The Pelicans should be encouraged heading into games 3 and 4 by Joshua Lea

New Orleans Pelicans vs Golden State Warriors: Important Numbers To Know Ahead Of Game Three

New Orleans Pelicans vs Golden State Warriors: Important Numbers To Know Ahead Of Game Three by Mark Nilon

Anthony Davis is about to embark on the two biggest games of his career. Playing in games three and four, Davis is fighting for more than wins, he’s fighting for respect.

For Anthony Davis, he’s learning that in the NBA, you get respect based on playoff wins. Or at least, that’s the way it seems. Following a disappointing game two loss in which he failed to earn a free-throw, Davis and the underdog Pelicans are now heading home.

These next two games are vital to the team’s success, but within is an individual competition. The battle of Davis versus the NBA. This battle is for respect. Playoff wins are a core reason for respect in this league. For example, LeBron James, how much hate did this man go through prior to winning his first championship. You remember the old King James jokes.

‘What’s the difference between LeBron James and a tree? A tree has more rings.’

‘How do you know when you found James’ cell phone? It never rings in Cleveland’

‘Why can’t Lebron shop at the dollar store? He only has three quarters.’

‘How do you know when it’s James’ birthday? Everyone gets to leave work 12 minutes early.’

Even Nike did a series of ads featuring a James and Kobe Bryant puppet, in the ad Bryant is asking James if he has seen his three championship rings.

In the NBA, you have to have playoff success and Championships before you’re respected. Unless you are Kevin Durant. While he is a great player, he doesn’t have the respect of some of his NBA peers due to his decision making when he left Oklahoma City for Golden State.

There are a couple exceptions to this rule and they play in Houston.

The exception is Chris Paul. Paul gets the star treatment despite failing to reach the Western Conference Finals. However, this season might change all of that. If the Rockets defeat the Utah Jazz, CP3 will reach the Western Conference Finals and have a strong chance to win and make it to the NBA Finals.

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James Harden is another player who gets star treatment despite his playoff efforts. His only trip to the NBA Finals came in 2012 with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The trio of He, Russell Westbrook and Durant was fun to watch. Kanye West was still somewhat normal back then as well. I realize some may not care about Kanye West, but, I do. Mental health is a serious situation and he needs serious help.

Does Anthony Davis get the star treatment he deserves from the league?

In the interesting and mysterious battle between the NBA and Davis, we understand that Davis is a dynamic player. He’s highly skilled, has incredible footwork, and can read the floor as well as any big man in the league. However, he’s still (in certain areas) not regarded as a player who gets “star calls”.

Star calls are a part of the game. Players of a higher status get the benefit of the whistle. However, when we revisit game two of this series, we saw Anthony Davis with zero trips to the line. This means he hasn’t reached that status of getting star calls from the NBA yet. Now, some NBA fans do not believe the refs favor any players. That’s fine, it’s also wrong, but I digress.

Davis can take a giant step in the direction of gaining the respect and star call treatment from the officials tonight. He’ll need to not only win against the Warriors but also dismantle them, dissect them from the inside out.

Davis scored 21 points in game one and 25 points in game two. In the Portland series, he scored 35 in game one and 47 in game four. Davis needs a massive 40 plus-point game against the Warriors. If Davis does what everyone knows he’s capable of, we will see the NBA finally show this man some much-needed love one the court.