Hornets, Back Again

Of all the teams that, I think, is going to be play better this season is the New Orleans Hornets. You see, they're not the newbies anymore. They know what and how it feels like to play during the postseason. And Byron Scott, Hornets' head coach, have surely made some improvements on his team particularly on David West.

The road in the West for the Hornets, however, was blocked by the San Antonio Spurs. The series of the Hornets against the veteran Spurs were among the must-see games in the West. Chris Paul & Co. were in the lead during the first two rounds of the series and the 4-time champions almost on the verge of elimination. Then, the veterans showed the stingy Hornets who they were playing against and tied the series to 2-2. But the Hornets hopes were high because the tie would mean that they would go back to the Big Easy, which houses the most unified crowd. The result was a 3-2 lead of the bees and a game 4 at the Alamo City. The Spurs turned it over for the Hornets and tied the series again. And then it was the deciding game, Game 7, the Spurs outplayed the Hornets and left the newbies in awe for what could have been a great season against the LA Lakers. It was the Lakers, though, who got rid of the Spurs during the Western Conference finals.

The Hornets team that has surprised everyone last season is all set for this season, bringing all the lessons [even memories] of the last season. Paul, West, & the rest of the Hornets' weapon? Well, it would definitely be their 3-pt efficiency and there's no doubt that their defense is pretty [I think, even better than the Lakers]. But there's still definitely more room for improvement specially in the West side of America.

It's going to be hard to thwart these bees from advancing to the top of the ever-thrilling Western Conference. It's going to be a blast in the West, I'm sure!..

Spurs Tie the Series to 3-3

Yes!! The San Antonio Spurs won 99-80 against New Orleans Hornets. The series is now tied to 3-3 and the Spurs go back to the New Orleans Arena. Game 7 will definitely be one-heck-of-a-game. The Spurs who dominated was Tim Duncan, with 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili scoring 25 points. Tony Parker was subtle with only 15 points. Ime Udoka and Kurt Thomas helped boost the Spurs' bench. Udoka with 13 points and Thomas with nine boards. The Spurs' 2nd-Half Syndrome was gone. In fact, they outscored the Hornets during the 2nd half. Bravo!.. On the Hornets side, David West came out of the game because of back problems, leaving him with only 10 points and 6 rebounds. Chris Paul had 21 points and eight assists. The second leading scorer for the Hornets was Tyson Chandler adding 14 points and followed by Peja Stojakovic with 13 points one of which was a 3-points.

Of course, the Spurs played better at home but they were just a game away from being eliminated by the Hornets. They can't afford to lose, not on Game 6 and definitely not on Game 7. The last game is a few days away, so, both teams can rest. The Spurs need to take advantage of this time off to close this series with them at the top. The Hornets are tough at home and this is the "real" Game 7 and the only way to the Western Conference Finals where the LA Lakers or probably the Utah Jazz will be waiting. [with fingers crossed] The Spurs will win this series.

The Big Easy Won't be Easy

During Games 3 & 4, the San Antonio Spurs showed the New Orleans Hornets what made them the defending NBA Champions - defense. From a 0-2 deficit, the Spurs bounces backs and ties with the Hornets to 2-2. “We are in a different situation now, but we have to try to do it the same way,” said Spurs' guard Manu Ginobili. As the series shifts back to the Big Easy, winning for the Spurs won't come easy. The Spurs' effective approach to the Hornets' stiff defense and surging offense is to play stiffer defense and not stopping Chris Paul. Yes, you heard me right [I actually heard this from one of the commentators] the Spurs aren't stopping CP3. Instead, they'll be stopping everybody else. Surely, CP3 can't win the game by himself. Very clever move from Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich. The question now is, will the Spurs hear each other out for this approach with the L-O-U-D crowd that is sure to fill the New Orleans Arena today? We'll see!..

Check out this article from Mr. John Hollinger, which is all about history that kinda irritates me. "OK, you might think, but if the Spurs take Game 5 tonight, then it's definitely over, right? Wrong. [sigh] So, what really makes the Spurs Go Round??

Difficult Times Lie Ahead

After losing to the New Orleans Hornets [32-12], the San Antonio Spurs [28-15] has to deal with another loss against the Utah Jazz [27-18]. The Spurs' game against the Hornets was troublesome. Very troublesome. The Hornets were shooting 3's and the Spurs clearly wasn't shooting well with 10.0% beyond the arc. Peja Stojacovic looks like he's just in practice and most of his 3's look effortless. I watched the game, okay. So, I witnessed the downfall of the Spurs to the Hornets. "It was a really big win for us," said Chris Paul. Enough with the Hornets-Spurs game. Let's just go down to Spurs visit to the EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, UT.

The Utah Jazz overpowered and handed the San Antonio Spurs' second straight loss, 97-91. The Spurs really have a serious problem offensively. Tony Parker, I think, was someplace else with only 5 pts. "(Tony) definitely doesn't have the same explosion. He's still trying to find his total focus back and get his heel healthy," said Gregg Popovich. Manu Ginobili [29 pts] and Tim Duncan [26 pts, 11 rebs] did great but wasn't really enough to win against the Jazz. Carlos Boozer had 23 pts, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Deron Williams had done his job very well with 11 pts and 14 rebounds. The Jazz played really physical this time against the Spurs.

Spurs' Annual Rodeo Trip SUM is DIFFICULTY
The Jazz, Sonics, Suns*, Pacers, Wizards, Knicks, Celtics, Raptors, Cavaliers road games all sum up to the difficult times that lie ahead for the San Antonio Spurs. I am also expecting that when the Spurs meet the Washington Wizards, Agent Zero will be back on his jersey.

Gregg Popovich on Kyle Korver