WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
No. 6 New Orleans (52-34) vs. No. 2 Golden State (62-25)
It’s the Pelican State vs. Golden State.
It’s a team trying to prove it can compete with the elite of the NBA, facing the league’s best club over the past three years, highlighted by two league titles and three conference championships.
It’s a short-handed team missing one of its All-Stars for the rest of 2017-18, squaring off against a short-handed team missing one of its All-Stars for at least the time being.
It’s a 25-year-old superstar who elevated himself into the MVP conversation this spring, meeting a team that boasts every MVP award winner from 2014-16.