Thunder put season to bed for Pelicans

The better team won. It really was quite simple.

There is a reason that Oklahoma City is the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. There was the hope that a young team might not be ready for the pressure of the playoffs though.

Instead, the young team was prepared and has come of age.

The Thunder imposed their will Monday night on the New Orleans Pelicans, completing an NBA Western Conference first round playoff sweep at Smoothie King Center, 97-89.

The way Game 4 played out was predictable.

Both teams struggled in the first quarter. New Orleans shot 34.8 percent from the field while Oklahoma City shot just 33.3 percent. The Pelicans were a miserable 2-of-12 from three-point range but stayed even at 21-21 with defense and by playing hard.

New Orleans continued to play good defense and to play hard in the second quarter but once again, could not make shots on the offensive end.

Once again, Brandon Ingram was erased by Lugentz Dort and the Thunder defensive effort. Ingram was 1-of-7 from the field and just 2-of-4 from the free throw line for just four points. Jonas Valanciunas had eight points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes and Naji Marshall provided physicality off the bench with seven points.

For Ingram, it was predictable.

His first half production in the four games of the series were eight points in game one, four points in game two, five points in game three and four points in game four. His second halves were hardly better.

The pattern continued in the third quarter with defenses ruling while turnovers were a huge problem.

The Pelicans rallied late in the quarter to take a 71-70 lead heading to the fourth quarter. New Orleans had 16 turnovers after three quarters. Ingram managed two points in the quarter on a pair of free throws.

To illustrate how inept the Pelicans were offensively, just look at the point totals in the four games of 92, 92, 85 and 89 points. When you average 89.5 points and never score 100 points, you are not going to win.

The Pelicans had no chance, shooting just under 26 percent from three-point range while averaging 17.8 turnovers per game in the series.

Ingram was simply poor. He scored eight points on 2-of-14 shooting, including 0-for-3 from three-point range. Trey Murphy III, the shooter on the squad, was 3-of-10 from the field and just 1-of-7 from three-point range. New Orleans shot 37.9 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from three-point range.

Oklahoma City has now won nine straight games.

Now, the Pelicans must assess what must be done to make it a genuine contender.

Sure, it would have been nice and a different series had Zion Williamson been available but he was not. While it would have been more competitive, Oklahoma City was still the better team.

What did we learn from the series?

Most notably, Oklahoma City is clearly better than New Orleans and it is not close.

The Pelicans are a nice team with a nice future but are not close to being a championship caliber team.

Ingram is a good player but he is not a top level player. He is a minimal three-point threat and good physical defenders can simply take him out of the game.

Williamson is unquestionably the best player and has the physicality to play through contact and has the game and personality to be a closer.

McCollum is a nice player getting older.

Herb Jones improved his offensive game but it is still not a threat. His defense remains superb.

Larry Nance gives you effort but he is undersized and not a threat from the perimeter.

Jose Alvarado remains a good piece, proving energy, a spark off the bench.

Dyson Daniels can guard and handle the ball but remains a work in progress on the offensive end.

Jordan Hawkins has a chance to be a good shooter in the league but must work on the other aspects of his game.

Valanciunas and Marshall were the most effective players on the floor Monday night. Both are unrestricted free agents. The organization has tough decisions to make. Valanciunas had 19 points and 13 rebounds while Marshall scored 16 points in 21 minutes.

The Pelicans need a true point guard to run the show. The concept of having Jones, McCollum, Williamson, Ingram, Daniels, Alvarado and others bring the ball up and not get inside the arc until less than 10 seconds were left on the shot clock has to go.

It was a nice season and a season of progress. Winning 49 games and making the playoffs is nothing to sneeze at. Not winning a playoff game is a disappointment, a stopping point for the progress made.

The team needs to learn to win at home. The home record this season was simply unacceptable.

Some will question Willie Green and the large number of close losses this season. Perhaps Green and his players will use those moments to be part of a learning curve in becoming tougher physically and tough-minded.

Williamson stayed healthy this season until it mattered most. While a point guard is needed, a center is needed as well.

It was an entertaining, enjoyable season. Now, the Pelicans must make goo decisions to remain competitive, much less to move up in the incredibly deep Western Conference.

The black jerseys and black shirts on every seat were an omen. The end was near. It is here. The better team won and that is clear.