Hornets Hype

Great article on ESPN today about allegations that the league fixed Playoff series. Conspiracy theorists globally are feeling vindicated. Personally, I remember Jeff Van Gundy making allegations three years ago that he was told about league plans to fuck the Rockets and Yao Ming. He was fined $100,000 and then mysteriously retracted his allegations. The story disappeared. Until Tim Donaghy corroborated it this week. And then JVG reiterated his claims tonight on national TV, though stopping short of saying he would endorse Donaghy’s claims beyond that particular series. Of course, reading his body language, he was chomping at the bit to say more. Conversely, when ABC showed David Stern’s response, his body language was clearly uncomfortable with the lie he was uttering through forced smiles. That’s just my read. But the truth was in his eyes. You just have to look for it.

Another impugned series by Donaghy? Kings-Lakers 2002. Another oft-complained about series. And surprise, surprise, there were also allegations of favoring star players. Gee, really? In the NBA? What? By the way, someone found our site the other day using the search term “NBA referee steals game.” Yeah. Probably a Laker fan. While I make no excuse for the lameness of some Laker fans, the refereeing was definitely wicked questionable in Game 2. But, expect it to be lopsided the other way in L.A. to ensure a 2-2 split. Because as Donaghy makes clear, and anyone otherwise enlightened can see, the NBA cares more about a long series to ensure TV revenues and happy sponsors than who wins. Of course, that’s assuming both teams have superstars and big markets.

Right. But people will say Donaghy’s a rogue. He’s just trying to save himself. Right. His accusations are so implausible. Bullshit. They’re what most fans think most of the time but have no proof thereof. Which, of course, is the hallmark of a good conspiracy. So such logic says the Finals will start in Game 5. By then the refs, and Stern, won’t care who wins. They will have made their money.

So out in the ether of the world wide web, there is plenty of Hornets’ hatred for the Lakers. Go figure. Is it because CP didn’t get the MVP award and Kobe did? The fact of the matter is, that the award was CP’s to win, and whether he blew it down the stretch and couldn’t help his team seal up the #1 seed, or Byron instructed him to do so so that they’d have a better matchup in Round 1, he still lost it. Kobe earned it. There was no thievery there. Almost any critic in the league would tell you that Kobe’s the best player in the league, and has been for years. Most valuable? There’s plenty of room for argument there. But the answer, like it or not, for this year, is yes.

Maybe it’s jealousy because they got Gasol? But why? If the Trailblazers had offered us Brandon Roy for Adam Haluska, Rasual Butler, the rights to Birdman, Arvydas Macijauskas’ expiring contract, two first round draft picks, and cash, who would have said no? You can’t hold it to them for making a great trade. Leave the complaining to asses like Popovich, who said the league should banned the trade. Boo hoo from the guy wearing 4 rings.

Maybe it’s the realization that we might not have beaten them the Lakers this year if we made it to the conference finals, and they weren’t even sporting one of their best players, Bynum. Or maybe it’s the gut reflex of knowing these are the guys we’re going to have to go through over the next four-plus years, and anticipatorily hating them for it. That I can buy. A rivalry. Let’s just hope we don’t end up like the Kings or Blazers from the years the Spurs and Lakers were taking home trophies.

Any way. The fact of the matter is that the Lakers are the Western Conference representative. So I’m rooting for them. I know I stand alone on this. There seems to be plenty of Boston love out there. (Thus the title of this post!) But not me. I still have a permanent scar on my head from the Garden. Fuck Boston. Besides, does anyone out there really believe that the Eastern Conference deserves a champion? Please. Come back when you can field eight playoff teams with a winning record.

True. NBA Coverage is sparse these days. Of games that is. I’m sure there’s all kinds of Finals nostalgia here and there. Especially on NBAtv. Nonetheless, my NBA Hunger Strike has continued. No basketball since the Hornets lost. A modicum of Hornets blog reading, but no major media outlets. As you all know, The End hit me hard. It didn’t feel right. San Antonio fans might disagree with that sentiment with our series, but are likely just as bitter about their own team’s demise. The Stern Button has been activated. The big markets win. Celtics-Lakers Finals. But still, I am a basketball fan. A huge one. So I’m wavering. There are a lot of storylines that intrigue me about these finals.

I might watch. One more day to consider it. Thoughts?

Oh, an addendum to my last post. I showed the much vaunted Hornets tickets. As you know, we at HornetsHype have tabulated the more likely than not tenuously-connected “Ticket-Face-to-Result” statistic. (Who says we don’t do stats here?) Readers also know, we fear the jinx. So we didn’t mention that Mo-Pete was on the ticket-face for Game 7 against the Spurs. Below are the regular season Ticket-Face-to-Result stats:

• Team Photo: 1-0 (1.000)
• D-West: 5-0 (1.000)
• CP3: 8-2 (0.800)
• Peja: 4-1 (0.800)
• Tyson: 7-3 (0.700)
• Byron: 3-2 (0.600)
• Mo-Pete: 2-3 (0.400)

So, as you can see, despite all the actual basketball stats pointing to the contrary, I was skeptical heading into Game 7 for this reason. Playoffs? Playoffs? Those games looked like this:

• D-West: 2-0 (1.000)
• CP3: 2-0 (1.000)
• Peja: 1-0 (1.000)
• Tyson: 1-0 (1.000)
• Mo-Pete 0-1 ( 0.000)

Of course, these are only the home games. Had we progressed in the 2nd round against the Lakers, with only three games at the Hive, it would have been CP3, Tyson, and D-West on the ticket-faces. Which, of course, would have meant three wins. Stats don’t lie. But, we would have needed to steal at least one in L.A. to move on. As you can see from the images below, the same would have been true in the Finals. Against the C’s we would have only had 3 home games, so it would have been CP3, D-West, and Peja. Ah well. I will say this, however: Spurs, my checking account desperately thanks you. Them tickets weren’t getting any cheaper.

No doubt. The Hornets had an amazing season. But as I put away some of the Hornets stuff laying around the house, I flip through the ticket book that the team sent us for the playoffs. You see, when ticktock and I re-upped our season tickets for next year, we guaranteed ourselves our seats for the entire Playoff run, no matter how long that might have been. And so yes, we are proud holders of Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals tickets that are as valuable as “Hornets: Western Conference Finals” t-shirts, part of the annual tragedy of pre-emptive merchandising, destined to lay in the gutters of eBay could-have-been memorabilia.

But at the same time, I feel strangely hopeful. Despite the sour taste that the end of this season left in my mouth, I don’t feel as if my hopes and dreams have been crushed in the sense of, “wow, this was our last shot–we’ll never get back here.” Quite the opposite. I can only imagine the feeling I have now is a lot like what Lakers fans felt the last year Kobe and Shaq got bumped from the Playoffs before tearing through the league for 3 straight rings.

This team is good. And I only expect them to get better in the offseason. Our core is under contract (CP, DX, TC, Mo, and Peja). We have guys that came to the team late with tons of talent, and with a full offseason and training camp behind them, look to contribute in big ways (Bird, Mike James, and maybe Bonzi). Not to the two young bucks that are looking for breakout seasons (Hilton and Ju-Ju). Obviously we need to decide out of these 10 if still want Bonzi and Bird back, whose contracts have expired. Bowen and Ely are similarly past contract, and questions remain about what role they would play next season, if any.

Of course this leaves questions about two players. The big name unmentioned is JP. He has a player option. Will he opt out? Will he stay? And if he opts out will he look to come back? What about Rasual “mmm-bob” Butler? He’s locked down for 2 more years at an average of $3.8 million per. Will he regain his shooting touch? Will he get out of Byron’s doghouse? Will they look to shop him? As a bonus, the salaries of Arvydas Macijauskas, Bernard Robinson, and Mile Ilic finally fall off the salary cap (freeing up almost $4.5 million).

One thing we do know, is that Byron is coming back, and that is huge. He is obviously one of the best coaches in the league. But who will the Hornets take with the 27th pick in the draft? Will he make the team? Will he make an impact? Will they have any interest in bringing back either Marcus Vinicius (a.k.a Marquinhos) or Adam Haluska? Obviously AH never got a shot here, but is exactly what this team needs: a 2-guard dead-on shooter. What about free agency at-large? Who’s available? Who can we afford? Who do we want?

I’m not sure what the answers to these questions are. But I know one thing. I’m hopeful. Even without any big moves, I love our core. They’re not just great players, but they’re great men. They’re great friends. They’re a great team. They’re only going to get better and so are the guys around them. Everyone can clearly see the goal now. It’s not just about scrabbling out way to the top 8 in the West, it’s championship or bust. And without resorting to the unabashed bluster and hype for which this blog is best known, I think I can simply say that I honestly, truly, in the deepest recesses of my heart or soul or whatever organ or ephemeral entrail encompasses that part of us that can hope, dream, pray, or imagine: I believe.

I know someday I’ll see that golden trophy in our guys’ hands. I really do. It’s like deja vu, but it hasn’t happened yet. So maybe I should say, I remember. The Hornets. Winning. A. Championship.

I’m trying to move on, really. I’ve been posting on other blogs. I’ve been trying to stay upbeat. I still have the fleur-de-bee desktop picture on my work computer. But being that guy who believes in conspiracies, I started thinking about the teams not named the Magic or Hornets and wondered why David Stern might favor those match-ups….

It could be a Spurs-Pistons, whereby these new Motown kids finally assert their championship pedigree as more than a fluke, or the Spurs solidify their status as a dynasty. Or maybe Kobe does what Shaq couldn’t, namely, beat the Pistons, and makes his own legend; or on the flip side, the Pistons prove they are true champions, beating the Lakers again. Of course, Celtics and anyone is a win for Stern. Beantown’s glory restored by the Boston Three Party; a group of revered veterans get their shots. If they play the Spurs, either the Boston team returns to glory, or the Spurs prove that they are one of the best teams ever. If the Lakers, well, what more can you say, it’s Lakers-Celtics. Stern’s dream come true.

But none of these scenarios include the Hornets and their Hive–which had begun to feel like a second home. And this still feels wrong. So I make a decision to stand by my gut reaction. I decide to refuse to acquiesce to David Stern’s vision of NBA harmony. Sorry, not everyone accepts his Cancer Man-like manipulation. I choose to exercise my freedom not to watch his pre-fab games.

Maybe I’m wrong. But, yes, I still believe he has the power and the will to control games. No, it’s not something that shows up in box scores. It’s not about comparing free throws. It’s about momentum. It’s about psychology. It’s about subtlety. Ask Tim Donaghy. It’s about knowing when what calls will change something without anyone being able to prove anything. Because that’s what makes it a good conspiracy.

But I won’t bite. No more NBA for me. I’m on strike. I won’t just eat whatever bread crumbs are led for me to follow. It’s an NBA Hunger Strike. And this revolution will not be televised. But it will be blogged. Check it out. Or not. That’s your right.

…The End. Cue The Doors music. Maybe even the swirling ceiling fan reminiscent of the beginning of Apocalypse Now. Consider Jeff Bower our Francis Ford Coppola. Besides, it’s plenty hot and humid now in the Big Easy. And for Hornets fans, the NBA season is over. It’s a hard pill to swallow. All I know is that somehow, over the course of the season, I became a lot more invested in this team than I ever expected to. Somehow, they made me believe.

I attended every home game this year, and watched every televised road game, while catching a few of the rest on the internet, falling just short of catching all of them in one way or another. I screamed my throat raw in pretty much every regard, home or away, watching in a crowded bar or on my couch. I got yelled at once by a neighbor below me for jumping up and down too much during a game. A stranger next to me at a game once told me I needed anger management. It’s been emotional.

Then, somewhere along the way, ticktock6 started this blog and a passion became an obsession. Suddenly watching all the games, garnering support around town, and spending my money at the Arena to help the team weren’t enough. Suddenly I was surfing the internet compulsively, looking for stats, stories, and scoops, all while trying to keep up with tt6’s incomparable wit. And now it’s come to an end. For this season. And it hurts. It hurts bad.

It doesn’t help that I leave the season with the sincere belief that my team was more talented than the one that moved past us in the second round. Fuck, I felt they were as good as any team in the league. Really, I still do. So far, I haven’t managed to watch a third round game; this after watching part of every single Playoff game up to this point–other than the one that was simulcast with a Hornets game that I attended. I guess I don’t know how to deal with it yet. How to deal with such a surprising end. How do deal with the end at all. Or how to deal with a league that for some reason never really embraced the success story that was the Hornets.

I wondered why a lot. The country loved the story of the Saints returning to the Dome a year ago. But then again, that was a redemptory moment, one that symbolically effaced the pain and suffering of a destroyed city. I guess it’s a lot harder for the country to accept that the Hornets have done just as much, if not more, for the revival of New Orleans than the Saints, when no one even wants to acknowledge that this city is still rebuilding. America likes quick fixes and happy endings. Only it’s not that easy here.

And so it becomes about free agency and draft picks and moving on. So I guess that’s what I’ll do. But it’s obvious that I put a little too much of my soul into the team this year. I need to step back. Not that I don’t want to be a fan, or even an ardent one at that. But I need to remind myself that at the end of the day this is just a game. And for now, it’s The End.

Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I’ll never look into your eyes…again

Can you picture what will be
So limitless and free
Desperately in need…of some…stranger’s hand
In a…desperate land

HornetsHype isn’t going anywhere. But for now, the Playoffs are over. The season is over.

The End.

that the Spurs are a better team. I’m sorry. There’s nothing anyone can say. I know at this end of the season moment is where you’re supposed to be gracious. Where you’re supposed to wax poetic about how great of a season it was. That’s not going to happen here. Check back tomorrow for ticktock’s post if you want that.

All game, we and the people around us were screaming about the calls. But we thought, a real champion overcomes bad calls. We thought, the Hornets couldn’t make a shot. They were outrebounded. They were outdone from the 3 point and free throw lines. But that said, the Hornets kept fighting and refused to surrender. That being the case, the Hornets were still within 4 points with 3 minutes left in the game. The Spurs made every fucking shot they could and they were still only up by 4. Then a touch foul. Take two free throws. People in the stands go nuts. And suddenly, when you’re that close, you realize that with all the calls that went against you and you’re still there, that suddenly, not just “all” those bad calls made a difference, but any one or two might have changed the game. Suddenly, you’re thinking of the 2nd quarter when you had a 1 point lead, and then a timeout, a missed shot, and a touch foul turned it around.

The refs can’t throw a blowout, but they can change a close game. Take for example this switch. CP goes to the basket and lays it in. Traveling call. Seriously? (Anyone see the 3-4 steps Lebron took at the end of his Game 7 and still got the and 1? Yeah. ) Then the Spurs march down and score. So it’s not just a 2 point switch, it’s 4. Add to that the 187 steps Ginobli takes at the other end of the floor, moving from one side of the paint to the other somehow, which brought the entire back bowl out of their seats–a violation that was NOT called–and the subsequent basket and 1 and it’s a free 3 points. Crazy. You have Mo Pete slapped on a three miss, D-West and Tyson and CP driving and no and 1s, while Parker, Duncan, and Ginobli get them time and time again. Now I have to listen to the idiots on NBAtv say Robert Horry has the experience, and the young Hornets don’t, after the cheap fucking shot he took the other night. After all the pulls and pushes and grabs that Bowen got away with, he’s savvy. Fuck, a few calls go different and they’re all saying the Spurs are too old and we’re the next dynasty.

Fuck the Spurs. I’m sorry. I know already how most of the Hornets blogosphere will react to this, let alone the rest of the country. But I don’t care. It’s my blog. I was there. And this is my opinion. My take. Two games in a row were decided by refs, when the Hornets were up 3-2. You say the Hornets lost it, but when they couldn’t get a call on their OWN HOME FLOOR, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me. It’s easy for the Spurs to be gracious. They’re moving on. But after watching the Celtics get fucked by the refs, and bailed out by Paul Pierce, and the Hornets get fucked tonight, it’s obvious that the calls ordained for the first 20-some games of the conference semifinals were on the reverse in these game 7s. The NBA has a long history of conspiracy theories and there’s a reason for it. People are saying Lebron is king, so they want him to win. People are saying the Spurs “aren’t a dynasty” because they’ve never won consecutive championships. Fuck, well, then, just give them one more.

I don’t care. You can’t tell me otherwise. The Hornets were the better team. Were they beat? Yes. Were they beat by a better team? No.

All 14 of the players (and those of you who were on the team and are now elsewhere), the coaches, trainers, and assistants, I salute you. You guys are the best team this city has ever seen. Mr. Shinn, the Hornets organization, you’ve been amazing. As far as the Spurs go, you’ve won 4 championships. Congratulations. But this series, you stole it. No one can convince me otherwise. I hate you.

In professional sports, one of the dumbest things you can do is run your mouth about an opponent. It just provides bulletin board material that the other team will use against you. Ask Rafer Alston about that. But I’ve been wondering for a little over a week now if the Hornets were not giving the Spurs a little too much respect.

You hear a lot that they’re the “champs.” Byron Scott affords them that respect in press conferences. Chris and Melvin refer to them as the “Champs” in interviews. Random White Dude just used the term on NBAtv. Here’s the thing. So far, there are no present-tense “champs.” No one has yet claimed the title for the 2007-08 season. What they are, accurately, and with all due respect, are the “former champs,” “defending champs,” or even “reigning champs.”

My initial thought was that it was dangerous to keep using this term. Because psychologically, aren’t you less likely to beat the “champs” than just some other contender? But then I thought, maybe it’s a ploy, to inflate the Spurs’ egos. But really, I’m not sure that’s Byron’s style. He’s a pretty straightforward guy.

So what my point is, is that I hope the Hornets don’t really see these guys as the “champs.” Because I strongly believe that the labels and words we use do have power. And the last thing they want to do in a difficult game 7 is psych themselves out. So while the Hornets need to see the Spurs as a very dangerous team, as a very seasoned team, and as a team that knows how to win championships, they are just another team. A team that, this year, is a lower seed. A team that according to the numbers should lose.

Therefore, you just have to have a greater respect, this year, for yourselves. The 18,000+ in the Arena will. And it’s just this that the organization as a whole has been saying all year long. Passion. Purpose. Pride. Believe it.

I’d like to clear something up. There’s been a lot of mudslinging from Spurs fans to Hornets fans and vice versa this series. To be expected. But one thing in particular, I feel the need to address: the booing for Spurs players who fall to the ground and stay there. I guess after the “Horry, Horry” chants last night for Cheap Shot Bob, I feel the need to explain to those who don’t get it.

We’re not hoping anyone gets hurt. Not at all. Rather, this is the case of the Boy Who Cried Wolf. Right from the start of this series, in Game 1, Bruce Bowen took a hard foul from Bonzi Wells and went to the court hard. He then ended up on the floor for several minutes, nothing noticeably wrong, not really grasping anything or writhing in pain, but just laying there, face down. A lot of us couldn’t see the play; he was in a crowd when it happened. But believing him to be a flopper–and still not forgiving his earlier-in-the-season assault on Chris Paul–the crowd booed when he got up, rather than cheered. Some people, especially those not present at the Arena, were confused by this booing and thought that we hoped he was hurt. Not so.

Consider that when Bowen finally got up, he looked perfectly fine. He showed no later effect from the play. So some reporter asked Bowen about the incident after the game, and he had this to say: “I just want to be sure that the officials can see what’s really going on.” In other words, he faked it to make sure he got the call. And he did. A flagrant no less. A good tactic, you say? Probably. I don’t mind a little psychology. But at the same time, Bowen opened the door for us, as a crowd, to not fall for it and call his bullshit, even if the refs continue to be duped.

So, ever since, the New Orleans home crowd has been merciless to any Spur who hits the deck. With Bowen’s admission, we just assume you’re looking for a call. And to our collective credit, we’ve been right every time so far. Each Spur who’s gone down and stayed down has managed to pop right up after a few minutes, with no discernible injury.

In contrast, Tyson went down in Game 5, stayed down, and then came out of the game and didn’t return. When West got knocked down in Game 5, and stayed down, he came out of the game and didn’t return. These were real injuries. And let me tell you, if we saw some Spur get helped off the floor and come out of the game, legitimately hurt, those boos would turn to applause.

We may be a vicious home crowd, but we’re not classless. And by this post, I hope not to just explain this to those who aren’t present at the Arena, but to hopefully remind those who are going to be there of the difference. So stay classy, New Orleans.

And go fuck yourselves, San Antonio.