Gasol's presence significantly strengthened the Pelicans' interior defense. The Spurs' wedge offense could only rely more heavily on kick-outs to the perimeter for finishes.
But this Pelicans team was clearly much stronger defensively on the perimeter.
There was no need to mention Tang Tian. Green was an elite 3-and-D player, and Brogdon was also an outstanding perimeter defender.
Coupled with Leonard no longer being his magical self, the Spurs played an exceptionally passive game.
Spurs fans on the hotline kept cheering the team on, hoping the Spurs could turn the unfavorable situation around.
First quarter, second quarter, Third Quarter...
Their hopes fell through time and again, and the Spurs never managed to reverse the situation on the court.
Leonard had an outburst in the third quarter, but it was already too late.
And Tang Tian stepped up to trade shots with him for the Pelicans, so the Spurs failed to cut the deficit in that quarter as well.
Popovich kept the starters in until just before the final buzzer, but in truth, the gap had already stretched beyond 25 points by the end of three quarters.
In the end, the Pelicans won without shedding a drop of blood, easily defeating the Spurs 118-90 at home to take Game 6 of the series.
With that win, they eliminated the Spurs 4-2 and reached the Western Conference Finals for the fifth straight year.
Their opponent had yet to be determined.
They had swept the Warriors in the first round and beaten the Spurs 4-2 in the second. The Pelicans were moving through the postseason a little too quickly.
Their potential opponents, the Lakers and Mavericks, were still battling it out.
The Lakers had swept the Trail Blazers in the first round, but they ran into considerable trouble against the Mavericks in the