In a basement. In our pajamas.
By ticktock6 on March 8, 2009
It is safe to say that when something like this happens, the game is very, very over.
Here it is, if you missed the play that exploded the Arena. But you gotta wait till the very end to see it, ’cause it’s the #1 Play of the Night. Julian Wright finished with 20 points on 8 of 10 shooting, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. The crowd adored him.
By mW on March 7, 2009
The only Twitter feed on our site right now is TT6’s, but you may have noticed she put up a link to where you can find my Twitter feed too, over on the right sidebar. In case you missed it, you can follow me @ mW_. I usually tweet from the games and try to pick up on stuff that you can’t see on television.
I also try to keep up with other NBA bloggers and tweeters and re-tweet the best stuff they do that you might not catch. Well, I’ll be at it tonight at the Hive against the Thunder. Go Hornets!
By ticktock6 on March 6, 2009
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.
By ticktock6 on March 6, 2009
By ticktock6 on March 4, 2009
Just some stuff traveling through a series of tubes.
“yo i hate broccoli. every 1 go 2 the grocery stores, buy up all the broccoli, and burn it. there will be no broccoli in phoenix 2 nite. yur man shaq”
“im at the busy intersection downtown. any twitterin drivers here? if there are, shut off yur ignition and calmly walk away from yur cars. it will cause hours of gridlock and bring the citys infrastructure to a halt. in accordance with my master plan. peace”
And on that note, I’m out trying to create mass hysteria via my Twitter feed…
Tired Pose smiley ’cause it’s too early to be up.
By ticktock6 on March 2, 2009
Quoth Mr. West: "Rrraawwwrr!"
Of the week, that is.
David West was just named the Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging 30-11 in his last three games. D-West has been all-around beasting in many scary, dangerous ways since the All Star break. We know Chris Paul gets these kind of awards all the time, but I can’t recall West getting one and seeing him get recognition makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.
So, just a friendly warning, you might want to step out of his way. He’s kind of a big deal right now. He has many leatherbound books… as well as an attitude, lotsa tats, and a chip the size of the state of Arizona on his shoulder.
Yes, Arizona. Exactly that size.
By mW on March 1, 2009
We are three games into the Second Tyson Era. We have three wins to show for it, and three monster performances from Mr. Chandler, who wants to show you, Jeff Bower, and the world that he still has it. As for Chris Paul and David West, two superstars who were vocally opposed to his departure and even more vocally ecstatic about having Tyson back? Monster games in his absence (albeit, due to injury, but nonetheless after word of the trade was made public), to show the world that with the team on their backs they would carry it.
But with Tyson back on the floor? We have a young core of Paul, West, and Chandler. Three against the world. Add to that a savvy, sharp-shooting veteran in Peja Stojakovic, and a resurgent Rasual Butler hitting from everywhere and an aggressive defender. Not to mention former-starter Morris Peterson coming off the bench alongside the roughshod championship swagger of James Posey. This has not only the makings of a championship team, but a dynasty team. Coach Scott has gotten this team playing well together and they have great chemistry on and off the field. Moreover, they are all well-known as good people, who stay out of trouble, and contribute to their community.
So I ask you, Mr. Shinn: what will it take to keep this team together? Tell them. Tell us. We know that as of right now, the team salary will be over the luxury tax next year. Fine. So how much money do you need to make to make it worth your while? Throw down the gauntlet. What if the team makes the second round of the Playoffs? How much more income would that bring you? The Western Conference Finals? The NBA Finals? What would it take? Tell the team. Challenge them. You might be surprised.
How about us? The Fans? We’re already averaging above 97% seat capacity at home games. What more can we do? Should the dollar beers at the pre-game Buzzfest cost two dollars? Are we not buying enough merchandise? Chris Paul’s merchandise is the fourth most popular League-wide. Is it because we haven’t bought more Butler jerseys? Should we have bought matching shorts? T-shirts? Is buying two drinks inside the arena instead of three doing it? Tell us.
I think you’d find that the people of New Orleans have embraced the Hornets and have come to love them as one of their own, as if they were born and raised here. That’s just the kind of city this is. So maybe you should talk to us. All of us. Don’t just implode the team that you and Mr. Bower and Coach Scott have so masterfully built just because we started a little slow this year. We understand there are fiscal realities, but look how long Denver gave Iverson and Anthony to gel before calling it quits. Prove your critics wrong by showing you have what it takes to be a championship owner. But if you want, put some of the onus on us.
I know that, personally, I’d do whatever it takes to keep our core together. I love these guys. I believe they will win this city a championship. Maybe even more than one. The NBA is prone to having multi-championship winners once a team evolves to that level of play. And, honestly, who else would you rather build a winner around than Chris Paul? He and this team are your future investment. They will bring the returns you’re looking for. They just need the chance.
So while we will root for the Hornets rabidly, knowing this could be their last year together, knowing that the summer could bring a heart-breaking roster implosion, and we expect the guys to play like it’s their last year together and give 141%, we ask you again: what will it take to keep this team together?
You told us all to have Passion, Purpose, and Pride. We do. Our team does. But do you? Or is it just about the almighty dollar?