New Orleans Pelicans: Top 10 moments from 2017-18 NBA season

1. Pelicans defeat Warriors in Game 3 of Western Conference semifinals

The last time these two teams met in the postseason, the Dubs swept the Pelicans in four games. Coming into Game 3 of this second round matchup, the Warriors had continued their dominance, winning the first two games.

If the Pelicans had any hopes of getting back into the series, they desperately needed a win to ensure they wouldn’t meet a similar fate this time around. After the first half, the home team led by a slim 62-56 margin.

The Pelicans began the second half with a 10-2 burst take a 72-58 lead. As is the case with the Warriors, they made their runs, but this time the Pelicans were able to respond, coming away with an impressive 119-100 victory to cut the series lead to 2-1.

"“Most of it is attributed to the Pelicans,” Steve Kerr told NBA.com. “Their defense was great. They were the aggressors. I thought they brought the force, the necessary force to the game on their home floor, and these are the ebbs and flows of a playoff series, especially when you get past the first round. Everybody is really good and that’s a team that just swept Portland in the first round and on their home floor down 2-0, this is kind of what you expect.”"

The Pelicans certainly played better from a defensive standpoint, limiting the Warriors to just 38 percent shooting overall and 29 percent from beyond the arc. Not only that, but the Pelicans got contributions from several players.

Davis led the way with 33 points and 18 rebounds, giving the Pelicans a 54-36 edge in points in the paint. Holiday contributed 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Nikola Mirotic and E’Twaun Moore chipped in with 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Let’s not forget about playoff Rondo, either. He may have scored only four points on 2-of-11 shooting, but he certainly impacted the game as he handed out 21 assists and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Unfortunately, the Pelicans were unable to sustain the momentum from their Game 3 victory and they were eliminated in five games. On the positive side, they made it to the playoffs, which wasn’t easy to do after losing Cousins in late January, and if he was in the mix, perhaps the Pels extend the series to a sixth or seventh game. Who knows?

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In any case, the Pelicans had a season to remember and should they re-sign Cousins and he’s able to play at similar level as before, the Pelicans have the potential to go even further next season.