The New Orleans Pelicans pulled off a big win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night, securing the 8th seed in the Western Conference standings, making the playoffs for the first time in three years.
It was a hard-fought game where the Pels and Clips exchanged big leads. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Clippers led the game by 10 points, which made a lot of people think it was over for the Pelicans. Well, not everybody believed that especially their head coach.
Willie Green didn’t give up and delivered an epic speech to his players that sparked something inside them. The first-year Pelicans coach sat down and made sure to inspire his players ahead of a difficult 4th quarter. Whatever we say won’t make justice to that, so you can watch the video:
What a speech from Willie Green. 👏
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 16, 2022
“We took their best punch it’s a 10-point game going into the fourth quarter. Get your freakin’ head up,” Willie Green exclaimed. “This is what we live for. This is what we worked hard for. Okay? We ain’t giving it up. We are not freakin’ giving this up. You’ve got to freakin’ fight! You gotta fight!”
This was great for the Pelicans. They caught fire in the final period, outscoring the Clippers 31-17 and winning the game 105-101. It was a terrific game that made fans and players fall in love with the play-in tournament.
Brandon Ingram finished the match with 30 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, leading his squad to the promised land. Green made the right adjustments to get back at the Clippers and gave his team an incredible speech that not only inspired them but also touched fans around the league.
The NBA often delivers big stories and this one is great. Neither Green nor the Pelicans entered this season with big expectations and they shocked everybody. Now the challenge will be harder, but they know they don’t have anything to lose and a lot to win against the overpowered Phoenix Suns.
