Nine days into the NBA Playoffs finds the New Orleans Pelicans awaiting their next opponent. That opponent will likely be Golden State.

The New Orleans Pelicans are the front runners of the NBA Playoffs. They’re the first team to reach the second level of the possible four-round quest for an NBA Championship. The sweep of the Northwest Division Champion Portland Trailblazers was impressive. With momentum, NOLA will push themselves as far as they can this postseason.

The defending Champion Golden State Warriors will likely be their second-round opponent. Golden State is currently leading their series with San Antonio 3-1. The other Western Conference first-round series is more of a dogfight compared to NOLA and GSW. Oklahoma City trails Utah 2-1 with game four set to commence tonight. Houston has a 2-1 edge on Minnesota with their game four also set to tip tonight.

For the Pelicans, the next week will be watching film and preparing for their upcoming second-round opponent. The Pelicans have this entire week off while the others play catchup. This will give New Orleans plenty of time to get ready for Golden State.

I say Golden State because San Antonio would literally have to make NBA history in order to win that series. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win in the NBA Playoffs. I also realize as I type this that a number 16 seed defeated a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. So, a lot could transpire over the next five days. Still, I would expect for Golden State to emerge victorious in their first-round series.

The Golden State Warriors and their recent history of dominance

The Golden State Warriors are a product of three NBA All-Stars and Draymond Green. They’re the NBA’s most hated team. Golden State has a high-powered offense centered around Stephen Curry. Curry has been sidelined during the first-round with an ankle injury. Klay Thompson is not only an efficient shooter but an excellent defender. The Warriors also have former Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant. Who elected to join the Golden State Warriors during the summer of 2016.

This season, the 58-24 Golden State Warriors had one of the roughest seasons in recent memory. Nevertheless, they shot a league-high 56% from the field during the regular season. The Warriors also led the league in three-point percentage at 39%.

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A free-flowing offense best describes the Warriors. They average 29.2 assists per game and they have a league-high 1.8 assist to turnover ratio. The team numbers of the Golden State Warriors are impressive. It’s as if the Monstars from Space Jam recruited the 1990 USA Dream Team.

This Warriors team is somewhat different from the 2015 team that bested New Orleans 4-0 in the Playoffs. For one, they added Kevin Durant to their already top-heavy roster. They also have former New Orleans Hornets player David West coming off the bench.

The history of these two franchises greatly favors Golden State in terms of wins and losses. Until this season, New Orleans hadn’t defeated Golden State in their last 10 regular season games head-to-head. The all-time head-to-head record favors Golden State 34-20. Despite this assortment of numbers and records. New Orleans hasn’t looked as sharp and as finely tuned as they do at this moment.

Golden State will have to rework Curry back into the lineup and he’ll have to get his rhythm back. However, since New Orleans has to wait for the remaining first-round teams to complete their series, they could be shaking off some rust of their own. It will be up to head coach Alvin Gentry to keep this team sharp and gameday ready to win the second-round begins.

As the week continues, there will be a ton of dialogue about the Pelicans and what they can do to combat the mighty Golden State Warriors. Stay with Pelican Debrief for the latest.