標籤: whistle

After an ankle-related one-game layoff, Zion Williamson wasted little time in reminding everyone what the New Orleans Pelicans look like at full strength. Williamson finished with 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting, added four rebounds and drew six fouls in 33 minutes in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite the loss, it was a very encouraging bounce-back performance against LeBron James. The 25-year-old consistently attacked the rim, converting all three of his fast-break opportunities and scoring 20 of his points in the paint.

Yet Williamson’s defenders were rarely whistled for any contact, allowing only five free throw attempts. This disparity did not go unnoticed by the Pelicans. James Borrego praised Williamson’s effort in no uncertain terms after the game, but admitted growing frustration at how contact was being made when his star forward went downhill.

“(Williamson) looked good,” Borrego said. “He had a lot of pop in his step, he was aggressive, downhill. I’ve gotten to see some clips of them, but I feel like there’s a lot of contact on that as well. There’s a tough, tough whistle out there with Z running the ball. He had a lot of strength, a lot of balance. I thought he brought it on the defensive end as well, so a really good performance by him (against the Lakers).

At this point the visible frustration towards the authorities should be forgiven. Borrego is calling out the refs about the lack of calls on a nightly basis.

Payment of fine for technical glitches may be included in next month’s budget.

“Got to be disappointed,” Borrego admitted. “If I were him, I would be disappointed. It’s a question for (Williamson), but I understand it. I look at it and talk to him about it. I understand it’s a tough call, but the amount of force when he goes to the rim, it’s definitely a lot of contact. A lot of contact in my opinion. We have to do everything we can as an organization, as a team, to protect him.”

Williamson, who has heard criticism about his durability and conditioning throughout his career, addressed his mindset in an ESPN interview last week, and admitted that injuries have taken a toll. Borrego addressed the emotional hurdles the former All-Star constantly needs to overcome.

“Obviously, right now, he’s got to keep his head, his cool, but it’s extremely frustrating. I feel it, and it really happens every night. So we’ve just got to keep fighting, stick together and keep fighting. I just love his spirit and fight.”

Call it sentiment or professional pride, but the Pelicans are going to have to play this way for a long time. A loss to the LA Clippers before a loss to the Lakers practically eliminated New Orleans from any NBA play-in race. It should be a little easier to build a little chemistry with a healthy roster, even without any foul play on the part of the executives.