On-Air Now
On-Air Now
Listen Live from the Casino Matrix Studio

Fitz on Pelicans’ success: ‘They don’t have DeMarcus Cousins, and that’s a good thing’

By

/

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors are up 2-0 on the San Antonio Spurs in the teams’ first-round series in the NBA Playoffs. The Warriors displayed an impressive level of execution in both games, winning 113-92 and 116-101 in Games 1 and 2, respectively.

The relative ease of the first two wins of the series has caused some to look ahead to Golden State’s potential opponents in the second round, which will be the winner of the series between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Portland Trail Blazers. The 6-seeded Pelicans have played surprisingly well early in the series, and won Game 2 Tuesday night to take a 2-0 series lead back to New Orleans, where Games 3 and 4 will be played.

Bob Fitzgerald, the Warriors’ play-by-play man and co-host of the Fitz & Brooks show on KNBR, came on with Murph and Mac Wednesday morning, and discussed how Pelicans’ point guard Rajon Rondo has elevated his team’s level of play, comparing his playoff effect to that of Warriors’ swingman Andre Iguodala.

“Playoff Rondo is like Iguodala playoff version,” Fitzgerald said. “Last year, Chicago had beaten Boston the first two games and Rondo hurt his thumb, and then he was out for the rest of the series. But this is a guy with championship experience that can run things, utilize Anthony Davis. They don’t have…DeMarcus Cousins, and that’s a good thing.”

Fitz expanded on why he thinks the Pelicans are better off without Cousins, who tore his Achilles in January.

“I just think Anthony Davis is the lead sled dog now. When they had DeMarcus, they were figuring out how to defer–now if they played together, they could be incredible, but the self-awareness from (Cousins), I have all these skills, what can I do to help us win?…People see the scoring, what is he doing to help you win the game? And I think that’s where Cousins wasn’t a value add for New Orleans this year.”

Fitz also noticed how Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday has excelled, and improved as a player since switching to shooting guard this season due to the addition of Rondo. Holiday had 33 points and 9 assists in Tuesday’s game.

“So then you look at the way Jrue Holiday, who’d played point all his life, has played off the ball this year, and he was spectacular in that 12-2 run at the very end. Here’s Portland, they’ve got the one-point lead, there’s two minutes left, they’re going to win it. No, the Pelicans snatched that away, and win the first two in Portland? Wow. I mean, that was–and for Alvin Gentry, obviously, it’s close to our hearts with the Warriors and stuff, it’s great. I mean, I love Terry Stotts, I love Damian Lillard, but I’m with you, I think New Orleans is like, woah, wait a minute. Those are two pretty impressive wins.”

 

Listen to the interview below. To hear Fitz on the Pelicans, skip to the 1:40 mark.