Smooth Performance of the Night: Anthony Davis' historic playoff debut
The New Orleans Pelicans dropped Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, but it was through no fault of Anthony Davis.
Davis dropped 35 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in his postseason debut. That included 20 points in the fourth quarter in a furious comeback push against the heavily favored Warriors.
Davis' numbers placed him in rare company alongside three Hall of Famers in Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
.@AntDavis23 joined Dr.J, Kareem & Wilt as only players to record 35+pts/5+rebs in their #NBAPlayoffs debuts (ELIAS) pic.twitter.com/QgCZ1YLuo3
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) April 18, 2015
The vaunted Warriors' defense had no solution for Davis. The 22-year-old got off to a slow start, but quickly overcame his playoff jitters thanks to some secret adjustments concocted by Davis and Pelicans head coach Monty Williams.
Without giving specifics, Pels coach Monty Williams said Anthony Davis (35 points) figured out some things in 2nd half that will help him.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) April 18, 2015
Secret adjustments aside, much of Davis' dominance was readily apparent. He was too quick for Andrew Bogut and too big for Draymond Green. Regardless of the defense, Davis always held a matchup advantage and he repeatedly capitalized.
A tremendous, smooth and dominant debut for a blossoming superstar in Anthony Davis.