METAIRIE, La. -- If you hopped into a cab at Louis Armstrong New Orleans Airport this weekend, the expectation would not be that you're in town to see the local basketball team.
Indeed, Thursday marks Anthony Davis' and the Pelicans' first home playoff game in New Orleans since being known as the Pelicans -- certainly a big ticket in town. But the cab drivers would tell you that even Davis must take a back seat these days.
Turns out it's also the opening weekend of Jazz Fest, the annual 10-day celebration of the city's vibrant music and arts scene that draws folks from every corner of the world. Surprisingly, Davis is not the biggest show in town -- not this weekend, anyway.
But that could change. Davis has that kind of potential, the power to take over.
There are plenty of locals here who want to see Davis thrive on the playoff stage, and he's doing that already even against the top-seeded Golden State Warriors. In the 22-year-old's playoff debut last week, he scored 35 points in Game 1 -- 20 of them in the fourth quarter as he led an improbable near-comeback. In Game 2, Davis showed his moxie again, registering 26 points and 10 rebounds in a rousing battle with Warriors forward Draymond Green.
Even though the Pelicans are down 0-2 in the first-round series, Davis has been sensational. According to Basketball-Reference, Davis' 61 points his first two career playoff games are the most since former Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy dropped 63 in 2009. Before that, it was Chris Paul in 2008, scoring 67, the second-most ever, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 69. Paul, of course, did it in New Orleans.
Davis has been great. But if coach Monty Williams wants to get the best out of Davis in New Orleans, here's how he can do it: Play him next to stretch-4 Ryan Anderson, not center Omer Asik.
A curious thing has happened in this series, and it may continue to play out in Game 3. Davis has been dominant only when Asik, the team's starting center, is out of the picture.
Check out the staggering numbers. In 44 minutes of action sharing the court with Asik in this series, Davis has shot just 6-of-20 (30 percent), with 16 points and just three rebounds. The Pelicans have been outscored by 18 points in that span.
But watch what happens when Williams slots someone else in Asik's place. In 41 minutes, Davis has scored 45 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and shot 16-of-25 (64 percent). He's a different player. And the Pelicans are a different team, outscoring the Warriors by 11.
This is the tradeoff: Asik brings a whole lot of defense, but very little offense. Anderson brings a whole lot of offensive spacing, but very little defense. Williams is fully aware of this exchange, but this isn't the football field, where players have to play only one way. On the hardwood, you have to play both, which makes things difficult for a coach.
"I wish it was football, but it's not," Williams said, joking after Wednesday's practice. "I don't have enough timeouts."
Williams points out that the defense has performed well with Asik and Davis together on the floor. The Warriors have mustered just 100 points per 100 possessions with Asik and Davis on the court in this series, down from their regular-season average of 109.7 points. But Williams also knows that the offense has sputtered, spitting out just 79.2 points per 100 possessions with Asik next to Davis.
Here's the problem: Anderson is in a cold streak, more frigid than a frozen margarita on Bourbon Street. He's shooting 2-for-11 from the floor and 1-for-4 from deep. He played just nine minutes in Game 2 and sat the entire second half.
"The tradeoff isn't bad, but we need the scoring," Williams said. "I've got to find a good balance and get Ryan [Anderson] in positions to score and do what he does."
Anderson got some extra shots up after practice Wednesday, but he was the first to hold court with the surrounding media afterward. He was all smiles, joking with the reporters about the warm weather in New Orleans compared to the brisk temperatures in the Bay Area.
But deep down, Anderson is frustrated that his minutes may be dictated by whether he makes his next shot.
"I'm not going to lie, it is tough," Anderson said. "It's a position for me that I haven't been in for a little while. I would like to be productive and maybe if I miss a shot or not, not have that really dictate the way I play. I realize I may not be someone who can lock [everyone] up and be the defensive guy. But there have been some moments where I've brought good defense and I can help the team on the court."
Anderson has been struggling in this series. But with his 3-point spacing at the power forward position, he unlocks the potential of their offense. In the 19 minutes that he's shared the court with Davis in this series, the Pelicans have put up a scorching 129.8 points per 100 possessions, most of that coming in the fourth-quarter comeback attempt in Game 1 where Davis ferociously attacked the Warriors. The defense, though? Not good. They've allowed 114.3 points per 100 possessions with Anderson next to Davis.
"I'm not going to lie, it is tough. It's a position for me that I haven't been in for a little while. I would like to be productive and maybe if I miss a shot or not, not have that really dictate the way I play. I realize I may not be someone who can lock [everyone] up and be the defensive guy." Ryan Anderson
This trend isn't just a small sample size. Opponents torched the Pelicans when Anderson and Davis were paired together in the regular season, scoring 112.7 points per 100 possessions. Compare that to just 105.1 points when Davis plays with Asik, per NBA.com lineup data. The defense sharpens with Asik, but not enough to compensate for the softened scoring punch.
"With Omer, I'm mostly trying to stay around the perimeter," Davis said, "and with Ryan, I'm trying to dive to the basket knowing that a lot teams are going to try to go to [Anderson] because he shoots the ball extremely well and [opponents] leave me open underneath the basket."
Even with his slender frame, Davis isn't worried about banging bodies with Warriors center Andrew Bogut if Asik leaves the court. He's confident he can play big minutes at the 5.
"Yeah, for sure," Davis said. "I'm confident in my defensive game. And if I'm struggling, the team concept defensively is always going to have my back."
Williams has to make some tough decisions in Game 3. Playing a 67-win team will do that. But the Asik vs. Anderson dynamic continues to be a fascinating wrinkle in this Pelicans season. To be clear, Williams has gone with Dante Cunningham in Anderson's place as well, so it's not just an either/or proposition. But the upside is higher with Anderson.
New Orleans wants Davis' best, and so does Williams. With one move -- slotting Davis to the 5 next to Anderson more -- Williams can create a better environment for that to happen.
And maybe the Pelicans can pull out a win here this weekend. Even bigger, Davis can be the talk of the town, front and center.