The trip to Las Vegas was supposed to serve as an announcement of arrival. It was a chance for the Pelicans to show they’d weathered the storm of an injury-plagued 4-6 start — an opportunity to prove they were ready for the intensity of, if not a postseason spotlight, than at least an in-season facsimile.
Instead, though, New Orleans’ appearance in the semifinals of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament authored a different sort of statement: Maybe we’re not ready for this.
It’s not that the Pelicans lost to the Lakers, but how.