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After a putrid start to the 2021-22 season, the New Orleans Pelicans are one win away from writing their name into the NBA playoffs bracket. Swinging a trade for CJ McCollum has changed their trajectory, as they have won their first play-in game and are closer to making the postseason than most people expected.
McCollum celebrated the win and the improvement his team seems to be destined for. He said that the Pelicans are just getting started, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
“This is the start of something special, for sure,” McCollum said. “You see the energy. Feel the energy. My mother is in town; I have some family in town. When we go out to eat, you can feel the city is excited about basketball, as they should [be]. There's a lot of talent here. We're playing the game the right way. It's going to be a lot of winning in our future.”
Even though they have been hovering around mediocrity for the past few years, the Pelicans have the potential to be special in the future. They have good, young players like Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones. They also have plenty of draft picks to use in future trades. A lot of their potential hinges on Williamsomn's health but they, as they have just shown, they aren't fully dependent on him.
New Orleans may not have much more room to advance this season. Even if they win the next game, the NBA playoffs bracket will pit them against the best team in the league, the Phoenix Suns. Still, this season has been nothing short of stellar for them given their expectations. CJ McCollum and the Pelicans will face the LA Clippers on Friday in Los Angeles in the win-or-go-home contest.
