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Hornets BLOG |
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July 2008
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May 2008 ArchivesByron Scott could become a coaching free agent but he doesn't appear inclined to do so and the Hornets' owner says he wants to keep him. ...Looking for another reason, to go along with poor shooting in the third quarter and bad perimeter defense, that the Hornets season is over? Gregg Popovich was effusive with his praise of the Hornets after the game. His first comment was, "I'm glad that's over." He said they were unbelievably good and had a fantastic year. "I don't think there's any doubt their time will come," he said. "They were something else. We were fortunate." ...
New Orleans couldn't do it. With home court and a rowdy crowd in tow, the Hornets fell 91-82 to end its season in the Western Conference semifinals. Chris Paul fouled out and Jannero Pargo had a great fourth. But nothing was enough to overcome an experienced and determined San Antonio. It's the first time the Spurs have ever come back from an 0-2 series deficit. New Orleans still has never moved into the Conference finals. ...Okay, I understand, the NBA wanted its biggest draw (LeBron) and its most historic and winning franchise (the Celtics) for a Game 7 on Sunday - and it was a classic. But why have the Celts played two games since the Hornets last played? Why did the Hornets and Spurs get three full days off? After having three days off, why will the Hornets or Spurs be forced to rush to L.A. to play Wednesday after what figures to be a draining Game 7.<... CNNSI.com's Marty Burns says the Hornets haven't faced much adversity in the playoffs so far and that tonight's 'winner-take-all' contest will tell a lot about their mettle. ...With a long and detailed analysis, Scouts Inc., of ESPN picks the Hornets to prevail in Game 7. ...Who says it's too early to start toasting the playoff's top players? Certainly not ESPN's John Hollinger who has a couple of Hornets up for awards. One thing Hollinger does question is why David West was still in the game to get injured when the Hornets were down 21 in the fourth quarter, he had a back back and hadn't been effe... Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports said the Hornets were seething after Robert Horry gave David West a cheap shot in the back but they were even more dismayed over the crowds' reaction - chanting Horry's name as if he had done something good. ...The Hornets are off today (Friday), but an inquiry about David West's back was met with an official response that there is nothing new to report on his back, and he'll be fine. ...Wow! Gregg Doyel absolutely savages the Hornets in this rip piece. Come on now, the Hornets aren't exactly playing against chopped liver, I mean the Spurs had the same number of wins as the Hornets this year and are the defending champs. Doyel correctly points out that the Hornets blew their cool and that Scott rolled the dice by playing Paul, Chandler and West for almost all of the ... Stephen A. Smith says the Hornets' struggles at San Antonio are understandable, because of their lack of experience, and perhaps the idea in the back of their mind that they have a home game left to win it. Smith does think the younger, more athletic Hornets can't be had in Game 7 by the Spurs in New Orleans. Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express News draws no conclusions about Robert Horry's shot to David West's already ailing back other than to say after last year's 'dip of the hip' to Steve Nash, Horry won't be getting the benefit of the doubt. ...Mike James starts the fourth quarter for CP3... Paul is gassed and so are the Bees, Manu just opened the quarter with back-to-back 3's... Duncan has checked out and so will I... See you back in NOLA for Game 7... Quick note... Robert Horry just put David West down hard. West was slow to get up and left the game. Don't think that won't be an issue Monday night. What's the NBA word for beanball? ...Stumbling out of the locker room, literally... Mo Pete falls, first bucket of the half goes to Parker, DOH! Bum Phillips once said on an NFL Films classic mic'd up... "That's four holding penalties on one football team in a quarter and half... it ain't funny!" Once again the refs have made themselves part of this series with five foul calls in less than a minute and a half span on the Hornets, capped off with a technical agains... 8:32 in the 2nd... the hornets are turning the Spurs into jumpshooters again this game...but the champs are making almost everything they throw up. Made shots are like offensive rebounds... they keep the Bees from getting transistion. And the Hornets are tyring to make the guys that usually don't make shots shoot them... Parker's making jumpers, the Spurs are tough to guard when he can hit from t he outside. Do you think the ... Manu Ginobli gets the start again. Hornets are in their Gold uniforms. Bowen on Peja. David West looks a little sluggish. He needs to break a sweat. Peja hits an bucket early. One of two things needs to happen tonight: Peja heats up or Pargo heats up. Tyson has four points and a block in the first four minutes rather than two fouls. That's a plus. The Spurs handed out cheer sticks for this game. Basically these... Just about to start the pregame festivities for game 6. I've talked with alot of folks in SA... and they all have the same defeated attitude towards this game. Even the Spurs players aren't walking with as much swagger. Chandler looks fine in the Hornets lay-up drill. I'm not as concerned anymore about him after learning it was just a turf toe. West is doing a modified Mikan drill before the game. I'm sure he's more drugged up t... Marc Stein of ESPN.com says that long before the rest of the basketball world got a whiff of the Hornets, the Spurs knew there would be trouble. ...At 7'1", any toe on Tyson Chandler's foot has to big and watching how much pain he was in after hurting whichever toe he hurt in Game 5, that toe is going to be a HUGE issue Thursday night in Game 6. Tuesday night (as well as times during Gms. 1 and 2) Chandler showed he can muscle up Tim Duncan in the post. A sore toe hampers the ability to push back. Tyson was in sandles today at the Hornet's light workout before leaving for Texas....
Do you think the Hornets will wrap up the series Thursday in San Antonio? Click here and tell us what you think. ...That's what the third quarters in New Orleans have amounted to - the Hornets have devastated the Spurs 93-46 during the three third quarters played here and it has proved devastating. John Hollinger of ESPN tries to explain the phenomenon. ...Anyone out there doubting that David West is one of the best forwards in the NBA now? This San Antonio writer, who has seen one of the best in league history in Duncan, says West reminded him of the Spurs star with his play Tuesday. More importantly, he says there were no officials' calls, nor virus to explain away We... I'm heading down for interviews. This one is over. The Hornets are assured, for now, of at least one more game in the Arena. Should New Orleans lose in San Antonio on Thursday, Game 7 is here Monday night. thanks for joining. Tell us your thoughts on this win. ------- ...What makes a guy who is barely six feet tall one of the best in the NBA? NBA.com goes in depth with his trainer. ...
Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express News thinks either the Spurs or Hornets may pay for the fury inside of Chris Paul but I think it was sort of a low blow to bring back a moment from years ago that Paul swore would never happen again....and apparently never has. Paul is a fierce competitor, but so far, I don't think anyone in... That seems to be what San Antonio writer Mike Finger is suggesting, and assuming he is quoting David West correctly - and I assume he is, that's what some Hornets players and their fans might have thought. The Spurs have thrown down a challenge...now the Hornets have to answer. This is what the playoffs are about. ...There's absolutely NOTHING that I wanna remember about the Alamo. it was not a kind place to the Hornets. for the 4th straight game, the home team has taken care of business....by double digits..after scoring 100 points or more. So that leads me to say..neither team has played defense for the entire series. I'll wrap this game later tonight. But, right now, i'm just gonna say..the hornets need some home cooking. because this san antonio flavor has left a bad bad BAD taste in my mouth.. adios ...Ok, i'm tired of awful basketball..time to go home...oh wait, there's still 8:04 left in the game when will it all end..WHEN WILL IT ALL END ...Hornets starters get sent to the corner..bring on Bowen and his back-up mates ...I can't remember the last time (aside from the 4th qtr on thursday) when the hornets have look this bad and confused on defense. One local reporter said this series is over. that after the spurs win tonight...they'll only make one more trip to new orleans. And right now, it's really hard to argue with that. Why r the hornets behind right now...the stats don't lie Points in the Paint...SA 26, NO 16 Team Assists: SA 14, NO 8 (spurs are finding the open man and there are plenty of them) Spurs are shooting 57.5 % from the field (again, too many open looks) Fast Break Points: Hornets 9, SA 3 (Hornets aren't running enough) ok..on with the 3rd quarter..a fast start is needed ...Not a lot to be happy about. recognition and defend. it's the same ole chorus line for the hornets. and they're doing neither. at the half..hornets could be down more than 13...Tony Parker is having his way with WHOMEVER the hornet sput on him . Parker has 18 at the half. No double team on duncan..and he's made the hornets pay with 15. they say one of the marks of a good coach is how well he makes the proper adjustments..we'll... More of the same from the spurs. Hornets aren't finding shooters. too many open looks. This game will be lost early if hornets can't find some defense on the perimeter. And, AGAIN...can someone keep toniy parker out of the lane? ...End of qtr.Hornets trail 24-22...long way to go ...Bench Points..Yeahhhhhhhhhhh it's about time Pargo. a pair of triples. Same ole problem from the start...too many easy baskets by tony parker. Can anyone check him? atleast make it tough on him. and it appears that the hornets have gotten away from doubleing Duncan. That's not likely to be the rule of thumb tonight. the hornets are better off getting the ball out of his hands. Hornets fans...you play head coach..wh... Hornets fans..give me a winner..score and why ...Hornets Starting 5..no surprises..Chandler, Peja, Mo'Pete, West and CP3. Need a good start..a solid middle..and a strong finish.. where ya at hornets fans ...ok kids. we're back in the at&t center here in san antonio. and I gotta tell ya...i love this city..but i am tired of eating beans and rice and cheese and guacamole...NOT A BOWL OF GUMBO IN SIGHT!!!!!!!!! SO i'm ready for some game-clinching home cooking that only new orleans can provide. So Hornets fans..if you're out there, let's get this blog rolling Nawlins style. It's almost game time.. I'm not sure what Orlando writer Mike Bianchi is watching, but he has the Spurs as the top team, followed by the Lakers and then the Hornets. ...So here we are ...on the eve of game 4..I'm watching the Cavaliers whip up on the Celtics..and it got me to thinking...the celtics finished the regular season with the best overall record..they were heavily favored to beat the cavs...and here's the might green men struggling.. just goes to show you that even the mighty can be humbled...home court helps but you still have to play the game...and that's the attitude i got from the hornets... After waking up and reflecting on what took place in the 'Phone Booth' last night, 've come to this conclusion. It wasn't as bad as it seemed. The hornets, in my opinion, dominated the spurs thru the first 44-minutes...and with a few adjustments on the defensive end, they complete the 48-minutes with a win. so it didn't happen. big whoop...no big deal. The thought now is this team will approach game-4 against the spurs the 'exa... The Spurs have pretty much given up on trying to stop Chris Paul - and they didn't last night - but Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express News says that proved a winning strategy. ...Upon further Review...too much spurs in the 4th quarter...and too little discpiline on defense by the hornets. The Key Stat...3rd quarter play...in the previous 2 hornets victories, they'd won the 3rd quarter...tonight, they lost it 29-22...same with the 4th...27-21 en route to the 110-99 victory One thing that can NOT happen in game 4...Chris Paul can't be called upon to make all of the shots early on...he needs guys to get in... What the hornets managed to do so well in the first 24 minutes totally escaped them over the final 16.. open shooters..knocking down shots for the spurs..and the hornets shooters have gone cold. oh..and what happened to Peja? he was on the bench during the majority of the spurs 11-0 run. 101-88 spurs in control with 555 left. Do the hornets have a final push in them? after-al, this is the NBA where EVERYBODY makes a ru... Spurs finish final 2:58 of the qtr on a bit of a run...10-6 by my count. some quick observations...tony parker is hard to stop off the dribble..the hornets have gotten away from double teaming duncan...and ginobli is finding easy lanes to run into. 36 minutes down...12 more to come..and u get the feeling that the spurs have taken their best shot.. it's right where the hornets want it..close going into the final quarter..now l... great defender or dirty player? it would seem the latter what do u think? ...so we have these darn balloons in our site...just disrupting the view..but from what i CAN see..the hornets are weathering the storm early... out the gate...10-8 advantage for the bees..a 66-62 lead. and the fouls are startingn to pick up on the spurs as they try and get more physical with the hornets. HORNETS FANS..WHAT DO YA THINK SO FAR..cmon..hit me up with your thoghts... ...Can the 3rd qtr be good for the hornets yet again? let's find out ...I think we all deserve one after an exciting first 24 minutes. good news is..hornets lead...56-54. Bad news....hmmmm..can't really think of any. a leads' a lead..especially on the road. so some initial thoughts. it be nice to see more production from 'other' starters besides chris paul and david west. they've combined for 30 of the teams 56 points. I think more production is needed from the bench. Jannero Pargo, Bonzi Wells and Julian ... first off...i was thinking football with one of my previous posts..only 36 minutes to play at the start of the 2nd quarter.. now, moving on to whats up now...hornets and spurs continue to trade baskets...dead even with 7:34 left. 33-all.. hornets shooting 47 percent, spurs 46...a couple of leada changes. the best is yet to come ...So 15 minutes down...45 more to go. so far, so good for the hornets. The number one objective fromt he start...get off to a good start. and mission accomplished. Team jumped out to an 8-0 lead..and they lead after one 23-21. chris paul is leading the hornets scoring with 14 points. bring on the 2nd quarter ...we're about 7 and a half minutes in..and just like that..it's all even here int he phone booth. spurs outscore the hornets 14-8 over the last 4 minutes.. but, what counts most is on the scoreboard..where the hornets still hold a 16-14 advantage. chris paul's hot. carrying the team offensively...same for manu ginobli on the other side. whole lotta ball game left ...Just the kind of start the hornets needed here n hostile territory. Bees jump out to an 8-0 lead and spurs are forced to call time out. Just as we expected..hornets double team duncan as soon as he touches the ball..and NO ONE can hit a shot as spurs miss their first 5 shots. 8-zip hornets with 9:03 left TO Spurs gooooooooooooooo Hornets ...so we've finally arrived at gametime here in san antonio... packed house...sea of darkness here in the arena. loud, raucous, intimidating..just the sort of scene the hornets like to enter to win game 3. starting five as usual...west, chandler, mo'pete, peja and cp3...he left the supposed limp in the locker room.. and to quote my man rob nice..IT'S GAME TIME ...hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee come your hornets..love the boo birds..and how about some love from da saints...Mike Mckenzie on the court to greet the team as they go thru lay up drills.. chris paul knee update..warm ups on..but running like normal..one foot in front of the other. more to come ...Spurs take the court 19 mins before gametime...fans have these things called 'clappers'...enough said..so annoying. hornets still not on the court for pregame shoot around..but i can see them dancing in the tunnel back in a sec ...FInally..made it to my media seat. there's no love for WWL here in the AT & T center..or as i like to call it..the PHONE BOOTH. I'm gonna be performing all week. Hornets players took to the court just a few minutes ago. It's a late start tonight..8:30.. on the floor right now for the bees..ely, chandler, mo pete, wells and west...oh yeah, i see butler doing wind sprints..that's about all of the work he'll get tonight. s... Chris Paul may not have won the league's MVP award, but he is receiving plenty of notice, especially since his postseason performances have wowed viewers. Paul was named to the All-NBA first team Thursday. He was just three votes shy of unanimous. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, who did pick up the MVP award, was a unanimous choice. The rest of the squad included LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard. Chris Paul was sitting on a basketball with a sleeve on his right knee and didn't participate in the running portion of Thursday's shootaround prior to Thursday night's Game 3. Coach Byron Scott said it was no big deal. He said that Paul has run plenty this year and is in good shape and didn't need the extra work. Paul did participate fully in the shootaround. ...I'd been wondering, since hearing Gregg Popovich's two post-game press conferences and reading an account of an exchange he had with a New Orleans media member during the off day, whether I had missed something the past decade. Had I missed the NBA's version of Bobby Knight with the media? Apparently not. Mike Finger of the San A... What a beautiful day to be in san antonio. Temps in the mid 90s...but, they say it's a DRY heat...I was still sweating here's hoping the Hornets will have the Spurs sweating out another playoff game tomorrow night. The talk in all of the papers here is of 'survival'. The last time the Spurs were in a 0-2 playoff hole, they got swallowed up in 4-straight games by the lakers. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan point to their teams slow ... Mark Singletary of City Business says the city should go nuts for the Hornets as they approach unchartered waters in the playoffs. He says he was in Houston when the Rockets won a title in the mid-90s and says they went nuts. ...Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express News says the Hornets and Chris Paul are taking what they want this postseason. ...The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette says the Hornets have a chip on their shoulder that is fueling the furious post season run and that the head coach just might be using it for motivation. ...J.A. Adande of ESPN says don't let Chris Paul's boyish charm and looks deceive you the guy dancing in the Louisiana promotion at Hornets' games is cutthroat on the court. ...Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express News says if the Spurs are to rally against the Hornets, they'll need someone other than Tim Duncan to lead the way as the Hornets are determined to take the perennial All-Star out of his flow. ...ESPN's Marc Stein says the Hornets are growing more convincing by the quarter as they have handled the defending champions decisively - twice. ...Charles Barkley was effusive about the Hornets all night long. He chided TNT for not showing more Hornets games this year. "We've been sleeping on the Hornets all year," he said, more than once. More from Sir Charles: "The past has nothing to do with the present. The reason I think New Orleans is going to win is they're just the better team. These guys are better defensively. They are so active. Chandler is everywhere. David West had a terri... Chris Paul is good. With 3:09 left, amid chants of M! V! P!, CP3 has 28 points and 12 assists. yeah, he's fairly good. This is the first time since Game 2 against Dallas that I've seen him really take over the game on his terms. ...Let's look, again, at Scott Cody's keys to the game. 1. Tyson Chandler foul trouble 2. Get out fast. 3. Peja needs to be hot Well, that's at least what the song is right now in the Arena. Mo Pete is hitting all kinds of shots. Chris Paul is taking to the rim and scoring and getting in the Spurs' heads. And the best part of any game in the Arena, when the fans can sense a Peja Stojakovic 3-pointer. Ever seen 18,000-plus people collectively stand up and go nuts when a ball goes through the basket? It's crazy. One other thought. Deuce Mc... Scott Cody gives me his thoughts right now about the first half. "Like I said. Parker gets his first pionts in the paint in the final seconds. His five points are in the final seconds of the half. That's pretty successful. Byron Scott talked about limiting one of the big three, and I think that's been pretty successful. You saw it at the 3:45 mark. Scott went small and tried to force David West to be matched up with Tim Duncan.... The Hornets' head coach decided, apparently, to run the Spurs into the ground, as WWL-TV's Scott Cody said to me. Julian Wright, Jannero Pargo, David West, Peja Stojakovic and Chris Paul. Think that's a fast lineup? And in other news, we've got more famous people in attendance: Big night in New Orleans. ...and no fire extinguishers have come out on the floor. In fact, we've got Air Hugo and mini Air Hugo instead of Super Hugo. They're dancing. It's funny. The crowd is enjoying. Can you ask for anything more? Glenn Dorsey is in the house. He's a bit more famous in these parts than Danny Glover. So, he got a bigger chair. Actually, he got the biggest cheer of the night so far. OK, so the game. Let's look back at Sc... that goes for several things. I wouldn't say any player or team has really come out guns ablazin'. The Hornets are shooting 50 percent, which good, but they've taken three fewer shots than San Antonio has shot. And the Spurs are shooting below 40 percent. Also, the Hornets promotions department is 1-for-1 on timeout entertainment tonight. They hamster ball crawl involved not fire. In other news, Danny Glover is in the ... Tyson Chandler picked up two quick fouls in the first 5 1/2 minutes of the game, breaking Scott Cody's first key to the game. Melvin Ely came and shot a pretty nasty (read: awful) hook shot. Let's see what happens. ...Scott Cody, a.k.a. the best dressed man at WWL-TV, is sitting next to me. He has this to say about the keys for tonight: 1. Tyson Chandler has to stay out of foul trouble. I'll add one more key: And speaking of, I'm a... so, obviously, the game is going to start relatively soon. Tip-off is set for 8:40 p.m. Saturday night the give away from a yellow shirt for everybody. This time, it's the terrible towel. No, we're not the Steelers. But that's the only name i can think of for the towels. Stay tuned. ...Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express News also offers the opinion that this series will see some possible on court fireworks as these two teams apparently have no love for each other, especially where it concerns Bruce Bowen. ...Count the San Antonio media as believers in the Hornets now. Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express News said there was no panic in the Hornets, even when they got down big early. ...As a guy who has won several championships, Greg Popovich has seen it all and isn't about to get upset about losing a game. He was short with his answers to the media and seemed to feel several questions were silly. Popovich said he couldn't tell if the crowd was loud or not, because that's not what he does, and all crowds are loud. He doubted it had any effect on his team. Pop also noted that any talk of pressure for Game 2 is 'psy... It took awhile, but New Orleans turned a close Game 1 into a blow out in the final 3 minutes. And CP3 was the catalyst. New Orleans wins 101-82. ...San Antonio went 9-of-17 from behind the arc in the first half. The second half? The Spurs are 3-of-13. And the Hornets have a 12-point lead with 2:33 to play. Think the 3 isn't a big part of this game? ...In the four games this season against the Spurs, the Hornets went as David West went. In the two losses, he had 15 and 16. In the two wins, he had 32 and 29. Tonight, he has 28. That's a good sign. ...Scott's thoughts: And me: It was bound to happen, and the fans wanted it. And what the fans want, the fans get. New Orleans made a run, specifically a 10-0 run to take the lead. It was 49-45 to start the half. It's now 58-54 with 6:45 to play in the third. Chris Paul might be waking up, Bruce Bowen is cooling off for the Spurs and the crowd is back into the game. Let's see if this can keep up. ...So, Scott had to do the 10 o'clock news. He also watched the game at the office. But now he's here. What does he have to say? Scott says: Like Scott said, i (Bradley) think there'... Yes, New Orleans is down. But look at it this way - it's down by four despite playing a mostly sub-par first half. The Hornets shot 45 percent in the half, but for much the first 24 minutes, they were in the 30s. Chris Paul couldn't get untracked and worse, has three fouls. He can't be nearly as aggressive in the second half, not that he has been aggressive in the first half. He has been the opposite of aggressive. Whatever ... Just a quick one here: Peja is keeping the Hornets in this with 11 points, and Julian Wright is giving the team good minutes, playing good D and moving on offense. also, Bruce Bowen just got fouled hard by Bonzi Wells. You think it might have been a little payback for Bowen's mugging of CP3 in March? ...OK, so it's been at least 20 minutes since Super Hugo flew threw the hoop that was set on fire. That's the second time SH has ruined the flow of the game. Late in the season, he tore the net on a dunk and it took nearly 20 minutes for Arena folk to put a new net up. This time, the floor, as previously stated, was full of flame retardant. The court is proving hard to clean up. They need a Zamboni to get the floor right. ... New Orleans began the quarter hot, keeping San Antonio off the board until 7:36 remained in the first. And then San Antonio picked up its game (which, by the way, happened when Manu Ginobili came in the game) and the Hornets went cold. New Orleans finished the quarter shooting 41.7 percent while the Spurs ended 50 percent. Ginobili was 4-for-4, and 3-for-3 from 3-point range and has 11 points. The Spurs have six treys in the g... Just like I knew, San Antonio battled back and now has the lead, 21-17 with 2:27 to play in the first quarter. Tim Duncan hasn't really been that big an advantage for the Spurs. Manu Ginobili has two quick 3-pointers to get the Spurs going and has 8 off the bench in about eight minutes. Ginobili will be the key to this game. New Orleans needs to find a way to contain him ...Yes, I went there with the cowboy cliche. It happens. But let's say this: Byron Scott wanted the Hornets to force San Antonio into a jump-shooting team. So far, Barely three minutes in, San Antonio has yet to score and is 0-for-4. New Orleans is getting rebounds thanks to Tyson Chandler. Now, do I expect this to continue? Not at all. S.A. is too good. But I do like the confidence New Orleans is playing with and I do like the to... |