NBA Champions.

This post might rub some people the wrong way. I can understand why. Here we are, finally at the end of a long and emotionally draining season. The Hornets fought hard  in the first round of the playoffs despite being severely outmatched and without David West, and gave us two of the more memorable performances in Hornets history. What am I doing talking about Marcus Thornton at a time like this?

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Yesterday's performance by Chris Paul was simply sublime. It was Chris Paul at his absolute best: passing like he has 4 sets of eyes, scoring at will, racking up steals, out rebounding 7 footers and running the show in masterful fashion. It was the kind of performance Hornets fans were practically used to between 2007-2009, but even better. It begs the question, did Chris Paul just turn in his best game ever? Considering the stakes of yesterday's game, and the overall context (no David West, a rollercoaster season, etc.), it is certainly arguable. That said, this post isn't going to be about ranking performances (although feel free to do so in the comments if you'd like), I just want to use yesterday's game as a jumping off point to talk about a few of Chris Paul's past great performances.

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Your Morning Afternoon Links.

• Recaps of last night's "action": Swarm and Sting, Hornets247, HoopDat.
• Jimmy Smith of the Times-Pic with an article about bad timing.
• Meanwhile, John DeShazier of the Times-Pic wrote an article praising.... George Shinn.
• And so it begins.... there's still more than a year before Paul becomes a free agent, but I expect this sort of "news" to become more and more common in the year to come.
• On a nicer note, the Hornets have helped raise $200,000 for those affected by the oil spill.

Your Morning Links. Happy the Hornets made the playoffs day!

• YES! The Hornets are officially IN. For more recaps of last night's game, check the usual spots - Hornets247,Swarm and Sting and HoopDat.
• Playoff tickets go on sale April 14th.
• Elsewhere in the Western conference, the Spurs locked up the #1 seed by beating the Kings and the OKC Thunder grabbed the Northwest Division crown by beating the Clippers.
• This is no time to relax say the Hornets. Players and coaches always say this, but that doesn't mean they don't mean it. They do.
  
• In the spirit of being aggressive, I present today's musical selection. [lyrics probably NSFW]
  

Your Monday Morning Links.

• First things first. For recaps of last night's win check Hornets247 and HoopDat. Also check Indy Cornrows for the opposing perspective.
• From Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune comes some Dell Demps love. I tend to agree here. Demps has proven to be pretty shrewd, and he's certainly been bold. It's real easy to criticize general managers, and people love to do it, but unless they are managing a championship team GMs often appear to be in a position of damned if they do, damned if they don't. I'm far from completely sold on every move he's made, but overall I think he deserves some props.
  
• This article from the Shreveport Times about the last few games was written prior to last night's win, but it has some interesting quotes.
• Finally, and also from over the weekend, Joe Gerrity of Hornets247 lays out why the Hornets need to win now.
• I feel bad about linking you guys to Rebecca Black last time (no I don't), so here's something that actually qualifies as music.

Your Friday Morning Links.

• The pickings are slim today as there isn't a lot of Hornets coverage on the web this morning. However, SLAM online does have some game notes from the Hornets Wednesday win over the Blazers. These are always a fun read.
  
• Next up: Blogger Johnathan Gault believes the NBA needs to implement contraction and takes aim at the Hornets in particular.
  Why am I linking this? It's not to pick on this article in particular. No, I just want to complain about the notion that certain cities don't deserve franchises because of poor attendance, a notion that Gault applies to New Orleans. It's true, the Hornets have struggled with attendance. However, any discussion of attendance in New Orleans needs to be discussed in the context of Hurricane Katrina, the ongoing ownership mess, and the fact that the franchise is still relatively new to the city. Secondly, there are many thousands of passionate fans in every single NBA city, whether that city ranks first in attendance or last. Writers need to keep this in mind before they use loaded words like deserve. And for what it's worth, I think contraction is a horrible idea. It's not good business. 

• That's all I have folks. Have a good Friday.

There's not a lot of reasons to be upset about losing to the Lakers. Their combination of size and skill in the frontcourt overwhelms most teams, and overwhelms the Hornets in particular. And of course there's the presence of young upstart Kobe Bryant to deal with as well. That said, I can't say I liked the way it went down tonight, even if a loss was the expected result.       

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Your Friday Morning Links. Happy Marco Belinelli's Birthday!

• At the time of this writing, there's no additional news on the extent of David West's injury. An MRI is pending. It's being widely assumed around the web that he's done for the season, and with only 10 games left to play in the regular season, that seems likely. It's going to be tough for the Hornets to hang on to a playoff seed without West, but it could happen.
• Recaps from last night's insane game can be found here, here and here. Speaking of last night's game... game of the year? Nope. No way. Sorry Mr. Patrick Michael, but that win was way too bittersweet to even think about calling it the Hornets game of the year. Here's the ecstasy and here's the agony.
• This from a few days ago, but Joe Gerrity of Hornets247 wrote a nice article which explores why Hornets fans overwhelmingly want to see the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, if the Hornets get there. I agree with the sentiment, but it's definitely a case of "pick your poison."
• This is another article from a few days ago, this time from HoopsWorld. I found it interesting, but only because it quotes Marco Belinelli as saying that the Hornets "don't have a lot of problems on offense." Hmmm... 
• As mentioned above, it's Marco's birthday today. Let's call it Beli Day. To celebrate you can go to a basketball court, make really long three-pointers and then have a friend run around with an Italian flag to celebrate every made shot. You could also set your car on fire and then tell people that said car "doesn't have a lot of problems."
• Best wishes to David West. Have a good day Hornets fans.
  
  
  

It's that time of year. The NBA's regular season is winding down and the playoffs will soon be upon us. Teams are making that last desperate push for playoff positioning, and the Hornets are no exception. Currently sitting as the 7th seed in the West with a record of 40-31, the Hornets have 11 games left in the regular season. It's a gauntlet of possible Western Conference playoff teams.

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Madman GM David Khan famously described Darko Milicic this past offseason as "manna from heaven." I'm pretty sure the above photo is in fact Darko's original reaction to hearing the phrase. Even he doesn't buy it.

Yeah, I know, it's a tired reference by now, but I just can't help it. I still chuckle every time I think about it. Plus, it always makes me wonder who the phrase could be accurately applied to. I'm curious about this in relation to the Hornets and their fans in particular. Throw realism to the wind, and consider for a moment which players would be franchise-changers if they suddenly fell from the sky and landed in New Orleans Arena, clothed in Hornets garb and ready to play. I'll tell you a couple of my picks first, and then I'd like to hear from you.

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Your Tuesday morning links. J.R. Smith is a punk.

• The Hornets got lit up last night. Recaps aren't up yet as I'm writing this, but check the usual places for more.
• Yay. More benchmarks.
• Hopefully last night was an aberration and this bleacher report article is correct about the closing of the season.
• The excellent HoopsAnalyst has a belated reaction to the Landry-Thornton trade and the comments of Mark Cuban.
• That's all folks. Have a great day.
  

It would have been easy to excuse a loss tonight. Facing one of the NBA's best teams with Chris Paul out, one doesn't generally expect victory. Yet with the way the standings are situated, every game has "playoff implications" and every win the Hornets can pick up will be crucial to securing a playoff spot. Thankfully, a game that looked like it might get out of hand early turned into one of the best and most exciting wins all season.

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No matter how you feel about Marcus Thornton being traded or the trade itself, Carl Landry is a good basketball player. There's plenty of reasons to be excited about Landry being a Hornet.

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Your Morning Links. Happy Post-Valentine's Day.

• As I'm sure most expected, The Hornets chose not to renew Sasha Pavlolic's 10-Day Contract.
• Hornets Hype posted this a couple of days back, but if you haven't already read it, then be sure to check out mW's excellent article in defense of Aaron Gray. If you have already read it, read it again!
• Elsewhere in the Hornets blogosphere, Hornets247 has their latest podcast up. These are always a good listen.
• Finally, check out this article on Hornets lead assistant coach Mike Malone.

I'll be honest... I fully expected to be recapping a loss tonight. With the Hornets sliding, Ariza just coming back from injury and Emeka still out, it didn't feel like a good time to face the Magic with Dwight Howard and their third ranked defense. But the Hornets proved me wrong and pulled it out.

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The last time I posted a random Ryan Bowen picture, one of the reader comments was way funnier than my own caption. So I'm going to rip off Ball Don't Lie, Hornets247 and countless others and invite you, the readers, to create your own caption. The best caption wins a comment from me saying "good job!"

Emeka Okafor is out. Chris Paul rolls his ankle. Trevor Ariza sprains his ankle. When it rains it pours right?

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It's been clear from virtually the opening tip of the 2010-2011 season that the Monty Williams led Hornets would be an altogether different beast on the defensive end than last season's team. Yet I think I can say pretty confidently that no one expected this team to be the best defensive squad in the West and the third best defensive team overall by midseason. As Hornets247 pointed out recently, the improvement has been historic. The logical question becomes, is this Hornets team better defensively than any other Hornets team in franchise history? Keeping in mind that there are still many games left to play and that things can change, let's have a look.

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Your Morning Links.

• Or maybe the magic number is three, but the Hornets have won ten in a row!
• It will take time for the Hornets to build the kind of fanbase the Saints have says Yahoo's Patrick Michael.
• The Miami Herald praises Monty Williams.
• Speaking of Monty, he wants his big men on the all-star team.
• Remember West's game-winner against OKC? Of course you do. West apparently told Monty he wanted the last shot. Beast.

This post is a little late, as I've been slogging through the flu or something that feels like the flu. Sorry about that folks. Last time, we talked about the Spurs, the Lakers, the Mavericks and the Jazz. Today we'll talk about the rest of the teams out West who are currently in a playoff spot as well as those who have a chance of getting in.

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Your Monday Morning Links. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

• The Lil Buckets debate has, at times, threatened to completely take over discussion of the Hornets this season. As a result, Hornets247 has placed a 48 hour moratorium on all Thornton discussion. They've attempted to divert us with this.

• Meanwhile, our friend James Grayson has offered his take on the situation at Swarm and Sting.

• In non-Thornton news, there are only 4 games left to meet the attendance benchmark.

• Finally, the Times-Pic has a short article about Paul Silas facing the franchise he used to coach.

• That's about it for Hornets news today. I'll leave you with this.
  

The NBA season is nearing the halfway point, and despite some of the struggles the Hornets have experienced, they remain firmly in the playoff picture. Let's take a good look at the teams the Hornets will be battling for playoff positioning as the season enters its second half, some of whom the Hornets might face in the playoffs. For now, we'll take a look at the top 4 seeds out West.

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No full recap tonight guys, Rohan and MWK were stuck in class, and I'm a bit busy. However, if you want to discuss the game, here's the place. Tonight's game was alternately exhilarating and infuriating, and while the infuriating parts weren't fun, it was one of those games that reminds you why you love basketball.

A few talking points before I go:

• Marcus Buckets Thornton. I hate that Marco got hurt, and I hope he's alright, but it was great to see Marcus break out of his funk and get some real playing time. He scored 22 points (on 18 shots - not superb, but decent efficiency) and grabbed 9 rebounds. He played hero at the end by sinking a mid range jumper and nailing two crucial free throws. He played 32 minutes tonight, and Monty kept him on the floor throughout the later stages of the game. Rejoice ye lovers of Thornton.
• Last season, Dwight Howard made Emeka Okafor look silly. Tonight, Okafor held his own. Sure, Dwight put up insane numbers (29 points on 19 shots, 2 blocks and 20 rebounds), but Okafor had a nice game himself with 18 points on 11 shots and 14 rebounds.
• Statistically, Ariza had another surprisingly efficient game. Let's hope this becomes a trend. On the other hand, he can be a ball stopper even when he is shooting well.
• The game probably never should have gone into overtime. The Hornets kind of botched it late in the fourth. Thankfully, they recovered and snapped the Magic's nine game winning streak. The Hornets have won six of their last ten.
• Lots of other things to potentially discuss. Keep it going in the comments.

Your morning links. Happy I have to go the damn dentist for a two and a half hour appointment day.

Monday.

As you probably know, the Hornets beat the Nuggets last night. My recap is here, the Hornets247 recap is here, and Swarm and Sting's take is here. Something those guys noted that I neglected to is that Monty Williams seemed to underutilize Emeka Okafor last night. Regardless, it was good to beat the Nuggets.

Marco Belinelli loves NOLA. We love you too Marco.

Nola.com has a nice article up about Emeka and his recent play. Personally, I always enjoy reading about Mek. He's a cool dude.

From NewsOK, another article about the future of basketball in New Orleans. There's nothing new here really, but it's a decent summary.

I hope I get some of this at the dentist.

If you are like me, then games against the Denver Nuggets feel a little more important to you than most other regular season games.  Every win against the Nuggets acts as a bit of revenge against the Nuggets for what they did to the Hornets in the playoffs two years ago. For Nuggets fans I imagine the Hornets are just another team. For Hornets fans tonight was another opportunity to rectify the past.

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Because we all need a little extra Ryan Bowen in our lives.

Here we see Ryan, always the ladies man, hitting on none other than Denise Shinn. Has he no tact? No restraint? 

Mr. Shinn laughs, but it's undoubtedly laughter of the nervous and forced variety. He knows in his heart that it's over for he and Denise. What Ryan Bowen wants, Ryan Bowen gets.

BowenBlast: A play on the name "Ryan Bowen" and the phrase "blast from the past." Because jokes are always funnier when you explain them.

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Note: This will be a short recap, as I'm trying to get my house ready for a New Year's Eve party tonight. Happy New Year's everyone.

The Hornets task tonight was made a bit easier with both Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo out for the Celtics, but it was still a struggle. Hornets/Celtics matchups have tended to be ugly over the past few years, and this was no exception. Slow paced, low shooting percentages, sloppy ball handling and turnovers, lots of defense and little offense. It wasn't pretty, but the back and forth nature of the game made it entertaining and it came down to a dramatic finish. Bullet points after the jump.

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There was a scary moment for Hornets fans last night (aside from the game itself I mean) when David West rolled his ankle in the first half. Fortunately he was able to return, but it had me thinking about what West means to this team, and I thought we should take a little time to appreciate Mr. West.

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