Hyping the Hornets in his column in the T.P.:
And then the Hornets game came on TV. And I witnessed a phenomenon that I had associated only with the Saints for the past 25 years and it was this: Everyone in the bar was watching the game. And friends and strangers alike cheered, back-slapped, high-fived, hugged and toasted the team.
It was, dare I say, communal. It felt great. I watched and thought: I need to pay attention to this team.
And:
There is no question in my mind that the story of New Orleans’ recovery and rejuvenation has reached more Americans through sports telecasts than by any other means. The Saints’ return to the Superdome on Monday Night Football, Louisiana State University’s victory in the BCS Championship Game, the New Orleans Arena playing host to the NBA All-Star Game — they have all served as glowing, prime-time advertisements for our city, its charms and its resilience.
Plus an interesting dust-up in Dallas over bloggers’ credentials, as recapped on True Hoop. It’s not like I’m ever going to have a media credential for anywhere, but this is the sort of thing I like to keep an eye on. I think Mark Cuban & co. might be taking a stance here that they’re going to regret.
Bill Simmons plays “What If?” on ESPN’s Page 2, listing the Top 15 What Ifs? of the last decade in the NBA. The Hornets-related highlight:
Anyway, if Portland takes Paul, that sets off a crazy chain reaction: New Orleans ends up with Deron Williams instead of Paul; Utah never gets its franchise point guard; Oden and Aldridge land in other cities; maybe Roy doesn’t turn into a franchise guard playing second fiddle to Paul; and maybe Paul isn’t quite as driven because he’s not as ticked off for the next few years after three teams passed on him. I have to say, I like the way it worked out.
And ABC picks up another Hornets game, this time the home game against Golden State on April 6th. Tipoff has been moved to noon for TV, so make sure to mark your calendars!
You know the funny thing about that Simmons article–which in its entirety I loved–was the idoicy about Paul and Roy not playing well together because of second fiddleness. Did he not watch the Western All-Stars this year? It was obvious even before they were the two guards during most of the Fourth Quarter run at the East that they were the best backcourt tandem they had (that is, the two that produced the best results while on the floor together). Also, it doesn’t seem that not being passed over has hurt Lebron, so…let’s give credit where it’s due: CP has skills. As I thought this section was crazy when I first read it, I certainly had to comment now that ticktock6 brought it to light on a major website, not this little ESPN thing those guys have going on in Bristol.
Haaaaaaa at “little ESPN thing.”
I forgot that, you’re right. We talked about Paul/Roy making an impression together at the All Star game.