Somehow, you just know the Spurs will make one final desperate run to hold off the inevitable: That eventually these young Hornets are going to overtake them in the Western Conference. Maybe this year, maybe next, but it’s coming and these Spurs understand they can’t hold back Paul and West and Chandler forever…
As much as anything, the Spurs are holding onto dear life now. An old man with seven rings delivered David West to the deck on Thursday night, and this happened to be the start of Game 7 here: All hell breaking loose, all the way to a champ’s desperate last stand.
Oh, and when I play pickup basketball, it’s funny how I never seem to get run over by guys who are almost 100 pounds (!!) lighter than I am (Duncan weighs in at 260 pounds; Paul is 175 soaking wet). Uh, it’s called the Law of Physics, people. Look it up. It’ll be in a big book called “Science.”
Yes, he’s averaging 24.6 points and 11.0 assists per game in the postseason while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor, even though he’s played the past six games against one of the league’s most accomplished defensive squads. But here’s my favorite stat: He’s turned it over on only 4.8 percent of his possessions in the playoffs. That, my friends, is insane — not even stand-still jump shooters can get their turnover rate that low, much less a guy asked to create something on nearly every trip. As a result, the Hornets have the lowest turnover rate of any playoff team.
Chris Paul looks like he’s visibly trying to restrain himself from busting out with something assholeish at certain points in the press conference. Just keeps saying, “Wow… wow,” like he can’t believe it. Watch it here.
The Hornets took a 3-2 series lead last night in resounding fashion, putting the patented Third Quarter Smackdown on the Spurs. Guess they haven’t figured out all our secrets yet, huh?
When you talk about breakout performances, and you’re going to talk about them considering this is the Hornets’ first playoff run together and also the first time much of the nation has been able to see Hornets games nationally televised, we’ve all heard about Chris Paul. Who was again routinely excellent (for him anyway… I feel as if I’ve typed this sentence 20 times before… why is that? am I having deja vu? where am I? I need a 4th cup of coffee).
But it wasn’t Chris Paul who was the hero of the day.
David West. Dude played like a man on the verge of something great. I really don’t know how to even talk about David West last night. Should we just have a moment of silence? I’m sitting in the arena with two Spurs fans in front of me and an elderly lady to my left, and I knew it probably wasn’t the best place in which to be yelling, “D WEST MOTHAF*@KAS!!!” at the top of my voice. But it just slipped out… like 6 or 8 times. And then to find out he was injured half the game.
Byron Scott said after the game he’s thinking West and Chandler will be OK for Thursday, so we’ll have to keep watching that situation for updates. Or, you know, you could listen to Dr. Chris Paul, who, when one of the news writers at the postgame press conference asked David West about his back pain, piped up from off camera, “He’ll be fine. Ain’t nothing wrong with him,” to everyone’s laughter. Haha. Tyson, in his own postgame interview, said he wanted to go back into the game but the trainer nixed that idea.
And now, I’m gonna leave you with some other people’s words on our very own DX. Because last night was his night. All eyes were on him, maybe as they never have been before, and it feels right that this post should be about him as well:
“David West scoring 38 points in an 83-possession game is a remarkable and impressive accomplishment. He may have had the best game of the postseason thus far, and it’s worth a re-telling. 38 points, 14 rebounds (four offensive), five assists, two steals, five blocks, just two turnovers. In a low, low possession game. Tell your friends.
I’m pretty confident when I call this the best performance of the 2008 Playoffs.” - Kelly Dwyer, Yahoo
“Despite a bad back, David West was destroying everyone Gregg Popovich put in front of him, finishing with 38 points, 14 boards, 5 assists and 5 blocks. In between possessions West was hobbling up and down the court — he basically had the game Kobe was going for when he kept launching shots in L.A.’s most recent loss.” - Dime
“…West barely spoke a word the past two days. He had been dreadful in Game 4, and the less that Scott heard out of him, the more certain he became that this pressure game would bring out the best of him. They’ve been together four years now, and it took Scott until this season to truly understand the gravity, the harshness, that his perfectionist power forward has for himself.
‘When he plays bad, he takes it real personal,’ Scott said. ‘He goes within himself and really starts to think about what he has to do for the next game. I love that about him. It took me a year or so to kind of realize that from a personality standpoint, thinking about what he didn’t do, and what he has to do next. There were times, though, where I wondered to myself: What is he pissed off at now?’” - Adrian Wojnarowski
Two chances to say, “You thought you knew everything about us. But we’re not who you thought we were.”
And, see, if you live in New Orleans, that’s something you understand. And it’s a reason for loving this team even more. You understand being counted out and downplayed, swept out of sight. And you know, somehow you just know, that every step the Hornets take toward the future, every time they claw themselves out of a halftime hole, every time they get up in someone’s face with attitude, every game they win, every time someone sees Chris Paul play for the first time and writes an article saying, “Wow. How did I miss this? This is great“… it means a little more than a number in a win-loss column.
Anyway, win or lose, we’ll get to see the Hornets again. Thanks, guys, for that.
What does HornetsHype think? Well, I think we know I love all things David West. Some guys talk trash and don’t have anything to back it up with. Like Rafer Alston running his mouth. Was Rafer Alston at the All Star Game this year? Did Rafer Alston drop 30 on the Spurs? But D West can back up his talk with an All Star season, and he was pretty damn steady last year too. Usually when people complain about a guy being a punk, it’s because he’s, well, just a punk. And hell, I think half the time West doesn’t even talk… he just looks. Now, granted, he is a large dude who likes to be 3-6 inches from your face when he’s looking…
I loved D West getting up in Dirk’s face in Game 1 because it sent a message: “We are not gonna lie down for you. Get used to it.” That’s why I don’t mind that Bonzi Wells is a guy who’ll come in off the bench and drop a flagrant on Bruce Bowen (I’m not in denial here– he totally hit him. I’m 100% positive he did hit him. The reason no one clapped when Bowen got up is not because New Orleanians are assholes, but because he’s a big fat faker. He was so injured by Bonzi’s hit that he had to flail about on the floor for 3 minutes and then was fine 2 seconds later. Yeah.) And I certainly don’t mind if D West claps in your guy’s face, rocks his angry look, taps you, bitchslaps you, or gets real, real close, and talks real sweet and quiet while gazing into your eyes. Because we love it. And since we’re the new kid in the playoffs, we need it.
Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie thinks Kidd should be suspended for his flagrant foul on Jannero Pargo (below). What do I think? I think Pargo’s lucky he has damn good reflexes, or he could have broken his neck. That looked flat-out terrifying, before they showed the replay and I realized he hadn’t actually hit his head. But, for the purposes of the Hornets, I don’t care if Kidd’s suspended or not. Pargo wasn’t hurt, and he bounced back up, even having the presence of mind to calm JuJu (who looked like he was about to hit any Mav within two feet) down and pull him away.
It’s not like the Mavs would really miss Kidd’s 3 points anyway…
Bonus!Hype 1: I guess my mind hasn’t taken up residence in the gutter yet today, because I didn’t notice anything funny about the David West photo at the top of ESPN… but apparently other people did. Haha…
Bonus!Hype 2: If you go over to SLAM Online, today’s playoff wrapup has the headline “Wake Up Mr. West!” Except they’re referring to Delonte West’s big tiebreaker for Cleveland. Oh, see now, that’s not going to fly. Sound bite-stealing wannabe D. Wests will not be tolerated on this blog.
So I’ll be the first to admit that one of the only consolations for having to miss Game One came from being able to see our very own David “Fluffy” West get up in Dirk Nowitzki’s face in the 4th quarter. And then watch the replay and be like, “He actually tapped him on the face. Wow. Wow. D WEST MOTHAFUCKAAAAS!!!!”
(If you missed it because you were at the game, and you probably were like, “Double technicals what? Eh, whatever” and/or were high on life during that part of the 4th quarter, shall we say… here it is at the bottom of the post, plus Bonus! Idiotic Commentary.)
Seriously? Would anyone have really noticed if Sir Chuck and Co. hadn’t gotten up to their old tricks during halftime coverage yesterday, talking about how they’re “from the 80’s, man” and they would have punched him or sent a thug after him? mW just watched the clip and noted that the way this whole thing has been blown out of proportion seems more homophobic than anything else. “OH MY GOD. YOU CANNOT LET ANOTHER MAN TOUCH YOUR FACE! THE WORLD WILL END!”
Come on. I’ve seen David West in angry-mode and that wasn’t it. He was pretty calm, Dirk was pretty calm. Obviously some explicit language was tossed around, or there wouldn’t have been double technicals called. But he did NOT bitchslap, pimpslap, or any other sort of slap him. Yes, it’s a bit invasive to get all up in someone’s space and touch them like that, and it was a ballsy move on DX’s part, but how come no one brings up the fact that he’s obviously reacting to getting elbowed and telling Dirk to watch it? I mean, if you watch the whole play you can see him wiping the blood off his lip, plus the cut is clearly visible at the press conference. It’s not like West was like, “Oh, let’s go push around Dirk because he’s soft.” It was reactionary.
And both of them did the smart thing by not reacting further. Hello. They’re the #1 and #2 go-to guys for their respective teams, and it’s only Game 1. What do you think they’re going to do? Yet every time I turn around, there is another thing about this on the internet. “Dirk is soft! The Mavs should trade everyone and start over!” And, infuriatingly, every other one of them is like, “Who is David West anyway? Punk.” (I’m not going to bother to illuminate them at this time, because chances are if you’re here, you already know the beastliness that is David West.)
And Nowitzki did finish with 31 and 10. It’s not like he was emasculated by the event.
Let’s be honest: if the Mavericks had won that game, nobody would have said anything. Instead, they lost, and there is pressure on all involved to explain why the Mavericks lost. It has to be somebody’s fault. You could make a strong case out of the team’s habitual inability to slow supernova guards like Chris Paul. You could point to how well Jannero Pargo draped himself all over Jason Terry. You could also wonder when, exactly, Josh Howard will be ready to play his game again.
None of that is as sexy as signing up the most obvious Maverick for the most obvious criticism.
In the words of the opposing coach, Doc Rivers, “David West single-handedly destroyed us.” You taking note, Rafer Alston? Those of us in the Big Easy have known all year that D-West deserved his All-Star spot. And last night he proved it big-time. Many people have called for Garnett to get the Defensive Player of the Year award, especially if he misses out on the MVP. Well, tonight, D-West said otherwise, putting up 37 points on Boston’s big man.
Hornets’ coach Byron Scott called it a “quiet” 37, which it was, because until we looked up at the player of the game stats, we had no idea he had scored that many. But this is why David is so crucial to the Hornets. When we struggle with perimeter shooting, David offers an alternative: able to just plug away and hammer the paint points. He’s done it to the best in the West, and now he’s done it to the best in the East. He’s like a force of nature, and he’s going to carry us in the playoffs.
Don’t get me wrong, I love CP and Peja, and all the rest, but when it comes to the solid, easy, punishing points and drawing fouls, West is the man. David West.
I do, anyway. Good thing the All Star Game is tonight. The elusive Mr. West has been flying under the radar this weekend, as usual, but not tonight. (To the left, a rare glimpse of #30 in his natural habitat. I think he’s been the least photographed All Star.)
And now, a roundup of articles about the Man of Mystery:
I know D-West doesn’t really care about his personal HypeMeter. But that’s all the more reason Hornets fans should bring the hype for him. I am still keeping an eye out for that jersey, in size small small small. Double West on the front and back just radiates coolness. I could rock a D-West jersey. We have many things in common. No, seriously.
David West was Class of 2003. Me too! Class of 2003 represent.
He has a tattoo of his alma mater’s logo. And so do I! Of course it’s a different school, different color, and different location on my body… but that matters not.
He’s 6′9″. I could be 6′9″ if I was wearing heels and standing on a box that was a foot tall.
D-West majored in communications. I majored in English, a similar field.
D-West gets 19.8 points per game. I can talk about Battlestar Galactica for 19.8 minutes straight.
If I wanted, I could wear nothing but sweats and Adidas pants for a week, just to be like D-West. Watch me.
Through years of putting myself through graduate school with crappy jobs, I too have perfected the art of looking angry yet saying little.
Everyone knew Chris Paul was going to be named to the All Star reserves. But Tyson Chandler and David West were sort of on the bubble in the very talented Western Conference. And Byron Scott was one win away (or one Dallas loss) from coaching the game.
Yesterday this all played out nicely, as CP3 and D-West were named to the All Star team. Congratulations to both of them, especially West, who very quietly outplays other teams on a nightly basis and just does what has to be done. It’s like, “How many ‘Most Underrated Player’ lists can the man make before he ceases to be underrated and gets rated already?”
Before the end of the night, Coach Scott’s All Star appearance was also clinched, thanks to a little help from our friends… er… rivals. Dallas’ loss to Boston in the final seconds ensured that, with us holding the tiebreaker, they couldn’t catch us for the best or second-best record in the West. (Second best because Phoenix doesn’t count– their coach was in the All Star game last year so he can’t do it again.) Speaking of which, three hours later we got a little more help from the Spurs coming back to beat Phoenix, which once again flip flops us back on top of Phoenix percentage-wise.
In the words of the opposing coach, Doc Rivers, “David West single-handedly destroyed us.” You taking note, Rafer Alston? Those of us in the Big Easy have known all year that D-West deserved his All-Star spot. And last night he proved it big-time. Many people have called for Garnett to get the Defensive Player of the Year award, especially if he misses out on the MVP. Well, tonight, D-West said otherwise, putting up 37 points on Boston’s big man.
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