Alvin Gentry said that the additions of Enes Kanter and Rodney Hood made the Portland Trail Blazers a different team than the one that the New Orleans Pelicans swept in the first-round of the playoffs last season.
Gentry added that trapping Damian Lillard with double-teams won't be as effective as it was last year due to their new playmakers.
“I still think you have to try and get the ball out of Dame and CJ’s (McCollum) hands, but it’s a little bit different now that they have added Rodney Hood to the mix, and even (Enes) Kanter. With those two guys, they have really improved their team...They have more weapons," said Gentry.
Lillard, who said he was surprised with how aggressive the Pelicans trapped him in the series, said he worked on speeding up his decision-making on the ball.
“First time I played them this year, I was like, ‘That is not happening this time. When I got the ball, I was coming off fast — and now they were the ones shocked. Instead of me being the one off balance, now they were off balance,” added Lillard.