Barring an unlikely Oklahoma City Thunder loss, the New Orleans Pelicans need a win against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs tonight to clinch a playoff berth. And if Anthony Davis keeps making plays like this, it’s safe to say his team will get it.
This sequence is what makes Davis such a rare interior presence. Few are the big men who are athletic enough to jump this passing lane for a steal, and fewer still are they who could out-run Marco Belinelli and throw down a soaring tomahawk jam. And then you remember that The Brow is basketball’s top shot-blocker, fourth leading scorer, and only scratching the surface of his two-way potential.
Scary.
Playing in front of a packed, all-red Smoothie King Center, the moment has hardly been too big for the young Pels. Spurred by hot shot-making and 12 points and four rebounds from its superstar, New Orleans leads San Antonio 54-33 late in the second quarter.
Should the Pelicans make good on their fantastic start versus the Spurs and secure a victory, it will surely represent just the first of many consecutive trips to the postseason. With a player like Davis around, anything less would be a disappointment.
