There's a slew of "new" versus "old" changing of the guard notions buried within the New Orleans Hornets -- Dallas Mavericks series that just ended. The one time perennial contender Maverick team is on the verge of being blown up and something -- something about a change in the league's best point guard.
But I don't know that I have the brain power to wax poetic about it right now, simply because I am in absolute awe of how freaking good Chris Paul is. Say whatever you want about this Dallas team quitting on Avery Johnson -- and they did, no doubt about it -- but this series wasn't about redemption for Dirk or Avery. That's because it was CP3's coming out party.
And it's weird too, because it seemed like no one really believed Dallas could go out like this. I don't understand why that thought process existed -- you never even saw the defeat in Mark Cuban's eyes until about seven minutes of the fourth quarter tonight -- but I have an inkling that involves some sort of disbelief in the Hornets.
Has a number two seed, particularly in this ridiculous Western Conference, ever been so heavily doubted? Couldn't you actually take Dallas as a favorite to win the series at one point? Which is really absurd when you consider that only twice did it ever seem like Dallas might have a prayer to make a run in this series.
There was the first game in Dallas where Dirk went absolutely bonkos, Paul suffered under the pressure of his first road playoff game and a defensive switch
And then there was the final ironic twist of the knife in Dallas' collective back. Here was their team, getting blown out at the end, and lo and freaking behold, Devean George scores 11 points in the final 5:56 to bring the Mavericks almost within reach of making the series 3-2. Of course, they came up short anyway, but you can't blame George for that -- he tried to save them from this sad ending a few months back.
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Go Hornets.
Posted at 1:54AM on Apr 30th 2008 by George B Vieto
2. Good for New Orleans. Glad to see their clubs are revitalizing. The year after Katrina the Saints had their first playoff birth in ages. And now the New Orleans Hornets are contenders in the Western Conference. Good for them.
Posted at 8:00AM on Apr 30th 2008 by Tmoy
3. True test of pt guards playing at a high level. Looking foward to the match-up. Can hornets sustain their high level of play? Can spurs find offense when they need it? Will someone win on the road? Can cp3 continue to win to set up a possible match-up with the lakers and kobe? Probably the top two candidates for league mvp? The drama continues!
Posted at 8:56AM on Apr 30th 2008 by The Cooler
4. Playoff experience? Ha!!!! I predicted the Hornets to bet the Mavs in 5. I now predict the Hornets will beat the Spurs and will beat their opponent in the conference finals (Lakers or Jazz) in 6. Going to the Finals - see you there. LET'S GO HORNETS!!!!
Posted at 9:49AM on Apr 30th 2008 by Snoopy
5. I wouldn't count my chickens yet Snoop-Dog.
Posted at 7:37PM on Apr 30th 2008 by spursgirl