(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Now that the All-Star break is over, a potential NBA postseason picture is coming into focus more and more.
There are certain teams destined to reach the playoffs and then there are others that will dance on the edges of the postseason.
Then there are dark-horse candidates who could surprise everyone and do much better than people expected.
Speaking on “First Take,” NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins listed the New Orleans Pelicans as his dark horse to come out of the Western Conference.
Perkins listed the incredible work of Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, and Brandon Ingram as the reason for his prediction, as well as contributions from Trey Murphy, Jose Alvarado, and Jonas Valanciunas.
The Pelicans are @KendrickPerkins‘ dark horse to come out of the West pic.twitter.com/FJ7mKXpPRu
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 1, 2024
Right now, the Pelicans are sixth in their conference with a 35-25 record which means that if the playoffs started today, they’d be battling against the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in the first round.
That would be some tough competition but if the Pelicans were able to pull off a victory, they’d be the talk of the NBA world.
There is still plenty of time before the postseason gets started, which means the Pelicans can keep improving and climb higher in the standings.
They are hot on the heels of the Phoenix Suns and could surpass them in a matter of days.
Next up for the Pelicans are the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Atlanta Hawks.
These next few weeks will be pivotal for the Pelicans.
Not only will they try to earn some very important wins, but they will also try to find even more cohesion in the roster and let supporting stars like Murphy, Alvarado, Valanciunas, and others shine brighter and gain more confidence.
There are a few dark horses in the West this year because it’s a very talented conference.
Will the Pelicans be the ones to break away from the rest of the pack?
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