Some scattered thoughts on Game 1:
- Over on At the Hive, someone coined the term “Douchethuggery.” I find it rather eloquently descriptive of the Denver Nuggets, so I’m totally stealing it for the rest of this series. It’s at least descriptive of Kenyon Martin and Chris Anderson. Lord, but that’s a trashy-looking frontcourt with an obnoxious attitude.
- We’ve said all year the Hornets winning formula is Chris Paul + David West + one shooter. Well, last night they had no shooters and no David West. They can’t win with that.
- This is going to come down to how well this team can channel anger. If they can do it like they did against Dallas last weekend (after the Mavs showboated and posed and generally acted a fool in Part One of the home and home), or the Orlando Magic Christmas Massacre payback game, or the two home victories against the Spurs this season, they’re golden. What they cannot do is fall apart emotionally.
- It worries me that no player on the Hornets team can get a whistle except Chris Paul. Especially the bigs. It worries me that no player can take a charge except James Posey. These worries were pretty much encapsulated by the one play in which Hilton Armstrong was barreled into and did take the charge but then, of course, the call went the other way.
- Speaking of Hilton Armstrong, he used to be able to hit free throws. The hell?
- Speaking of James Posey, the boxscore says he played 21 minutes, but I didn’t notice him out there. Which is generally a bad thing.
- There is really just nothing more I can say about Devin Brown. Someone on Twitter asked me, if it was just me and Devin Brown in an elevator, what would I say to him? (If you’re not on Twitter, you might guess that I was snarking/ranting about Devin all game. If you guessed that, you would be right.) And you know, he might not be a bad guy. And I would never say the things I say about him to his face. But it’s like, don’t hate the player, hate the game. So. I don’t hate Devin Brown. I hate that Byron Scott thought he was a key reserve in this game.
- (Some*) Denver fans have about as much class as their team. Someone threw a beer bottle at the Hornets bench at the end of the 4th quarter. And apparently someone also threw a towel in Chris Paul’s face. To their credit, the fans around the bottle-thrower ratted him out and then booed him as he was escorted out. *Edited to reflect that a couple of Nuggets fans have found their way to New Orleans blogs and forums to apologize on behalf of that guy. Thanks, guys. We’re cool.
- Byron Scott called the fan who threw the bottle an asshole on national TV in the post-game interview. Heh.
- Melo’s postgame reminded me that I really want to buy a menswear-ish vest, and keep forgetting. Like for instance, a pinstriped vest would look fab over the outfit I am wearing today. I do not, however, covet his loud magenta shirt or anything the shade of it.
- I can’t believe this game was officiated the way it was with David Stern physically in the building. I can only conclude he just doesn’t care about the sad state of things. You don’t call the Hornets bigs for touch fouls (well, except in the case of Sean Marks, who didn’t actually touch anyone on the replay), and then try to make up for it on the other end by whistling Denver for a phantom charge or reach-in by the three point line. How about calling some of the contact in the paint? Meanwhile you have your TNT announcers perpetuating this nonsense by saying, “Now this is playoff basketball!” as players are wrestling with each other for position and people are getting clobbered over the head on the way to the basket. No. This is how people get hurt.
- Chauncey Billups won’t have that game again. And I’d like to say David West won’t either. But he was covered pretty thoroughly. What he has to do is hit those open jumpers. Those were the shot he was consistently given, and if that’s what they’re going to give him, that’s what he has to knock down.
- Watching Sixers/Magic (How much does Andre Iguodala desparately need a nickname that’s not “The Other AI”? They’re not remotely similar players. It’s just geography and coincidence. Sad) reminded me that there are teams out there who actually have rookies and young guys playing major roles. I so wish the Hornets would refocus on building with youth next year instead of Byron Scott’s favorite building-with-32-year-old journeymen. At the very least, you’re getting energy even if you’re not getting talent. What our bench has right now is a lot of neither.
Posted in Byron the Mastermind, Game Recaps, LedgeWatch, Playoffs 09 |
Mood Right Now:
Kinda depressed
Brilliant recap. Nothing much to add except my gratitude for backup up what I saw.
We need to get better at adapting our game to match whatever sport the referees are trying to create. We expect basketball, and continue to play basketball, long after it has been established that the refs want a combination of ultimate fighting, pro wrestling, and water polo.
We need someone to take it to the hole with authority and force some foul calls. When Sean Marks provides your most powerful dunk, you are in trouble against douchethugs. We had mostly weak-assed drives. Brown, Butler, Posey, West, and Hilton were all guilty.
I propose an addendum to associate Dahntay Jones with ‘douchethuggery’.
And ‘man-boobs’ with Carmelo Anthony (see milk commercial:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHXVXNuME6k)
Oh, yeah, Dahntay Jones was striking poses like a player 20 times better than he actually is.
I dont know whats worse, that Devin was out there and we noticed or Posey was out there and we didnt. Talk about a net-negative and a non-factor, respectively. There were times I saw Pose at the 3-point-line with no one around him just looking for someone to pass to. If he keeps that shit up, Im gonna have some fun with photoshop and his pictures.
BTW, can I sh!tlist the way i feel this morning after getting nearly no sleep? Geez…
Haha! You can’t believe the officiating with Stern physically in the building? He was there to make sure it went the way it did. I don’t trust him or those rogue ass refs. Dahntay Jones knows he’s nothing but a role playing ass bum. The Hornets know they are better than the shit they brought to the table last night. Although the refs did an awful lot to take away anything good they tried to do. I mean how can fouls on the Nuggets be so openly blatant and not called? If the Hornets don’t come out with some serious anger on Wednesday night, then I don’t know what to say about them. I’m almost scared to see who the refs will be on Wednesday night. Let’s hope it’s not Ken Mauer, Bennett Salvatore or Tim Donaghy’s friend Scott Foster. There are some other ones that suck too but these are the worst.
I didn’t watch any postgame shit but I’m glad to hear Byron called that fan an asshole.
And no, I don’t think Chauncey’s buck teeth ass will have that game again either.
No doubt Denver is a dangerous team, and no doubt Chauncey is the reason. But this Hornets team, seeding aside, was only a few games different. I’m going to believe they can be the team we think they can be until they lose four games in any given series.
The team’s first mission us to learn to adapt to adverse or confusing calls. Going to the hole more can only help. Ironically, shooting more threes also usually takes the refs out of it, provided you can knock down your 3s.
‘Douchethuggery’ is this the rallying cry coming out of New Orleans? Is this what Hornets fan is reduced to name calling or critiquing Melo’s post game ghetto fab outfit?
Has any Hornet fan watched any other playoff game, because if they had they would know how the refs swallow the whistle this time of year.
Tell Chris Paul to stop flopping around like Manu Ginobilli and crying to the refs about phantom fouls. Then tell Tyson Chandler that because hes not playing at 100% that his own brand of ‘Douchethuggery’ doesn’t make up for it. Finally why don’t tell them to come in on Wednesday and play with a chip on their shoulder like the Nuggets did so the series isn’t a blowout tear fest like game one! (Beer bottle was bullshit but the phantom towel was a little sour grapes on Paul’s part)
NUGGETS IN 4 – be careful of what you wish for Hornet fan!
Uh-oh, should I take back my taking back of what I said about Denver fans? LOL… a hyperbole-filled rant doesn’t change the fact that Birdman’s hair is decidedly douchey and K-Mart’s neck tattoo is ill-advised. Whatev.
You call out Denver fans being classless because some idiot (who might of been a hornets fan) threw a bottle? Did you not hear the whole crowd boo him out of the building? Re read your own post it sounds like you have as much class as the beer bottle thrower!!
And cp3 should be the leader of your so called douchethug category. How many fights does this guy instigate per game? has to be top 3 in the league, he’s like a mini Artest who can’t back it up because he’d get his ass whooped. I am also certain he is from spain or argentina because boy can he FLOP. It’s so Blatant it makes me sick to my stomach, so please stop the bitching about the refs, it was just as bad from Denver point of view.
And last, Chauncey may not have that game again, but neither will JR (0-7 3pt) or Melo. So I’d be a little more concerned about that than the fact David West really sucks when someone actually guards him.
What I loved was when Reggie would say that the hacking and chopping going on when the Hornets were on offense was “playoff basketball” whilst on the EVERY NEXT NUGGET POSSESSION Rasual Butler barely breathes on Chauncey and gets the ticky-tack call. I wish the referee’s were consistent, but I think I’ve seen enough basketball to know that will never, ever happen.
VERY instead of EVERY. My mind is clouded with irate fury.
C,
Two of your points I ALSO SAID. Maybe you should read more carefully. And please, Denver fans, take a look at our About page before deciding whether or not to comment. It should inform you a little more about what we do on this blog, for those not familiar. In particular, scroll down to the part that’s subheaded: “How come there’s no insightful basketball analysis on this site?”
Or I’ll give you the short, short version. We’re not journalists. We’re biased. And we don’t care about you. Sorry!
The only thuggery I saw was a couple of really hard fouls by Kenyon. But he should keep in mind we have one James Posey. Just saying.
That’s what’s awesome about people like JonnieBlack and C. They stumble in because of certain match-ups but don’t understand the whole concept of ‘Hype.
Unbiased, by-the-numbers coverage. Now THAT’S what we’re about!
Yeah, there wasn’t much actual thuggery in that game. I just really really wanted to use that word.
Personal fouls:
Denver 22
NOH 29.
Yeah, refs swallowed their whistles and the Hornets are punks. Thats it…
Posey has been a relative bust since he signed
He hasn’t had a significant impact late in the game in months
stormsurge, those fouls only became more even once the game was well put away. It wasn’t ever that close throughout the game. The personal fouls and the free throws became much closer towards the end. I guess they needed to make the boxscore even out a bit.
It hurts to see the final score but again, Chauncey shouldn’t have a game like that anymore and surely, D. West will come out and score.
However, if the bench plays like that again, i would have to rethink our chances of this series.
And also– will the contributing Posey PLEASE step up and make some shots???
Since there are no back to backs in the playoffs, unless in foul trouble it wouldn’t surprise me to see CP and DX play 48 minutes.
A couple things from a Nuggets Fan:
1. In reading this blog for a little over a month, I’m not stumbling in here to stir things up. The Hornets are one of my favorite teams to watch in the NBA and I rooted for them more than any other team in last years’ playoffs after the Nugs were humiliatingly swept.
2. As I twittered to Sarah last night, I thought the game was terrible officiated, purely based on the different standards the refs seemed to have. It was as if the rules changed as the ball went from one end of the court to other. I really wish they hadn’t called the game in such a manner as the significance of their victory was somewhat diminished as a result.
3. With that said, I do take issue with a few things. The first is opposing fans’ hatred of Chris Anderson, which seems to be completely appearance-based. Taking into account his troubled upbringing, his unlikely road to the NBA from community college, and his former drug problems, the Birdman’s performance this year is remarkable to say the least. Anderson’s blocks could make for a very long highlight reel (especially the facial on Rudy Fernandez), and per 48 minutes he’s averaging over 6 blocks! The guy is not a dirty player and you have to admit he’s entertaining as hell. So, to all those who hate on him, get over the hair and tattoos and recognize how awesome of a story his year has really been.
4. As for the beer incident, I also apologize for the classless action of that douchebag, but I think its absolutely ridiculous when people associate it with thousands upon thousands of true fans. I’ve been attending/watching Nuggets games since I was 7 years old and only in once other incidence have I seen such behavior (1995 first round against SAS). Unlike some other teams, the most hardcore Nugget fans I’ve seen or know sit in the upper-deck and are lucky to get to more than a few games per year because of the ticket prices. Considering this guy was on the first level during the playoffs and that this type of thing rarely happens, there’s a pretty good chance that he represents a bandwagon type of attendee, rather than an actual fan.
5. As much as I’d like to see this series be an easy sweep for the Nuggets, I even more hope that it is highly competitive to the end. If the Hornets find a way to win the series, I’ll be rooting for you guys to make the Finals, especially over the Lakers. I hope some of you can see some parallels between the Nuggets and the Hornets from last year: a team that everyone wrote off even going into the playoffs, a franchise that has very little playoff success to show, and a cast of personalities worth rooting for, especially our point guard.
Anyway, just some food for thought. Thanks for reading and keep up the good work here Sarah.
Dave F–
My Chris Anderson annoyance (it’s annoyance, not hate, but Kenyon Martin really did break Melvin Ely’s face last year so that’s dislike) is based on the fact that the Hornets brought him back last year after his suspension and he did NOTHING for them. Like, nothing. Couldn’t get off the bench. Now granted, he might have been out of shape, but you know, a backup big is exactly what our team could have used. If he didn’t want to be here, if he wanted to be in Denver all along, he shouldn’t have signed. So I guess it’s bitterness that he didn’t feel the drive or get the chance to be that good for us, because as I mentioned, backup big= REALLY NEED.
Part 2 of my annoyance is I have been reading a lot from New Orleans fans who think we should have resigned him after him doing nothing. Just because of the season he’s having this year. Which, hello, hindsight being 20/20, even Byron Scott admitted he’d have brought him back if he knew he could still play like this. So for fans to criticize the Hornets office for that really has been getting on my nerves.
Part 3 of my annoyance is a weird suspicion on my part that when a certain group of Hornets fans (not all! some) last year were like, “Play Birdman! Why don’t they play Birdman? BIRDMAN CAN SAVE US!” I feel like people were (Lord, I don’t really want to say this because it opens a whole new can of whatever, but) projecting certain things onto him because of the fact that he is white. Which totally squicks me out. In the same way that some fans’ overzeal for Ryan Bowen just… makes me uncomfortable. I know that it’s human to root for people like you, and I acknowledge that as a bench scrub Ryan Bowen is awesome, but what I’m talking about is OVERlove for these guys. It is fairly transparent to me why they are overloved, and it, well, as I said, weirds me out.
Wow. This is now a Birdman essay. I guess I would like to add, in conclusion, that his hair is way dumber than last year.
P.S. If you want to talk about my admiration for Nene’s resurgent season, I am totally on board with that. It has been a pleasure to watch, and he is not included as a member of “douchethuggery.”
@tt6,
Bowen can SING. That and cooking MATTER in NOLA.
But Im with you on the Anderson thing. I wish to Jeebus he was playing that well when we picked him up.
Kenyon Martin is definitely a “douchethug”. And once a douchethug, always a douchethug, no matter what # you wear. Some of his douchethuggery is documented in his Wikipedia profile.
DWest supposedly uses boxing as a conditioning tool. It would be great if he would use some fancy foot work on the court and “sting like a bee” instead of getting swatted like fly.
James Posey needs to play like the Bad A.. James Posey we signed. Save the nice guy, I’m just happy to be here attitude for after the game. (When we meet for drinks. wink, wink. )
Byron Scott needs to give Mo Pete more time. Maybe he still isn’t 100% the old Mo. But, he is still 80% better than Devin Brown, in my opinion. Jeez, he was a starter! Now, he is the guy, that comes after the guy, that comes in after the guy. And, that’s if he gets to play at all. What kinda shiznit is that?
CP. What can I say about CP? Flop, young man, flop! Do watcha wanna! He is putting it all out on the court every game. Yes, he does flop alot. And, he knows it. (But, he’s not the only one that does it.) Sometimes exaggerating a foul is the only way to get it called.