Hornets Hype

Seriously, how money has Mo-Pete been this playoffs in general, and this series in particular? In the second half of the season, as his shot flagged a bit, he fell into Byron Scott’s doghouse, as most Hornets players not named Chris Paul or David West have. He’s a demanding coach who only accepts the best. With the acquisition of Bonzi Wells and Mike James, Mo seemed to be getting less and less time as those other guys played (although shortly thereafter the trade, James was relegated to the bench, and Julian Wright’s ascent began–to the same effect). The Playoffs, however, have changed Peterson’s fate.

Since B. Scott is a big proponent of going with the guys who are playing well, Mo-Pete has steadily got more and more time in the playoffs, and is almost always on the floor in crunch time. Always considered a good defender, Peterson has been outright vicious this series, locking down on Ginobili and aggressively rebounding (any one see that one late last night, when stuck in the corner with a Spur on his back, he just slammed the ball down and effectively dribbled it back into his hands with a mean growl on his face?). Moreover, the man has shot 54% from the field overall and 50% from long-range. So just when the Spurs think they have Peja solved, and are ready to double CP and DX–while Timmy suspiciously watches TC, lest the Crescent City Connection be put in place–Mo steps along the baseline and catches and shoots his way to 4-6 shooting from 3-point land in a crucial Game 5. He was an absolute run-killer, draining 3s every time the Spurs thought they could put some points together and helping the Hornets build their lead bigger and bigger.

We, like most other bloggers, have focused on CP and DX, and often secondarily on Peja and TC (ticktock’s crush aside), and have even tried to give shout outs to Ju-Ju, Bonzi, and the role-players that contribute in big ways unexpectedly and impressively. Yet Mo is no role player. He’s a starter. And as one co-blogger posited, seriously, how many teams have a better 5th player on their line-up? I mean this as no disrespect to Mo by calling him a 5th player, but rather try to point out how quality he is in a league where salary cap, free agency, and ego often prevent a massive collection of talent. But the Bees got it. In spades.

And my man Morris is one of the big reasons this team has a legitimate chance to make a championship team this year. So keep it up Mo!