there was the not indelicate matter of his motivations coming to the fore during the set-to, and of the perception that his employers were better served not to deal with it altogether.
That said, the Pelicans had every right to keep Davis sidelined, and not merely because they were facing the Lakers. For one thing, they had long announced their plan to have him play only on one end of back-to-back sets — and, in this particular case, he already did in a loss to the Pacers the other day. For another, they figured that his absence would, in fact, spur them to exceed themselves, if for nothing else than to show all and sundry that they could, and would, do well without him. And what better way to make a point than against his preferred team?
As things turned out, the Pelicans were right. For all their supposed fatigue coming off a setback, they sported the fresher legs — and, more importantly, the more determined spirits — from the get-go. They led for all but the first nine minutes and 40 seconds of the match, built their advantage to double digits close to the end of the second quarter, and essentially withstood any attempts by the Lakers to whittle it down from then on. They even built it up to 20 midway through the payoff period before coasting along to victory. And, no doubt, they got no small measure of satisfaction in the process.
Moving forward, the Pelicans likely won’t be summoning the same end-to-end intensity more appropriate for playoff outings than for those filling the remainder of a lost season. They have 21 contests left on their 2018-19 schedule, and they’re better served racking up the Ls and thereby getting more favorable lottery positioning. Considering how they competed yesterday, however, there’s still one date they consider significant. In four days, they’ll be meeting the Lakers again, and it’s safe to say they’ll leave nothing in the tank from opening tip to final buzzer. They won’t be having Davis for good sometime soon. They’ll have pride, though, and always.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
