"If you throw in Zion for 15 minutes a game off the bench" - Jeff Van Gundy offers an intriguing solution for New Orleans Pelicans to prevail over Phoenix Suns
The New Orleans Pelicans-Phoenix Suns series is some of the best playoff basketball we have seen in a long time. The Pelicans are giving the team with the NBA's best record all they can handle with their star player, williamson' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>williamson" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Zion Williamson, in street clothes.
The Pelicans stunned the Phoenix Suns for the second time in the series with a 118-103 blowout win on Sunday. Brandon Ingram scored 30 points, Jonas Valančiūnas had a 26/15 double-double and CJ McCollum added 18 points and nine assists.
The Pelicans leveled the series with a win and will now go to the Footprint Center in Arizona on Tuesday. What was supposed to be a clean sweep has now turned into at least a six-game series.
While most still favor the Suns to win the series, Jeff Van Gundy believes that with just 15 minutes off the bench, Williamson could do wonders for the Pelicans:
"I think New Orleans is going to win that series. Once (Phoenix guard Devin) Booker went out (in Game 2), and let's say he can't come back, I think even though they were 10 games under .500 during the regular season and Phoenix was 64 and 18, I think offensive talent-wise, New Orleans has the better team with the addition of McCollum (in February) and Valančiūnas in the offseason.
" If you throw in Zion for 15 minutes a game off the bench, I mean, then I think they become the prohibitive favorite over these last three games."
Willamson has been out all season after having offseason foot surgery.
The series was deemed a walkover by many, overlooking the fact that McCollum's addition to the Pelicans gave them so much: size, play-making, experience. The backcourt of McCollum and Damian Lillard in Portland was one of the best in the last decade, perhaps second only to the Steph Curry-Klay Thompson backcourt in Golden State.
Why are the 64-18 Phoenix Suns tied 2-2 after four games?
The fight that the Pelicans have shown is beyond commendable. Although Devin Booker has been out for the last two games, the Phoenix Suns were the first seed in their conference with the best record in the league. So, the current state of the Suns simply can't be chalked up to the absence of Booker.
The Phoenix Suns' losses can be chalked up to this: The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot working for them. Offensively, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram have gone to work, with Ingram averaging 29.8 points per game in four games. Valančiūnas' presence in the paint brings offensive rebounds, put-backs, kickouts and much more.
Defensively, the pestering presence of rookie Jose Alvardo on Chris Paul, aiming to tire him out, has paid off great dividends for the Pelicans. Herbert Jones, Jonas Valančiūnas, Ingram and McCollum all bring enough size. They counter Deandre Ayton and Javale McGee's paint presence in the absence of their primary-scorer.
Booker is expected to return in two to three weeks, but if the Pelicans remain on track, the watching from the sidelines will be one hell of a task.