Zion Williamsons dunk revealed what we already knew: Pelicans-Suns is the NBAs newest rivalry

June 24, 2024

NEW ORLEANS – Zion Williamson’s dunk wasn’t the real reason behind the altercation between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Phoenix Suns on Friday night. It was the spark that ignited a fire that’s been simmering between these two teams since the last time they met at Smoothie King Center seven months ago.

Last April, the Suns brought the Pelicans’ season to an end after a dramatic first-round series that many thought would be a one-sided beatdown. Instead, a feisty 36-win New Orleans squad gave the 64-win Suns everything they could handle before bowing out after six games.

The memory of that series drove the Pelicans all summer to come back more mentally and physically prepared for their next opportunity under the spotlight.

During Friday’s emotional 128-117 victory, New Orleans made it clear that the target it placed on Phoenix still exists in the minds of its players and fanbase. The resentment from those bitter losses doesn’t go away overnight.

The Suns get a little "heated" after the Pelicans big win #Pelicans pic.twitter.com/BIxz0rSLYN

— Bally Sports New Orleans (@BallySportsNO) December 10, 2022

Something else was also evident by the end of the night: These two teams do not like each other. At the very least, the Pelicans really don’t like the Suns. And they don’t mind expressing it.

With that brewing under the surface, it was no surprise to see one incident, Zion Williamson’s last-second windmill dunk, turn into an altercation with both benches clearing.

The 360 windmill heard round the world pic.twitter.com/C6wpKWz7Gf

— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) December 10, 2022

Usually, there needs to be a longer history between two clubs, or at least more high-stakes matchups in their past, before declaring them rivals. In this case, those rules go out the window. This is the NBA’s newest rivalry, and it’s already fantastic on a number of levels.

“It’s tension there all the time. We hated that they beat us on our own floor to lose the playoff (series). Every game we play them is going to be physical (and) really locked in,” Jose Alvarado said. “It’s always going to be a playoff game to us because we’ll never let that game go until we eliminate them from the playoffs or until we’re in the playoffs winning and they’re sitting at home.”

Most great rivalries aren’t built on the differences between each side. It’s quite the opposite. When bad blood comes to the forefront, it’s usually because both sides have more in common than they’re willing to admit. That’s certainly the case with the Pelicans and Suns.

Just look at their shared history. Chris Paul got his start as an NBA star in New Orleans, and Monty Williams did the same as a head coach. Before joining the Pelicans, Willie Green was a lead assistant under Williams, his most trusted lieutenant as the Suns made their run to the NBA Finals in 2021.

After sitting atop the West for most of the last two-plus seasons, Phoenix probably looks at New Orleans as a young squad biting off more than it can chew before putting any real accomplishments on their wall. But not too long ago, many viewed Phoenix in the same light as it danced its way to a first-round victory over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2021.

Yet there was one massive difference that separated these teams on Friday night: Zion Williamson.

As great as Paul and Devin Booker have been for the Suns, there are very few people in the NBA dominating opponents the way Williamson has the past few weeks.

He finished Friday’s win with 35 points, seven rebounds and four assists while making 13 of his 17 field goal attempts. For much of the game, he looked like a man among boys as he bullied every Phoenix defender in his path.

DEFENSE ➡️ OFFENSE!!!@PelicansNBA | #Pelicans |📺:BSNO pic.twitter.com/zXJ5EOgGKD

— Bally Sports New Orleans (@BallySportsNO) December 10, 2022

Zion’s presence complicates any future postseason rematch between these teams. The Suns didn’t have to deal with him last year, and now, they simply don’t have the big bodies to deal with him in the paint.

That’s looking more like a common problem throughout the league as Williamson continues the best stretch of his career. Even with co-star Brandon Ingram out due to injury, the Pelicans have run off six straight wins to claim their spot atop the Western Conference. Williamson’s play on both ends has fueled the franchise’s longest win streak since 2017-18 and announced his return to elite status amongst his peers.

During the team’s six-game winning streak, Williamson is averaging 29.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists while shooting an absurd 67 percent from the field. He’s also averaging 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks during that stretch.

His speed and agility are back. His touch at the rim is back. And his understanding of when to get to his spots and when to find his teammates is better than ever. It’s incredible to think it’s only taken him 20 games to get to this point after sitting out more than 500 days leading up to this season.

“You just run out of words to describe it, honestly,” Larry Nance Jr. said. “Sometimes, it makes me mad. I’ve been playing this game a long time. I swear it’s not that easy. It’s not as easy as he makes it look. It just makes me mad sometimes when he gets right to (the rim) and it’s just layup, layup, layup, spin off the glass layup, spin dunk. I swear it’s not that easy, but he just makes it look effortless.”

Williamson admitted after the game that he “got carried away a little bit,” and it was “out of character” for him to attempt his 360 windmill dunk at the end of Friday’s win. But he also said he was letting out some pent-up aggression he’s been holding in for the last seven months. Williamson watched from the sidelines during last year’s playoffs, still nursing his season-ending foot injury as his team battled the Suns. He fought off anger and sorrow as he wondered what it would be like to play in such massive games with raucous crowds.

Understanding how significant this moment was for the team, Pelicans fans answered the bell and gave Williamson a glimpse of what a playoff environment feels like. The Smoothie King Center crowd was rocking on Friday night. It was perhaps the loudest home crowd Zion has experienced while on the court since his NBA debut in 2020.

Williamson and the crowd fed off each other’s energy. He let out a huge roar after almost every big play he made in the fourth quarter as the home crowd kept getting louder. Some of Williamson’s animated responses, along with the windmill, got under the Suns’ skin in the end, but he, too, has some hard feelings for Phoenix.

“They sent my teammates home last year,” Williamson explained. “I missed all last year. I got carried away a little bit. I admit that. But I was in that locker room when my brothers were down because the Suns sent us home last year. That’s a tough moment to be a part of.”

Then there’s the rivalry within this rivalry that steals the show every time these two teams meet: Jose Alvarado vs. Chris Paul.

Like Paul, Alvarado has made his name in the league by using his grit and intelligence to overcome his physical limitations. At one point, Alvarado looked up to Paul and everything he’s done to make his name as one of the greatest floor generals in league history.

Those days are over now.

Alvarado used his pesky defense to get under Paul’s skin in last year’s playoffs, and Paul let out some frustration by elbowing Alvarado in the face during Game 6 of the series. Alvarado still hasn’t gotten over it. Alvarado, who was questionable going into Friday’s game with a rib contusion, said afterward that there was no way he would miss the game if “that person” was playing, refusing to say Paul’s name.

The scuffle after Zion’s big dunk started with Alvarado and Paul exchanging words, and it’s safe to say it won’t be the last time things get spicy between these two. Their stubborn nature and refusal to back down make them who they are. Even though Paul finished with 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his second game back from injury, Alvarado held his own with 20 points off the bench.

Alvarado’s fearless mindset is a trait the Pelicans take pride in as a team. It’s part of why he is considered such a crucial part of the locker room.

“I compete. I know he’s there,” Alvarado said of Paul. “We’re just going to play basketball.”

There are less than two days before these teams meet again at Smoothie King Center on Sunday at 2:30 pm local time. Until then, the Suns will be spending a lot of time watching those Zion highlights and hearing talk of the Pelicans’ coronation as the new “it” team in the Western Conference. This will be one of the first opportunities for the Pelicans to experience life as the hunted rather than the hunter.

If you thought the matchup between these rivals was fun on Friday, there should be be even more fireworks when they run it back Sunday afternoon.

“We look forward to the challenges. It allows us to look at our team and see what we are,” Green said. “We know we can compete with the best. It’s a long season ahead of us. We try not to get too far ahead. But it’s a blessing.”

(Top photo of Zion Williamson dunking: Ned Dishman / NBAE via Getty Images)

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