Well, that certainly didn't go as we expected. The Pelicans made quick work of the Blazers to become the first No. 6 seed to sweep a No. 3 seed since 2001. Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday were simply fantastic all series long, and they got plenty of help from Nikola Mirotic, Rajon Rondo and the rest of the supporting cast.
Now the Pelicans await the winner of the Warriors-Spurs series to see who they'll take on next round. It looks like it will be the Warriors, and after the way the Pelicans played in their first-round series, Golden State better come prepared.
Here's a quick recap of the series.
No. 6 New Orleans Pelicans (48-34) defeat No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers (49-33), 4-0
Playoff series results
- Game 1 in Portland: Pelicans 97, Trail Blazers 95 | Barnewall: Holiday the real hero of Game 1
- Game 2 in Portland: Pelicans 111, Trail Blazers 102
- Game 3 in New Orleans: Pelicans 119, Trail Blazers 102
- Game 4 in New Orleans: Pelicans 131, Trail Blazers 123
Season series: Tied 2-2
Last season's playoff results: Trail Blazers eliminated by Golden State Warriors in Round 1 4-0; Pelicans' first appearance since 2015
SportsLine projections
According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Pelicans have a 20.4 percent chance to reach the conference finals. SportsLine will have game-by-game gambling advice for every playoff series here.
2018 Playoff Bracket
