Hornets Hype

I have no clue how I feel right now. So really, I am just going to put a whole bunch of emotions on little pieces of paper into a hat. And then, you know, we can just go with whatever gets picked, and pretend that’s what I said.

• Elated
• Ecstatic
• Hopeful
• Worried
• Confused
• Uncertain
• Optimistic
• Regretful
• Disbelieving
• Nervous
• WHOO!
• WTF?

This Tyson situation is so bizarre I can’t even talk about the game. And it was a really, really good game. Man, it was good. Everything I expected out of today has been flipped upside-down. Hornets backup bigs get blasted by Dwight Howard? Nope. They blew the Magic out 117-85. Tyson Chandler being traded to OKC? Nope. I get home, turn on the highlights, and it’s Rick Kamla announcing that he’s back. ?? So instead I will give you four facts about the game that are probably random enough to reflect the weirdness of life as a Hornets fan at this particular hour on this particular day of this particular month of the year 2009.

1. At halftime warmups, Dwight Howard randomly jumped on it and started dancing to Apache, which was playing on the arena PA. I seriously think he took about 2 shots the entire time he was out there. He was too busy just quietly dancing by himself. Sure, there were other people around. But none of his teammates were dancing, nor did they even seem to bat an eyelash that he was. Dwight Howard is a special soul. Hilarious.
2. Hands down the best moment of the night: With 8 seconds left in the 4th quarter, Devin Brown jacks a long three that puts the crushing lead up to 32. You might say that’s bad sportsmanship. You might not have had to watch and cringe as your Christmas Day was embarrassingly ruined on national TV. I did, and I personally wouldn’t have cared if they ran the lead up to 40. Clearly the Hornets felt the same way. Anyway, right at this point someone in the crowd yells, “MERRY CHRISTMAS, MAGIC!” and I about died laughing.
3. There was actually a sustained wave going in the Arena in the 3rd quarter. We were partying like it was 1989 in there.
4. Tonight we learned that if James Posey takes his tall socks off on the bench, it is an undeniable sign that the game is over.

It doesn’t really grab offensive rebounds as well as Tyson did, but–

I give up. Fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you.

And the Saints just released Deuce McAllister today too. So while I’m at it, fuck you, Saints. Why wait, when you can combine forces with the Hornets to upset hundreds of thousands of people over the course of two hours?

Last night, before the game, Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler ran laps. Back and forth, seventeen times. If you watched the CST broadcast, you saw it. CP followed it up by nailing 5 out of 5 threes. A tantalizing glimpse at what hope looks like.

The world takes its time from Greenwich. The New Orleans Hornets take their time from Chris Paul. It’s no secret.

And CP would be ready to go, right now, if the Hornets staff said the word. That’s no secret either. Hell, he wanted to go two days after the injury. And if he doesn’t suit up against the Celtics tomorrow night, the game has the potential to go from a marquee matchup to really, really ugly. As in, you thought last night was ugly? Yeah.

Talk about your rough two weeks. I gotta admit, I was pretty down. And then I read this little story by Dan Steinberg, who covers the Washington Wizards:

Before tonight’s Wizards-Pacers game, I went up to Nate and Besse, two of my favorite Wiz fans, and asked why they were here, watching two bad NBA teams, on as beautiful a February evening as D.C. will ever see. They told me they hadn’t missed a game all season, and weren’t about to start now.

Well, after an ill Caron Butler went all MJ in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 straight points in less than four minutes without missing a shot, and after a sleepy and borderline comatose crowd suddenly turned into some whooping remnant of the glory days, and after Caron laid prone on the court with his head in the first row of seats after winning the game, and after his teammates sprinted out to mob him, Nate came running down to the media section.

“Steinberg!” he yelled at me. “That’s why we still come to games.”

Be ashamed, fickle Hornets fans, with your booing and your rustling restlessly and your inane “blow it up because the team is done” trade suggestions. I read that, and realized I was. And, you know, even if CP and Tyson come back tomorrow in time for the Celtics– which, is it really wise to even hope that they will, with the All Star Break coming up?– there’s a huge likelihood the Hornets will still lose. It’s not realistic to pretend otherwise.

But you know what? You should go to the game anyway. And you should have fun at it. If that involves a lot of beer, fine. If it’s a blowout, so be it. But… I’ve seen things happen.

Loyalty isn’t something outdated. It isn’t something that’s for other people. It’s an arena holding its breath. It’s waiting for a familiar face to come running out of the tunnel. It’s swearing you’re going to leave after halftime in a blowout, but then never quite managing to get up out of your seat or switch the channel because you know it’s a lie.

It’s two guys in warmups, running laps on an empty court.

“We have enough in this locker room to get the job done; we just have to find a way to get it done. A lot of us in this locker room, from myself, to Rasual, to Mo Pete, to Ryan Bowen, to Devin Brown, we’ve always heard, ‘You can’t.’ We’re hearing the same thing now, that we can’t get the job done and we don’t have enough. I know for myself and other guys, that just serves as motivation for all of us.”

- Antonio Daniels

The Hornets didn’t have Chris Paul. They didn’t have Tyson Chandler, their starting center and only seven footer, or Morris Peterson, a solid backup who was a starter last season. And, because he was ejected in the 2nd quarter with a Flagrant 2, they didn’t have David West.

Peja didn’t shoot particularly well. Neither did Posey.

So they lost tonight, right?

Nope, and this win was 100% due to a guy who was a constant DNP-CD at the end of last season, and two other guys I have been mercilessly ragging on all year.

You say, “Oh, it was just the T Wolves.” Bullshit. The Wolves should have killed us on size alone with the lineup we rolled out tonight. “Haha, what Hornets bench? It’s an insult to call those guys a bench.” You’re goddamn straight it is. ‘Cause they’re a bunch of warriors. It’s like, don’t even demean them by calling them a bench.

But don’t listen to me. Ask Sean Marks (18-5), Devin Brown (14 pts), and ‘Sual Butler (23-8).

There are wins that have an emotional resonance, like when the Hornets came back to beat the Spurs on the home floor, like they failed to do in Game 7 last May. There are wins that put you on top of the world and make you jump around your living room, like in LA last month. There are wins that stave off the doubts, like the one Friday against the Raptors, and the ones the week both West and Chandler were out. And then there is the rare win that makes you realize it doesn’t matter if your team is built to win a championship or not… the only thing that matters at the end of the night is that you’re thankful these guys are the ones who wear your address on the front of their shirts.

That was this win.

Just hype it.  To hype with all the negativity.  People are hypin’ pissing me off.  What the hype is wrong with us?  I thought we were basketball fans.  Nope.  It’s the end of the world.  End days are here.

Trade David West.  Our bench sucks.  Tyson can’t play any more.  Hilton and Julian are busts.  Stop shooting, Devin!  A Kiwi?  Posey is overrated.  Peja costs too much.  CP made a mistake once!  Who’s Ryan Bowen?  Mo and Rasual aren’t starter material.  Yeah, Ely got a ring by wearing a suit to the Finals.  Antonio Daniels, right.  Does this team have a player under 30 other than Paul?  They just can’t draft.  This team has no heart, no hustle, and no offensive flow.  Oh, yeah, and Byron Scott is a horrible coach.  That about cover it?

Okay.  Now take a deep breath.  And calm the hype down.  Historically, New Orleans is a football town, I get it.  In the NFL, every single game matters. The NBA is not the same.  Yes, yes, every year some team makes or misses the April-May dance by a game, or loses a coveted seed by a game.  Whatever.  The best NBA teams, from the GMs, to the coaches, to the players, know it is not a sprint, but a marathon.  The key is putting your team in the right position to be in the right place come the end of the year.  Position.  Not game.  It’s about many games, not any one.  Certainly, guys can’t take games off, and no one wants to lose a game, but it happens.  Shooters go cold, fouls don’t get called (or do the other way), and there’s nothing you can do about it.  It’s chaos.  It’s a microcosm.  Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that professional athletes are somehow active agents of change who have complete control over their destinies.

As many have pointed out, no one has control over their destiny.  That’s why it’s destiny.  You know they feel just as helpless at times, just as unable to change what is happening around them.  They’re just normal folks.  Besides, who’s reading this blog at home, or better yet, work, and can honestly say they’ve never milled through the day or half-assed their way from nine to five?  Go ahead, cast the first stone.  Yes, yes, these guys get paid millions.  Yeah, well, they won the genetic lottery, sour grapes, much?  Here’s my point, they are people.  Imperfect people.  Real people.  So maybe their kid is sick, maybe they’re having relationship troubles, maybe it’s just the flu.  Sometimes it’s just not your day. It’s sure as hype not the end of the world.

But what about the fans?  The majestic blogosphere.  What’s our excuse?  Isn’t this supposed to be fun?  Didn’t we love this game once?  (It’s faaAAAAaannntastic!)  Yet, all I read all over Hornets blogs (I gave up on the boards a long time ago) is the same anti-hype I spouted above.  Listen.  I’m telling you.  It’ll be better tomorrow.  Just wait.  It’s stupid to overreact to any one game, good or bad.  If there is something we can definitely learn from Spurs and Lakers fans–who incidentally, we have seen cumulatively go to the Finals 8 of the last 9 years (and won 7 of those 8)–it is to wait for the real season to begin.  The Playoffs.  Because once you’re there, anything can happen.

Yes, positioning and all that is important.  But the Knicks made the Finals as an 8 seed once, and they’re certainly not the only non-1-through-4 seed to make it.  So let’s be patient.  Let’s allow this team to gel from its multiple injuries and absences and jostling rotations and see what happens.  I, for one, am pretty hyping sure we’ll be pleased with the result.

So from the sounds behind this composition, I leave you with the words, by Chris Cornell, from Soundgarden’s “Blow Up The Outside World”:

Nothing seems to kill me no matter how hard I try
Nothing is closing my eyes
Nothing can beat me down for your pain or delight
And nothing seems to break me
No matter how hard I fall nothing can break me at all
Not one for giving up though not invincible I know

Believe.

As I mentioned last night, I am up on a ledge right now. I’m definitely not coming down till the results of Chris Paul’s MRI come back. But regardless of the diagnosis, I might be up here a little while longer. Just in case. ‘Cause I gotta be honest. I’ve kind of lost my trust right now. And what do you do when you’ve lost your trust in your coach and your team? Well, you huddle on your ledge and wait for a sign that it’s okay to come down.

But just because we’re on this ledge doesn’t mean we have to be in Great Despair. Naw, this ledge is gonna roll New Orleans style. We bringin’ the party up in here, ya heard?

So, in the spirit of solidarity, I am going to throw the ledge open to fans of other teams. But I think we gotta keep this semi-exclusive. Therefore, I took a look at the NBA standings and came up with a guest list.

1. You have to be a playoff team, but be a) underachieving, or b) terribly flawed, or c) afflicted by injuries and woe.

2. You have to be a team that was supposed to contend this year OR has been a contender in the recent past.

3. All you under .500 playoff teams in the East don’t count. Sorry, you’ll have to get your own ledge. Ours is kind of snobby.

Bearing those three rules in mind, here are the fanbases who I’m officially inviting to share our ledge.

Ledge Party Invitees

Detroit – Championship contenders for how many years running? They trade Chauncey Billups, and the team’s chemistry utterly falls apart. Still in the #6 playoff spot, but this fanbase has got to be reeling. Climb on up the ladder, Pistons fans.

Phoenix – Oh, Western Conference brethren, you have a place on our ledge anytime. First they trade for Shaq, confusing the makeup of their offense. Then D’Antoni. Then they trade two guys who have been with the team awhile. And Steve Nash looks sad. Aw. Seven seconds or less to… what? No one knows. This team is having a huge existential freakout right now, despite Shaq having a resurgent year and still being in playoff contention. And what? Your All Star power forward is a great player but just can’t come up when LEADER NEEDED is flashing in bright lights? Have a brew, Suns fans. We have much to talk about.

Dallas – Dirk is sad. Chris is sad. Let’s be sad together, neighbors.

Utah – Man, I don’t really like the Jazz. But you are kinda the closest to being in our boat, just 3 games back in the standings. You had a year of mad crazy success, running to the Conference Finals. You thought you were in for great things ahead. This year you’ve got injuries to Boozer, Deron, and Kirilenko. Your pain is kind of worse than ours. As long as you promise to be polite about Chris Paul, we can party.

Totally Not Allowed to Crash Our Ledge

Boston – The Hornets have a 3-game skid. Pssshhh. The Celts had a 4-game losing streak. Y’all know what the view from the ledge is like, having resided there during Christmas/New Years holiday. So Ray Allen didn’t make the All Star Game and you lost to the Lakers. You’re 40-9.

Cleveland – So this is what it looks like, up here, where you’ve spent the last couple of years, you with your one dominant star and supporting cast that couldn’t pull it together. You ain’t up here now. We stole your ledge. Haha.

Orlando – Losing Jameer Nelson last night to a shoulder injury sucks. But you’re still a little too successful to share our ledge. You and the Lakers should find your own to hang out on.

Lakers – See above.

Houston – You guys fit all the criteria. Unfortunately, my dislike for Tracy McGrady and Rafer Alston borders on irrational. You’re like the party guest that I think would be fun, but ultimately you run the risk of someone getting drunk and a fight breaking out. This ledge is kinda high up, so for safety’s sake, you guys are barred. But really, I doubt you care, because you’ve been on your own ledge nearby for so many years running that you’re kind of clinging and twitching and didn’t even notice we were up here.

Basement Dwellers – Our ledge isn’t really big enough for all of you, and anyhow, I think we’re going to party pretty loud some nights. Which will probably piss you off, seeing as you just do not have as much to celebrate about.

And now, the question I’m sure you’re all asking yourselves– why come to our ledge? Why not camp out and weather the bitter winds of the midseason slump on our own respective hunks of rock? Well, we’ve got booze. And it’s about to be Mardi Gras on our ledge. We’re gonna do it up in style.

It’s a party. On a ledge. What else do you have to do up here?

UPDATE ON THE STATE OF CHRIS PAUL’S GROIN (ew): It’s a mild strain. He’s not going to miss the All Star Game. He might sit out the next one or two, though… Throw me a rope ladder. I’m not saying I’ll use it. But I give you permission to throw it to me just in case.

Photo by Jonathan Bachman

This night is pretty much rock bottom for me as a Hornets fan.

mW is going to disagree. The Spurs game 7 hit him hard, and that is what it is. And he’s still too pissed about the loss to Golden State on Friday (why yes, that would make it three losses in a row, for the first time in a year). For me? Nope. This is it.

I’ve never seen this team collapse like that at home. Never. When Chris Paul stumbled down the tunnel, the Hornets were up 17 points and looking just dominant. They were outscored 42-17 the rest of the way. 42-17. At home. Against a team that had, up until that point, appeared young and lost.

We don’t know how many games he’s going to be out with a groin injury, at this point. I don’t care. Doesn’t matter. Win a game, possibly multiple games, without Chris Paul? Right. They couldn’t even make it a quarter. A quarter.

I don’t know, I think I need therapy. I need to talk to a Wizards fan. A Wizards fan could help me right now. Is anyone a Wizards fan? How do you deal with it? What I mean is, how do you keep caring on nights when it seems like the team doesn’t care? Or, if you want to stick to the West and try to come up with a good analogy, a Suns fan. They would certainly know about something you loved, that you thought was great, falling to bits before your eyes.

‘Cause I’m terrified. I’m terrified that I’m terrified. I feel like I’ve let this team get way too close. I feel like this weekend they tore my heart out and ripped it into tiny pieces. I’m up on a ledge. THIS IS MY LEDGE. NOTHING YOU SAY WILL MAKE ME COME DOWN FROM IT. So there.

And you know, rah rah, I’m supposed to be the funny, optimistic, homer blog. Rah, friends.

No. This team has got to show me something. Tonight they didn’t. Prove to me you can play without CP. Prove to me that you can play with heart. Because right now I don’t believe it. And, even scarier, it was transparent on the court, and you could see it all the way up in Row 26, that they didn’t believe it.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s a train.