Chris Paul was quiet.
He’s been quiet for the past few games, content to dish and wait as David West played the leader role. His shooting looked a little off; maybe he was still feeling the pull of the groin injury. We weren’t concerned. We shouldn’t have been. But maybe the Mavs should have.
Because you don’t want to see Chris Paul quiet. It’s like the still, humid, blue-sky day before a hurricane.
And then it was the third quarter.
Interlude: So this is what happens on TNT after the Blazers/Nuggets game. First off, the TNT crew has been unnecessarily ripping on Portland all game, saying stuff like, “The Nuggets need to beat these teams that are vastly inferior to them.” Uh, Portland was half a game back. Seriously, guys? Biased much? I was already rolling my eyes at that. Then they bust out with, “Everyone on the Hornets is worse except for Chris Paul, who is the same. They all had career years last season. We don’t have the stats on that, but… they’re worse. And they don’t win unless he averages 25-15.” Which completely ignores the injuries, the recent fire that’s been lit under them, the 8-2 streak out of the All Star break, and the fact that Rasual Butler (remind me to do a post on this) is invisibly playing the best basketball of his entire career, after being a DNP-CD most of last spring. I was glad to see Barkley back, but I forgot that he’s so irritatingly changeable. (Chuck’s statement is also a rampant exaggeration, as ESPN’s Daily Dime and Elias Sports Bureau more factually stated this morning that “It was the ninth time in the last two seasons that Paul had at least 25 points and 15 assists in the same game. That’s one more 25-point/15-assist game than all other NBA players combined have recorded over the last two seasons.”) But the gist of the exchange is that, according to TNT, the Hornets are “out.”
Really, Chuck and Kenny? You’re gonna straight up tell Chris Paul he and his team can’t do something? You must not be watching the same Chris Paul I’m watching. And, while we’re at it, you’re wrong on another count too. He’s better than last season.
Back to the game. It’s tied 45-45 going into the third. You probably saw what happened next. At one point in the third quarter, mW remarked that it was like that scene in Happy Gilmore (which was fresh in our minds after being on TV approximately sixteen times last weekend) where he’s like, “Nah, I’m just gonna win now.” And then he does.
That was what it was like.
8-2 since the break, and 6-0 since Tyson came back. And I guess I feel sorry for the dudes on TNT, for Bill Simmons, for all these people who write these articles focusing on the wrong thing with this team, that they can’t just sit back and appreciate the whole “We’re getting the band back together!” what-the-hell vibe of it all. That they can’t see these past weeks for what they are– something rare and precious and swaggering and fun in these dark times of “sports as business” and “teams as cap space.” Just a bunch of guys who thought they lost their chance to play together… and then, against all probability, got it back. Just a bunch of guys playing for each other and racing to climb a ladder against time.
And then I realized something. I realized that, no matter what happens in the offseason, no matter what cost-cutting moves are made, if you live in New Orleans, it’s getting to the point where it isn’t a choice whether to buy tickets. I get the “let’s boycott the team because of Tyson Chandler” kick some disillusioned fans went on a couple weeks ago. Believe me, I get it. It’s a grand sentiment, but it’s a terrible idea.
Why do you go to games? For me, part of it is the lure of the tantalizing possibilities that lie spread out before you at the 12:00 mark of the first quarter. It’s about the chance– the slim, elusive chance– that you might see something transcendent. That someday you might be able to tell people, “I was there. I was at that game.”
‘Cause, see, last night I saw Chris Paul decide about halfway through the third quarter that he was going to win that game. He didn’t say it in words, but he said it in a thousand other ways– with a glare, a behind the back dribble, going through Jason Terry’s legs, a laugh and a spin. When Chris Paul asks you if you wanna dance, you say yes. And when he says he’s going to win, you believe him.
Really, at what point does it become less a question of expectation and more a question of plain mathematics? Like 2+1 is always gonna equal three. It’s 77 degrees in New Orleans, and Chris Paul dismantled the Dallas Mavericks last night. We’ve been here before.
Reverent
Last night was the first full(ish) Hornets game I’ve gotten to see in a couple months, and I almost forgot the gamechanger CP3 can be when he puts his foot down. On both sides of the ball he was treating Barrea like he was a child, and then had that outrageous shake on Terry that the benchwarmers wait all day for so they can be seen on TV jumping around.
Also: Tyson 5-5 from the field, on 2 tip-ins and 3 CP3 assists. Things sure are back to normal.
Well said. This is becoming eerily similar to last year, isn’t it? Us potentially closing out really hot again, KB-LBJ-Celtics the only thing anybody talks about, and the stupid love affair with Denver (remember Charles guaranteeing that Denver would knock out New Orleans in a first round matchup??).
I cant stand the TNT game-anylist. They don’t talk about the game much, its like a barber shop with some guys cutting up and joking around.. Half the time I don’t understand them. I don’t take there input serousily at all. I change it during halftime.
The crappy part is I think those guys are pretty funny. But they talked about the Hornets like all their info was a month old. And for Barkley to list off the guys who “had to have career years” for the Hornet to succeed last year, and include Mo Pete in the list, when Sual is having a better season than Peterson (I like him, but it’s true) ever had last year? After how he was saying he would never doubt Chris Paul’s team again in October, it’s a bit rich. And damn, I felt sorry for the Blazers too. I know they’re young, but tell me what Denver has done with their “playoff experience” lately besides be embarrassed by better teams.
Ugh.
But that wasn’t the whole point of me posting. I realized last night that just like you could never count out imperfect Cavs teams because of LeBron, you can’t discount the Hornets. Because of CP. He IS that good.
Barkley doesn’t really bother me. The dude still isn’t intelligent enough to figure out that you’re not going to come out ahead in casinos.
He and MJ are both miserable deep down I’m pretty sure. To be so addicted to gambling, drinking, to have no family to speak of at that age has got to be pretty horrible.
Okay that goofy ass Rob Peterson pisses me off, so it’s officially gonna be the kobe lebron race not the race to the mvp, last year kevin garnett was out of contention because he had help in the “race” but now Pau is 11th and was player of the month, he is one hypocritical piece of ass kissing shit. I’m so damn tired so maybe we should call it whoever scores the most points award, cause it’s certainly not the MVP player award so damn sick of Paul being screwed the man is putting up numbers that players have not put up in a long time and doing things on and off the court that make himself, his team, and the league better you need to stop crapping where you eat Peterson.
We’ll see where it ends up. If the Hornets roar into the 2 seed, everyone will be talking about CP for MVP again.
I don’t think its “Most vauble player” I think its “What ever player brings there team to the top seed” I was thourougly pissed off when Kobe had a damn good season and had a game of the century with 81pts and still lost to Oh-canda Nash. Its about how far you bring your team in the season.. KG got Mvp with a lost in the second round in the playoffs I was shocked… CP3 will get his comeupments eventually.
That can be what it is because the Celtics were made by Kevin Garnett and because he had “help” he didn’t get it they clearly had the best season last year record wise and with a championship. It’s not always the best player on the best team sometimes it’s just a great player doing good things people who say it’s the best on the best team must not have seen a lot of NBA Seasons. I personally think that the lakers, cavs, and celts are too packed according to that way of thinking to get any mvp but they change that rule whenever they want just to please the fans who only kiss the ass of whoever scores the most.
You know what i couldn’t stand though? I can’t stand articles writing off the Hornets and not considering them a serious contender for the Western crown. Of course they mention Utah or S.A. but never think of Hornets of seriously challenging the Lakers. Hornets always overlooked… wtf with the hype with Utah challenging the Lakers? How about our Hornets challenging them? we did win against them this year and the way things are looking, i feel the Hornets can beat anyone!
I couldn’t stand listening to the TNT guys (especially can’t stand Barkley– he showed no respect for the Mavs and i mean i like the Mavs so he should’nt have been underestimating them like that…even though the Mavs aren’t what they once was)– it was a HORNETS-MAVS game and they talked about other teams (like the upcoming Portland/Denver game) more than they talked about the present game Hornets/Mavs game.
I watched almost all of this wonderful game in which i was so glad to see Chris Paul take charge and assist in all those wonderful alley-oops.
I am banking on Hornets getting 3rd seed with the way they are playing.
7 straight wins as of 3/8/09!!! =)
I just, like you, want more mention of our Hornets in a positive light because seriously, they’ve gone through so much and now they’re really showing their true colors in winning ball games in convincing manner.
Honestly, I prefer these Hornets who are underdogs, much more than the Hornets who believed they were all that, earlier in the year. I prefer this edition making the playoff push with URGENCY; hearing the doubters who think the team will have to shed salaries this summer will make our guys rally to the cause for each other. Flying under the radar is good for us; playing with a disrespected chip-on-our-shoulder is good for us; learning to win ugly is good for us; exploding with ruthless 4th quarter jihad is good for us; and supporting this Hornets basketball enterprise and showing that New Orleans loves its NBA hoops is definitely good for us!
Worrying about awards is no longer relevant to our Hornets concerns this year, IMHO. I’d be happy if D Wade gets MVP and Jerry Sloan gets COY, even if we have better record than either the Jazz or the Heat. I am so ready to embrace the “I don’t need your stinking respect” way of thinking, so willing to not challenge ignorant commentators who seem surprised when SuBop makes another important shot; so mild-mannered when a fool calls CP overrated or question DX’s all-Star credibility. Why?
It’s all about the playoffs. No point in bragging about the death of my enemies until we do ‘em in on the hardwood, and if your team truly thinks they have the better matchup on the Hornets, I pity the fool. It’s not polite to get mad at somebody you’re about to crush.
The TNT guys are nothing but a bunch of flip-flopping ass bandwagoners.
yeah, and the TNT guys suck too (Pootie Tang)