All things come to an end, including streaks. The more impressive they are, the harder to continue. On Sunday, we saw one of the most impressive streaks in basketball come to an end after the New Orleans Pelicans were eliminated from playoff contention following a loss against the San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
This result meant JJ Redick’s streak of 13 seasons making the playoffs is finally over. Redick and his team still had chances to make the postseason, but they haven’t had the best time in the Orlando bubble. It was only 13 seasons in the NBA, but this streak was way bigger than that. In fact, Redick hadn’t missed the playoffs in 21 years, since he was in high school.
He made the postseason during his four years in high school, he repeated the same feat in college and continued his impressive streak in the association, playing in 13 consecutive playoffs. It was an incredible run but this season things changed. People believed the Pelicans had a very good chance to make the postseason, especially seeing their calendar in the bubble, but things were very different.
JJ Redick’s 21-year playoff streak has come to an end:
▫️Made playoffs all 4 years in high school
▫️Made playoffs all 4 years of college
▫️Made playoffs first 13 years of NBA career
▫️First year missing the playoffs this season
What a run 👏🏽 pic.twitter.com/YYR1JTHFng
— Top Ball Coverage (@TopBallCoverage) August 10, 2020
JJ Redick's playoff streak of 13 seasons is officially over. pic.twitter.com/i5oX8p7r4w
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) August 10, 2020
https://twitter.com/TheNBACentral/status/1292631585238458369
Next year the Pelicans will have another chance to make the postseason, more so knowing they will count with Zion Williamson from the start. Redick surely feels frustrated about how things ended for him, but it was a great run, nobody can deny that.
Redick’s streak may not be the only one finished this season. The San Antonio Spurs have a 22-year playoff streak as well, and this season might be the first time since 1998 that they miss the big party.