The New Orleans Pelicans have been playing pretty good basketball since acquiring C.J. McCollum. McCollum can feel that energy building around his still-new team.

"This is the start of something special, for sure," McCollum said. "You see the energy. Feel the energy. My mother is in town; I have some family in town. When we go out to eat, you can feel the city is excited about basketball, as they should [be]. There's a lot of talent here. We're playing the game the right way. It's going to be a lot of winning in our future."

McCollum led the Pelicans past the Spurs in the Play-In Tournament with 32 points. New Orleans will now play at the LA Clippers for a chance to be the 8-seed in the Western Conference playoffs.