I'll now take a break from my Chris Paul worship and give you a game preview for tonight.  Here we go:

Game Preview!
Matchup: Raptors(16-15) vs. Hornets(20-10)
Relevant Blogger: Raptors HQ

The Raptors come to New Orleans for a New Years day game, having somehow managed to lose to Houston two days ago after beating San Antonio the day before.  That's pretty much the definition of their season so far.  They win three, lose three, win two, lose two.  For a team that is certain it was on the rise after last year, that's got to be disappointing.  It's not hard to see what's going wrong with this team.  Their three primary bigs, Bosh, Bargnani and Nesterovic are shooting poorly.  That's not a surprise with Rasho, but Bosh and Bargnani were supposed to be the Raptor's heavy lifters.

The Hornets are riding a winning streak where they have blown out every team, and have never looked more comfortable on the floor.  Scott has tightened the rotation, and though it is meaning more minutes for the starting five, it's paying dividends.

Positional Analysis
PG: Chris Paul vs. Jose Calderon
Advantage: Hornets
Jose Calderon is an excellent up and coming point guard. Inexplicably, he's spent most of the season starting behind TJ Ford, who is now out dealing with scary neck problems that have plagued his career before.  Calderon is a true point guard, sporting excellent shooting percentages(51% and 40%) and a dazzling 6.2 assists per turnover.  He may be the second best young PG in the league.  Behind Paul of course.

SG: Anthony Parker vs. Morris Peterson
Advantage: Raptors
Parker took Morris Peterson's job last year, but they are surprisingly similar players.  In the end, I'd say Parker is about 110% of Peterson.  Still – that ain't much of a difference.

SF: Jamario Moon vs. Peja Stojakovic
Advantage: Hornets
'Who?' I hear you say.  Moon is a 27-year old rookie who for a while was a toast of Raptors nation.  He's a good shotblocker and energy guy.  But that's about it.  He's a weak shooter and has managed to draw 25 free throws in 27 games as a starter.  You can tell from that how good he is at driving to the hoop.  Peja has been free-flowing recently, and his shots from inside the arc are falling more often.  He'll get his.

PF: Chris Bosh vs. David West
Advantage: Hornets
Both West and Bosh went in that fantastic 2003 Draft.  Bosh went 4th, after Carmelo Anthony and before Dwayne Wade.  West went 18th, after Zarko Cabakarpa and before Aleksandr Pavlovic.  Talk about a diamond in the rough.  Bosh is routinely mentioned as a star, while West is ignored, so what I'm about to say will probably hurt Raptors fans no end.  West is outplaying Bosh in all but two categories: Points per game and drawing free throws.  But Bosh only scores one more point while getting 4 more free throws a game.  A career 48% shooter, Bosh has fallen to 43% this year.  He's passing poorly, defending poorly, and in general seems like he's got injuries he's playing through.  West has developed new ways of attacking the basket, has become a much better defender, and has been destroying everyone he's faced recently.  Yay West!

C: Andrea Bargnani vs. Tyson Chandler
Advantage: Hornets
Last year's #1 pick, Bargnani is a 7-foot jumpshooter.  Somehow, despite his heigth advantage, he's hitting only 37% of his shots from close while nailing 40% from deep.  He doesn't draw fouls, he is a terrible rebounder, he doesn't defend well, and he doesn't block shots.  Last year, he shot better, but everything else was the same.  Even then, none of his stats scream 'Center'.  Why the hell is he being used there?  Tyson is going to eat him alive.

Bench
Advantage: Raptors
The Hornets rotation keeps getting shorter as the bench proves it's offensive ineptitude. The Raptors strength, however, is their depth.  Even with Calderon starting, they can call up aggressive energizer and all-around player Carlos Delfino, crack marksman Jason Kapono(52% from 3), a strong backup center in Rasho Nesterovic, efficient post scorer Kris Humphries, and a streak shooter in Juan Dixon.  This bunch is very nice.

Hornets will win this one. 93-82.

We've received a request from the Golden State of Mind Blog to answer some questions of theirs about our team in preparation for our upcoming January 4th game against the Warriors.  Since one of the questions, inevitably, was about Chris Paul and Baron Davis, I've decided to post here an piece I did back in September on The Hornets Fan Blog.  That way I can direct them here and not to my old defunct Blog.  Enjoy, if you haven't seen it before.

It's a little complex explaining just what Chris Paul has done for Hornets fans – and just why we hold him in such incredible esteem. When he stepped in as a rookie, the Hornets were coming off their worst season ever, and not just in terms of record. Over the course of the previous year, the team had been gutted. Jamal Mashburn was forced by injury to retire, Jamaal Magloire sulked in training camp, didn't play hard, and then got injured and sat out most of the rest of the year. David Wesley and fan favorite Daryl Armstrong were traded away. Baron Davis forced the Hornets to trade him mid-year. By the end of training camp the following season, Magloire would be gone as well. You can tell just how bad it had gotten by reading the end of the 2004-2005 season summary on the Official Hornets Site.

" . . . But it was a year of rebuilding, regrowth and discovery as the Hornets developed and harnessed talents like Chris Andersen, Bostjan Nachbar and 2004 draft pick J.R. Smith. With these young players showing great promise, the future looks brighter for Coach Scott and the Hornets."

That's the best the Hornets Marketing team could come up with after the season. "harnessed talents like Chris Andersen, Bostjan Nachbar and J. R. Smith." A group of players so talented that none of them made it to the 2006-2007 team. The Hornets cabinet was nearly bare.

But lack of talent was not the reason Hornets fans walked away from that season scarred; it was how the team had collapsed. It wasn't injuries or free agents leaving. It was blown apart, from the inside, before even training camp had started, by All-Star guard Baron Davis. And that is yet one more reason why Chris Paul is so beloved by Hornets Fans. He's not Baron Davis. And the thought that he could become Baron Davis terrifies Hornets Fans.

If you look at their numbers in 2006-2007, Davis and Paul aren't so different. Baron put up 20.1 points on 43.9% shooting, 30.4% from 3-point range, 8.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 2.14 steals, and 3 turnovers. Chris Paul put up 17.3 points on 43.7% shooting, 35% from 3-point range, 8.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.84 steals, and 2.5 turnovers. But this is a prime example of numbers not telling the whole story. In his first few years as a starter with the Hornets, Baron Davis was everything we wanted in a point guard. Dazzling, skilled, even spectacular at times.(two triple doubles in one playoff series against Orlando!) But as his reputation grew, so did his ego. He became selfish, he'd wave off calls, jack up bad shots, pass the ball only when he was unable to create for himself, drive into the teeth of four defenders and accomplish nothing. He'd showboat, smirk and strut in one game, and in the next sulk and snap at his teammates. And then in 2004-2005, he decided the Hornets hadn't done enough for him to be able to win. That his maximum contract wasn't good enough. He decided to force an exit, gave up on the season, pretended to be injured, and threw his teammates under the bus.

Chris Paul hasn't done any of those things – and he's already as well known as Baron. In interviews, he is self-depracating, funny, and always credits his teammates for his success. Never once has he said a critical word about any of them to the press. On the court he is always under control, executes plays like a surgeon, rarely forces a shot, and leads his team. His first season, as a rookie, you could see the other players, even long-time veterans, responding to him and following his lead. Every player that comes to the Hornets talks about how great it will be to play with someone like Chris Paul. And who wouldn't want to play with him? He plays with fire, passion, and a competitiveness that earns him a place in both the top twenty for technical fouls last season and on youtube clips punching the best oppposing player in the groin. On purpose.

Within two seasons, we've gone from bottom-feeding to fighting for playoff contention. Such turnarounds are few and far between, and a lot of that improvement was brought on by Chris Paul. So you'll have to forgive us Hornets Fans if we think he's is the best damn point guard in the game. Better than Steve Nash, better than Jason Kidd, better than Deron Williams, and way better than Baron Davis.

Coming into the game yesterday, the Hornets had a nice-but-flawed winning streak going on. Sure, we'd won four straight by an average of 20 points, but those opponents had the combined winning percentage of Tim Floyd: NBA Edition.

Then along came the Cleveland Cavaliers. True, they've got a losing record, too, but they had just got done beating the Mavs in Dallas on Thursday, and they're one of the few teams to have beaten the Celtics this season. Oh, and they have that LeBron James guy, who's so damn popular that the Arena was packed and the Hornets got their first sellout of the season.

Twas nice to have that full house, because a lot of people saw the Hornets kick ass and legitimize that win streak.

Here's how it all went down…

Pregame

Outside the Arena is busy like there's a BuzzFest going on, except there's no BuzzFest going on. A lot of folks are here to see LeBron, and a lot of folks are trying to buy tickets at the last minute.

I get to my seat about a half hour before the tip, and keep an eye on the warm-ups. Julian Wright is casually shooting 20-footers, mostly from the baseline. He launches a couple dozen and makes about 70% of them. A few minutes later, the Hornets run in a few, and there's a half-assed dunk-off between Morris Peterson and Marcus Vinicius. A two-handed 360 by the Brazilian ends it.

Getting closer to game time, and some preacher dude takes center court and says a prayer. "Thank you Lord that the Hornets shall win this game tonight." Excellent: we've got god on our side for this one. Next up, Irvin Mayfield busts the national anthem out of a trumpet and the crowd loves it.

The players get intro'd, the crowd gets loud, and we're about ready to tip. Cleveland's Drew Gooden takes a minute to dance around the court, like he just watched The Cable Guy or something. Weird routine.

Game on.

First Quarter

We've got our funky five out to start. The Cavs jump with Larry Hughes at the point, LeBron and Sasha Pavlovic on the wings, Gooden at the four, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas plugging the middle. Peja picks up LeBron early, which seems strange. While I think people underestimate Peja's defense, I still expected Peterson to get that assignment tonight.

Big Z gets the scoring under way with a 17 footer, and with that shooting stroke he might drag Tyson away from the basket a lot tonight. Peja gets the first couple buckets for the Hornets, both from deep.

6:33 – Hughes has been defending Chris Paul, and our quarterback has looked passive so far. But scratch that after CP steals one and breaks for layup. 10-6 Hornets.

4:50 – West and Chandler finish a couple easy ones, it's 14-10 Hornets, and the Cavs take a timeout. LeBron has been invisible so far. One shot, no points. The Hornets are playing simple basketball, feeding it low as the first option, letting the bigs go to work. Failing that it's kick it back out, screen for CP up top and see what happens. The Cavs, meanwhile, have gotten all their points from Ilgauskas and Gooden.

Out of the timeout, the Cavs get it to LeBron in the post against Peja, so Tyson helps out with an aggressive double team. Effective, but West gets called for illegal D on the rotation. A few seconds later, there's no help and LeBron blows right by Peja for the layup.

2:40 – West blocks a jumper by Gooden out of bounds, we're up 20-14, and Byron takes a timeout. The defense has been solid for the Hornets so far, but the Cavs are really looking flat out there. Nobody's attacking, and they only have one assist on their seven field goals.

1:24 – Hilton Armstrong and Rasual Butler, both only in the game a couple minutes, double up on LeBron and force a turnover. Nice work. At the other end, West gets aggressive in the post, jumps into the lane and drops a jump hook over Varejao.

0:46 – Chris gets a steal on the baseline, and somehow makes it to the other end of the floor before everyone else. A trailing LeBron James swoops in though to pin CP's layup against the backboard. Looked clean, but the refs call a goaltend.

26-18 Hornets after one.

Second Quarter

Byron starts the second with the usual five: Pargo, Jackson, Wright, Butler and Hilton. The Cavs go with Daniel Gibson, Pavlovic, Varejao, Ilgauskas and our old buddy Devin Brown. Hilton starts the action with an airball from 13 feet.

8:45 – Z scores his third straight bucket against Hilton, giving him 12 points already. The young fella hasn't played horrible defense, but that Lithuanian's a crafty vet. Byron's seen enough and gets Tyson back out there. Ilgauskas will score just two more points tonight.

7:26 – West comes back in the game and goes right at Varejao again. It's like he hates that dude. The Brazilian fouls him and West sinks two. 34-30 Hornets.

6:40 – LeBron's back in the game, too. He still hasn't done anything superhuman, but the Hornets have to keep some bodies nearby whenever he gets the ball. This trip, that results in James finding a wide open Gibson cross court for a three-ball.

5:13 – A Peja bucket off a feed from Tyson, then vice versa, puts the Hornets up five and Cavs' head coach Mike Brown needs another timeout to figure out why his team is so sluggish right now. Que the Honeybees for the first time tonight, then frisbees are tossed into the crowd. There's free pizza if you grab one, and a wide dude in my section almost kills seven people to get that free meal.

Out of the timeout, Peja comes up with a real nice steal, tipping a pass then diving to save it from out of bounds. Twenty seconds later, he finds Mo-Pete at the other end for a triple. 41-33 Hornets.

2:06 – The Cavs get three chances thanks to their offensive boards, but the can't finish any of them. After that, Cleveland's got a 21-14 advantage on the boards. Last few trips, LeBron has been looking to take control but his shots aren't dropping and he can't get to the rim. He's got just five points.

0:05 – After LeBron splits a pair of free throws, Chris zips down the floor but gets his runner blocked by Gooden to end the half. We're still up, 46-42.

Halftime Thoughts

• The Cavs, as a team, must have the worst hair in the League. Varejao looks like a tropical shrub, Drew Gooden's growing an afro at the wrong end of his head, and Pavlovic may not have any body hair at all. Actually, same goes for Ilgauskas. Those last two together look a lot like this.

• I'm loving West's aggressiveness lately. There hasn't been much hesitation from him the past few games. Usually he can't make up his mind whether to settle for the jumper or take it to the hoop, but recently he just seems intent on doing the latter and it's really working for him.
• If Daniel Gibson is on defense and goes to double team somebody, would that be considered a Boobie Trap?
• The halftime show is some dude named Christopher, who has four life-sized puppets attached to him and does a one-man village people thing. Amusing. I wonder how much these halftime acts get paid.
• I go rambling and talk to some people. Rumor has it that LeBron and some of his teammates hit Bourbon Street last night, and that might explain their shitty play so far. It makes even more sense when I find out that both LeBron and Devin Brown have birthdays today.

Third Quarter

Starters all back in, and Peterson has switched to cover LeBron.

9:53 – Chris misses a wide open layup but Tyson tips it home to make it a 10-point game. Timeout Cleveland. They're getting nothing easy on offense, while the Hornets are making nice cuts and carving up the Cavs D.

Out of the timeout, the Hornets force a shot clock violation, and the Cavs really do look hungover right now.

7:48 – After some pick and rollness, CP ends up being guarded by Drew Gooden. Chris almost always pulls up for a jumper when he's got a big man on him like this, and now is no different as he drains a 20-footer. Make it a 12-0 Hornets run. At the other end, Gooden hooks one to give the Cavaliers their first bucket of the half.

6:06 – Chris dives into the lane, then whips one to Mo-Pete for a corner three. 63-49 Hornets. At the other end, LeBron drives hard and gets the foul on Peterson. He's starting to look more aggressive now. He's cutting harder the last few trips, and looking to get to the rim.

4:45 – Tyson does real good to tip a rebound back out and give the Hornets a fresh 24. Reset, feed it to West, and he drains a fade-away over Gooden on the baseline. We're now up 16, but the crowd seems about as enthusiastic as the Cavs tonight. Maybe most people were hoping to see LeBron put on a show. Whatever it is, the atmosphere so far pales in comparison to the Suns game two weeks ago.

3:51 – West answers a bucket by Gooden with one of those trademark top of the key jumpers off a drop back from CP. I see West now has 19 points and 9 rebounds. It's 67-51 Hornets, and the Cavs need another timeout. Rob Nice takes the opportunity to get the crowd pumped up. Thanks, dude. I'm not sure everyone knew the Hornets were the home team.

2:53 – Same score, Hornets timeout, and the crowd gets even happier when the big screen shows the Giants are beating the Patriots. Double that volume when they show PJ Brown is in the house. Dude almost gets a standing ovation, and deservedly so. Class act.

Out of the timeout, LeBron goes across the lane and fires up a fade-away over a tight double team. Not sure that's what Mike Brown drew up in the huddle.

0:40 – Another pick and roll, another big man ends up guarding CP out high. Varejao this time. Guess what's coming? Damn right. CP nails the jumper.

A stop later and it's deja vu. CP vs Varejao for the last play of the quarter. CP settles for the jumper again, but Varejao plays him tighter and CP can't make it go.

71-57 at the end of three, and the Hornets deserve credit for a great quarter. The outscored the Cavs 25-15 in that one.

Fourth Quarter

The Cavs are still deep in discussion at their bench as the final stanza gets ready to be written. Tyson and Chris chill, both sitting on the scorers table. They seem to know how this one is going to end. Meanwhile, this crowd has definitely woken up. Welcome to the Jungle blares, everyone's on their feet, and the Arena finally feels alive.

10:11 – LeBron shakes loose of Mo-Pete, and takes it right to the rack for a slam that will be the game's prime highlight on Sportscenter later. There's some oohs from the crowd, and West casually drains a 16-footer at the other end. That's also worth two points.

8:49 – Chris crosses Larry Hughes up something awful, then finds Bobby Jackson for a deep two. A rugged stop later, and West gets fouled trying to finish the break. The Hornets defense remains relentless, and we're up 21 after West cans some freebies.

7:02 – LeBron drives hard, but Rasual gets his hand in there and forces a jump ball. Looked like this. Cavs win the leap, and LeBron settles for a three this time. Count it.

5:26 – LeBron scores inside to end a scrambled Cavs' offense. Bobby Jackson and David West take turns misfiring, then LeBron blows by Peja at the other end. Peja catches up enough to commit a smart foul before James can get a shot off. Timeout Hornets. The Cavs just reeled off 9 straight, the lead is down to 12, and we need to regroup.

Out of the timeout, Peterson is back on LeBron, and Peja lends a hand to force a deep three from James. Not a chance.

4:36 – Chris takes one away from Ilgauskas down low, and Z fouls him in frustration. Other end, and CP shakes Drew Gooden inside out before getting fouled again. Two free throws and the lead is back up to 14.

3:58 – Some great D by Mo-Pete leads to a steal that's credited to Chris Paul. Peterson was guarding LeBron on the wing, got caught on a switch with Tyson when Ilgauskas set a pick, and ended up under the basket trying to deny a pass to Z. Then he sprints out high to switch back on LeBron, but Tyson doesn't catch on quick enough. Realizing Z is now wide open under the basket, Mo-Pete turns and dives back down the lane to get a hand on the feed from LeBron. Hornets ball.

2:29 – A couple of offensive rebounds are big for the Hornets. We've got a 12-point lead, and the clock is now our friend. Chris holds the ball out high and gestures for the crowd to get into it. Everyone's on their feet by the time Tyson commits the foul while setting the pick for CP.

The Cavs come down and take a timeout, and some folks are already heading for the exits.

1:30 – Out of the timeout, the Cavs end up with an awkward-looking leaning hook type thing from Ilgauskas. Tyson gets the rebound and CP finds West for the dagger at the other end. 86-72, and this one's no longer in doubt.

Four late points from Gibson makes the final score 86-76. The crowd shows its appreciation as the Hornets leave the floor.

Postgame Thoughts

Cleveland really didn't bring it tonight, but credit the Hornets with a solid performance. The bench didn't see a lot of minutes, but all the starters made significant contributions. David West came up big with 27 points and 15 rebounds. He's playing with a lot of confidence right now and I'm loving it. Tyson got his double-double in the end, finishing with 11 points and 12 boards. Peja and Mo-Pete both struggled shooting again (a combined 7-of-22 on FGs), but between them they did a heck of a job defending LeBron, who finished with 21 points on 8-of-21 shooting.

Oh, and Chris Paul? Here was me thinking he had a pretty quiet game, then I see his line: 20 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, 7 steals and 3 turnovers. Sicker than a small hospital.

Let's get some linkage out here: game recap | box | standings

So there's the Hornets 30 games deep in the season and sporting a 20-10 record. Can we get some attention over here please? Does nobody realize that we have the fifth best record in the NBA right now? Yeah, fifth! As in, there's only four teams in the whole League with a better record, and everyone else has, like, a worse record.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but methinks the Hornets have never won 20 of their first 30 before. Makes my brain a happy place.

Next up, we've got the Raptors in town tomorrow evening. Six wins to end the year would be real nice.

Bam! Make it a four-game winning streak, and we just sneaked ahead of Dallas in the standings.

Yup, the Hornets done beat the Bobcats on this fine evening, and not even an NBA TV blackout in New Orleans could ruin it for me. Here's the usual dose of notes regarding said game of splendid basketball…

First Quarter

So I miss more than half the first quarter until I finally figure out a way to watch the game online. Mucho thanks to the HR boards for the tip off. And screw whoever decided to black this one out and leave the people of New Orleans without a way to watch their team play. Clever like a brick.

2:11 – Tyson rebounds a Rasual Butler miss and puts it home. He has 7 points and 7 rebounds already, and the Hornets are up 23-10. Sweet.

1:51 – Hilton comes in for Tyson, because ain't no ankle sprain gonna keep the young man down.

The quarter ends with Chris Paul picking off a Jeff McInnis pass and taking it to the other end where he misses a floater. Oh well. CP has 2 points and 5 assists after one, and we're up 28-14.

Looks like the Bobcats can't hit anything, shooting just 6-of-22 from the field, while the Hornets got the same number of looks but made half of them. Add to that, the Cats manage one assist in the whole quarter, while the Hornets had eight and zero turnovers. Night and day.

Second Quarter

The Bobcats take off on a massive 6-2 run, scoring on their first three trips, but then Rasual decides to take a charge on Gerald Wallace and gets the call. Nice play. I thought Rasual would still be avoiding charges after what Tyrus Thomas did to him last season.

So the Hornets have Jackson, Pargo, Wright and Armstrong out there with Rasual. The Bobcats see what we're doing and also put five players on the court.

8:29 – JuJu goes a little overboard trying to block Nazr Mohammed, and ends up sitting on Nazr's face. No, really. He actually sat on his face.

7:41 – Rasual drives hard inside and drops it to Wright, who throws one in over his shoulder. He's doing it all backwards tonight. That puts the Hornets up 37-23, and this second unit is starting to look mighty good.

6:10 – Nazr, obviously still feeling that shitty taste in his mouth, catches it in the post against Wright, turns and elbows the rookie in the face. An ass for an elbow. JuJu's okay though, having obviously been blessed with tougher eye sockets than Melvin Ely.

After the foul, Byron shakes it up so all the starters are back in for the Hornets. The Bobcats already have their starters out there, because their bench doesn't actually exist. Just so you know, our second unit started with a 14-point lead, and leaves with a 16-point lead. Me likey.

3:16 and Chris Paul drops one in the lane. That's just his second basket of the night, yet we're still up by 14 points.

1:17 – The Bobcats go to a zone but completely miss West on the baseline, and CP finds him for a vicious jam. A Raymond Felton turnover later, and there's Mo-Pete dropping a three off a feed from Chris. Hornets lead 50-31, and the way this one is going, Marcus Vinicius might play the entire second half.

0:06 - Chris holds it out high, letting the clock wind down, then gets a pick from Tyson and okie-dokes Emeka Okafor on the way to the hoop. Basket and the foul.

("Okie-dokes" is what Mikey SeasonTickets calls it, and it just sounds right so I'm rolling with it.)

So CP hit the freebie, and Jason Richardson shakes loose for a triple to end the half. 53-34 as they head to the break.

Halftime Thoughts

• I think we're witnessing this team growing up right now. The last few games they've gotten big leads and they've held on to them. Earlier in the season, you could be sure the other team would go on a run and get back in it. Now our guys seem to keep their focus and not give the other team hope for a comeback.

  Of course this thought is way premature since we're only at halftime and the Bobcats will probably outscore us by 25 in the third quarter.

• Mikey's only here for the first half, but before he bolts, we come to the conclusion that the Bobcats' Adam Morrison, who's on the bench in street clothes, looks like the illegitimate son of the unabomber.
• The Hornets have some balanced scoring going on. Nobody has reached double figures yet, but six guys have six points or more, led by Peja's nine.
• The Bobcats suck tonight, but then I've said that about the Hornets' opponent in each of the past three games. Maybe we're just so damn good these days that the other team looks bad in comparison. Hmm.

Third Quarter

The Bobcats come out more aggressive in the second half, going at the rim much harder and stepping up the defense. 30 seconds in, Peja coughs one up to Gerald Wallace, but CP makes sure to foul a breaking Raymond Felton before Charlotte ends up with an easy two.

9:26 – David West comes up with a steal out high and feeds CP up ahead. Wallace is in hot pursuit though, and it looks like Chris will just drop it back to a trailing West for an easy bucket. But no. CP decides to try the layup, and Wallace kills it like his first name's William. Looked like this. Still Hornets ball though, until West turns it over and Wallace gets to the line at the other end. The score is 57-41 after he drops the free throws, and the Charlotte announcers wonder if that block might have been the turning of the tide for the Bobcats.

7:03 – Wonder no more, Announcer Dudes. On the break, Chris lobs to Tyson and we're back up by 21. Timeout Charlotte.

6:35 – Out of the timeout, we get another stop, CP breaks and finds Mo-Pete running the wing. Peterson gets his chance but can't finish, then Chandler comes crashing through the middle to ram home the put-back. Give him 13 points and 14 rebounds already.

5:05 – The Bobcats defense is so bad right now, I can't tell if they're playing man or if they're in a zone. I'm not sure they even know. Chandler just wanders down the lane untouched, catches a pass from West and crushes another one. 68-47 Hornets.

1:57 – Jason Richardson drops a tough three over B-Jax in the corner to make it a 16-point game. Give that dude 11 points this quarter, and 18 in the game. Byron uncrosses his arms long enough to call timeout.

Out of the timeout, Chris Paul does something magical to keep his dribble against an aggressive double team, and whips it cross court to Hilton Armstrong. Hilton finds an open Bobby Jackson, and he knocks down the three.

0:53 – Jeff McInnis comes up with a steal, then throws a pass between the legs of Matt Carroll. I'm not sure exactly how many unforced turnovers the Bobcats have, but six million sounds about right.

0:01 – Oh look, there's David West throwing down a put-back jam to make it 81-62 after three. How nice.

Fourth Quarter

We start the fourth as we started the second, while the Bobcats come out with McInnis, Carroll, Nazr, Wallace and Derek Anderson's new shoes.

Our second unit continues to play well for the first couple minutes, but then the turnovers come fast and furious. Luckily, the defense is still intact and nothing comes too easy for the Bobcats at the other end. Rasual Butler in particular seems to be on a mission defensively tonight. Either that or he swapped jerseys with Julian Wright.

5:24 – The lead is down to 14, and Byron won't have the luxury of resting his starters for the entire fourth quarter. Tyson and West check back in.

3:36 – A 9-2 run by the Bobcats has cut it to an 11-point lead, 90-79. The fans are loving it, probably because most of them are there to see Chris Paul and now he's gotta get back in the game and put this one to bed.

2:54 – But no, it's David West that's gonna take us home tonight. Guarded by Gerald Wallace, he fires in a hook in the paint, then takes it hard baseline on the next trip and gets another one to go. Tough.

2:26 – The Bobcats are trying to quicken the pace, but Chris Paul's got another game tomorrow and he'd rather walk the ball up the floor. He works some clock and feeds West again. This time, Wallace fouls him before he can do more damage, but DX gets his points anyway from the line. Twenty points on the night for that dude, and the lead is 16 again.

1:14 – After a three by J-Rich, CP comes down, kills some clock, and tosses up a 19-footer. He doesn't have the sweet stroke tonight, but that's okay because West snares his 10th rebound of the game. 24 seconds and no basket later, the Bobcats try to narrow the gap, but West ties up Gerald Wallace to force a jump ball.

A J-Rich runner and three Chris Paul free throws later, this one's in the books and we're done for the night.

Postgame Thoughts

Final score was 99-85. We didn't quite break their necks in the second half, some dumb turnovers and motionless offense letting them back in it a little bit, but overall this was another solid win.

Chris finished with 17 points, 11 assists and no turnovers, Tyson got 17 and 17, and West finished with that 20 and 10. Peja and Mo-Pete were both cold tonight (combined 7-21 FGs), but the bench put some points on the board, outscoring the Charlotte reserves 28-17.

Now I know this four-game winning streak hasn't seen us play anyone with a winning record, but the wins have come by an average of 20 points, and three of the games were on the road. Also, this recent success has got to be doing wonders for the team's confidence, especially that of the second unit. Methinks the swag is enormous as we roll home to meet LeBron and the Cavaliers in a packed New Orleans Arena tomorrow night.

Linkage and I'm going looking for some ice cream: box | recap | standings

Oh, and in case you missed it, don't forget to check out Ryan's excellent post from earlier today: The Evolution of Chris Paul.

I must be feeling ambitious today, so have a second post!  If you want the game preview, scroll down, then come back and read this one.  Do it for the children.  And Chris Paul.

A lot has been written about Chris Paul over the last few weeks as he's become a favorite target for stat-focused writers to push as an under-rated player.

John Hollinger of ESPN, creator of the popular PER stat, has always loved Paul, posting articles about him every year pointing out his greatness.  He's claimed Paul had the 3rd best Rookie year of any guard ever, and recently posted an article(ESPN Insider, sorry) stating Paul is having the best year of any 6-3 or shorter player in the history of the NBA.

Dave Berri of the Wages of Wins has also posted an entire series of articles about Paul in response to the many pieces comparing Deron Williams to Paul and finding Paul wanting.

Regardless of whether you like Deron more than Chris, or think that there is no way Paul had a better rookie year than Magic Johnson, no one can refute the fact Paul is having an incredible season.  He has led the Hornets to an 18-10 record and the 3rd Seed in the brutal Western Conference, trailing powerhouses San Antonio and Phoenix.

His numbers are, quite simply, incredible:

21.7 Points per game, 3.8 Rebounds, 10.0 Assists, 2.92 Steals, 49.3% FG, 39.8% 3PT, 91.4% FT.

His assist to turnover ratio is a great 3.5 to 1.  His Hollinger PER is second in the league behind LeBron at 28.67.(15.0 is average)  His Wins Produced per 48 Minutes is a 6th best 0.344.(.1 is average)

The accolades are great, bringing some attention to a Hornets team badly starved for both national and local recognition, but in all the articles about him, none of them have really dug into the remarkable transformation of Paul's game itself.

Paul was one of the best penetrators from the day he entered the league.  His uncanny ability to change speeds and an explosive first step propelled him time and time again to the hoop for tricky floaters and slick layups.  in that first season, 35% of his shots came close to the hoop, and only 65% were jumpshots.  His assault kept his shooting percentage respectable, since he finished the close shots 51% of the time.  He also earned 6 free throws a game, an amazing number for a point guard, but his style of play also resulted in bruised ribs, a bruised tailbone, torn ligaments in his thumb, and numerous sore muscles from being knocked around.  Such tactics were necessary, however, since his jumpshot was only finding the net 39% of the time.  28% when taken from beyond the arc.  He just wasn't a good shooter. Yet.

His second year he took some of the lessons he learned in the first and spent a little less time at the hoop, taking 30% of his shots close to the basket and shooting jumpshots 70% of the time.  His jumpshot showed some improvement, mostly from the 3-point line, as he shot 40% overall from range, and 35% from the 3-point line.  Still, though nearing the league average, he just wasn't a great shooter and he recognized his best weapon was driving to the hoop, where he could convert 53% of his shots.  So he kept driving.  Again, injuries told.  He rolled an ankle badly going to the hoop in Seattle, keeping him out of 17 games, and later developed a stress reaction in his foot that required surgery in the offseason to implant a screw.

As he entered this third year, I had expected more of the same Chris Paul.  Flashy drives to the hoops for spectacular finishes, and maybe a slightly improved 3-point shot.  But I was completely wrong.  Paul had learned a hard lesson the past few years.  No longer would he drive recklessly to the basket, throwing his body at the massive defenders near the hoop.  Now, he keeps his dribble alive, weaving between defenders in a style that only Steve Nash can duplicate.  He probes the defense relentlessly, trying to find a seam.  If he can't explode to the basket, he weaves back out, looking for the open man his pressure almost always creates.  As a result, he's only taking 20% of his shots from close to the basket, down 10% from last year, but the shots he does take are of a higher quality, falling 62% of the time.

But here's the kicker.  If Paul had simply learned how to keep his dribble alive in traffic, he would be getting better shots, but he still would have his one great weakness: shooting.  Defenses could lay off, wait for his dribble penetration, and force him to shoot outside.  So Paul has combined that talent with another existing talent of his to devastating effect.  An accurate, fast, mid-range set shot.  No, not jumpshot.  Set shot.  Old school.

Paul's most accurate three-point shot has never been his jumpshot.  When he's been forced to jump to get a shot off over a defender, his accuracy has been poor at best.  He's much more accurate when he sets his feet, gives a fast, odd-looking half-hop, and fires.  Whenever he shot that way, I could usually count the points before it swished through.

But to get that shot off closer to the hoop?  Paul is six feet tall at best, and trying to get a set shot off over a defender without the spacing available at the three-point line is no easy task.  That is where his new ability to probe the defense comes into play.  As he probes, his defender usually ends up on his heels or so worried he will drive by them that they are unwilling to close on him.  As a result, he takes a dribble or two, stops on a dime and does that little hop.  Swish.  The defender can barely react.  He's firing 48% on shots taken inside the three point line, but at least 10 feet from the basket.  48%.  He shoots better on long 2's than most NBA players shoot from under the basket.

As a result, he's become a complete offensive weapon.  He's devastating from inside, outside, and in between.  Even though he goes to the hoop less, he is still one of the best Point Guards in the league at getting free throws, averaging better than four and a half a game.  His court vision is exceptional, his teammates are deadly from range, and he always finds them if they are open.  At this point I'm not even certain Nash is a better floor general, and Paul blows Nash away on the defensive end.  He's become the clear number one point guard in the league in my book.

And get this.  He's only 22.  He can still improve.

GAME PREVIEW! 

Matchup: Hornets(18-10) @ Bobcats(10-16)
Opposing Blogger: Queen City Hoops  or Bobcats Bonfire

The Hornets roll into their old home in Charlotte tonight to see if they can put down some Bobcats before being forced to rush back home and defend New Orleans from some Cavalier invaders and their so-called King.

The unfortunate Cats were declawed from the start this season, with both Adam Morrison and Sean May going down before opening night with season-ending surgeries.  Now, some would say Morrison being out is a blessing, and Sean May has been injury prone in his first two years, but the Cats were already a really thin bunch.  Ripping out two tall guys hurts bad.  As a result, they've had a rough start.  A recent trade with Detroit to get Nazr Mohammed will help, since they gave up the Awful Primoz Brezec and Walter "I hate rebounding more than Primoz Brezec" Hermann, but even with the trade this team has a paper-thin frontcourt.

The Hornets come into this game with a thin front line as well.  Tyson Chandler and David West are great, but Hilton Armstrong may not play due to a sprained ankle, Ryan Bowen will not play due to the same, and Melvin Ely is out with a broken face.  That leaves Julian Wright, the 6-8 rookie beanpole, to back up both big man spots.  Not good.

On a side note, I refer to the Bobcats as the Unfortunate Bobcats all the time.  Look at their last drafts.  They got 2nd pick in the draft that produced Dwight Howard as the 1st pick.  They got the 5th pick in the draft that Paul went 4th in, and they got Adam Morrison 3rd in . . . well there's no excuse there.  Adam sucks and they could have had Brandon Roy or Tyrus Thomas.  Still, that's got to burn you up to miss on superstars two years in a row.

Positional Analysis
PG: Raymond Felton vs. Chris Paul
Advantage: Hornets
Ray is the forgotten man in that great 2004 point guard draft, going right behind Chris Paul at number 5.  He's been solid this season, averaging 15 points and 7 assists, but the knock on him out of college is that he couldn't shoot.  In his third year, he's posting his best shooting percentage yet, but he's still only knocking down 42% of his shots, 34% from 3-point range.  He has gotten up for games against Paul in the past, so I expect him to play well, but Paul is on a whole different level right now.

SG: Jason Richardson vs. Morris Peterson
Advantage: Bobcats
This isn't as big of an advantage as it should be.  Richardson's best offensive weapon is his three-point shot, which he's been hitting at a great 44.8%.  Still, he's slowed some since his high-flying days, and his dribbling skills are still suspect.  Peterson will either be hitting or not.  If he's hitting, he'll be about even with Richardson.  If he's not, he'll only play 19 minutes and it won't matter much.

SF: Gerald Wallace vs. Peja Stojakovic
Advantage: Bobcats
Wallace is known as "Crash", and he is an energetic player highly dependent on his athleticism for his offense.  He's actually having a bit of a down year, but he's still effective and will be a tough cover for Peja.  If Peja played a little harder, I might still give him this edge, but he just doesn't do that much anymore besides shooting and refusing to finish fast breaks if he might receive contact.

PF: Emeka Okafor vs. David West
Advantage: Hornets
Emeka doesn't get enough shots in the Cat's guard-focused offense.  He's got a solid offensive post game, and if he got the ball more, I think the Bobcats stagnant offense would get a nice boost.  That said, even if he got more shots, I think West still has him. West's defense has gotten better this year, growing in conjunction with the size of his biceps(it's still impressive how big West is this year.  He's probably added 20 points of pure muscle.)  His offensive game will keep Okafar farther from the basket than he'd probably like, and West has a myriad of offensive moves to go to.  He has so many that at times he messes up because he can't decide which one to use.  I can live with that though.

C: Nazr Mohammed vs. Tyson Chandler
Advantage: Hornets
I love Tyson, but he does have some trouble holding on to the ball at times.  Tonight, he meets Nazr, who is a good defender, rebounder and dunker, but his ability to hold onto the ball makes Tyson look like Randy Moss. Tyson is an all around better version of Nazr, and his name doesn't sound like "Nazi" when pronounced correctly, so he's clearly got the advantage.

Bench
Advantage: Hornets
Here's the proof that the Bobcats are a thin team.  The Hornets, even missing Hilton Armstrong, Ryan Bowen, and Melvin Ely, have a stronger bench than the Bobcats.  Charlotte has one solid contributer in Matt Carroll, and the rest of their second unit is terrible.  Ryan Hollins is nearing serviceable, Jeff McInnis is awful, Derek Anderson old, and Jared Dudley is limited.  They have a hard time scoring and Wright, Butler, Jackson and Pargo's specialty is defense.  It'll be ugly offensively when the two teams have their second units in.

I think the Hornets have this one, even if the Bobcats are 9-7 at home.  Paul is playing at a crazy level right now, and the entire Hornets team is feeding off of it.

Hornets win 100-92.

Whoo!

Damn that was an impressive win last night. I'm late writing this thing up because a couple bars got in my way coming home from Cooter Brown's last night. Those folks have League Pass and threw the game on a big screen for me and Mikey SeasonTickets. Add to that an alligator sausage po-boy and we're talking good times.

Here's some game notes, fresh from a funky new Ampad notebook…

First Quarter

Excellent, the usual starting five is out there for the Hornets. I feared Peja could have choked on a turkey or had a Christmas tree fall on him over the holidays. The Grizzlies start out with Damon Stoudamire, Mike Miller, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol and Stromile Swift. Usual starting pivot Darko Milicic starts out on the bench for the second straight game. Bad Darko. Must play better.

So the Grizzlies start out hitting everything, while the Hornets throw up a bunch of threes and only make a few of them. We can't stop Mike Miller (10 points in the quarter), and they can't stop Chris Paul. The Grizzlies are going under the picks set for CP and he's punishing them by knocking down jumpers. He has 12 points in the first quarter.

The pace is pretty fast and the Grizzlies lead 29-27 after one.

Second Quarter

Second quarter equals second unit. Pargo, Jackson, Wright, Butler and Armstrong are in for the Hornets. Rudy Gay is still in there for Memphis, along with Milicic, Hakim Warrick, Juan Carlos Navarro and Kyle Lowry.

9:31 – Hilton Armstrong is getting it done. He's already saved a possession by diving out of bounds after a loose ball and just now he sent a Navarro floater into the third row. Nasty. He also delivered an oop to Julian Wright a minute ago, but a foul on the floor meant it didn't matter.

8:29 – Hilton puts home a lob from Pargo. That caps a 7-0 Hornets run, and we're up 34-31. Timeout Memphis, and they get Pau and Mike Miller back in the game. The Hornets stay with the same five for a minute longer.

5:58 – Pargo, who has jacked up a shot three of the past four offensive trips, finally passes the ball, finding Tyson underneath and Lowry makes him earn it at the stripe. That lets Byron get Mo-Pete back out there. Tyson knocks down both free throws to get the Hornets back on top, 38-37.

3:28 – David West barrels to the basket, misses one, rebounds, gets blocked, rebounds, and puts it home. That was hardcore.

2:50 – CP drops a deep three to beat the shot clock. That's his third triple of the game, and it's starting to look like he's gonna have one of those nights. Sucks to be Damon Stoudamire right now.

0:31 – West comes up with a Tyson Chandler airball and makes a tough stick back. To celebrate, he picks up a technical foul. You could see that coming. He's been sucking on an especially sour lemon tonight. Looked like he got away with a sneaky elbow on Warrick earlier.

0:10 – Warrick is dared to take a three, so he does and hits it. Apples. I had no idea he could do that.

End of the half, and the Hornets are on top, 52-50.

Halftime Thoughts

• The fast pace is more the Grizzlies idea than ours, but I think the Hornets are well equipped to play that way, especially when the threes are dropping. The Hornets missed their first five from deep, but went 6-of-8 after that. Me likey.

• CP leads the Hornets with 15 points, while Mr. West has 12. Mike Miller has 13 to lead the Grizzlies.
• I really like Mike Miller by the way, probably more than any other Grizzly. He's got a well rounded offensive game, and his hair is funny.
• I like my new notebook, too. Methinks Ampad make good paper based office products, with a respected reputation for quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
• Tyson hasn't been much of a factor in the first half (2 points, 4 rebounds), but as Mikey points out, the shooting percentages have been high (both teams at around 50% from the field), and that hurts Tyson, who usually feeds off other people's bricks. Still, there are rebounds to be had out there, and the Grizzlies are coming up with most of them, holding a 22-16 advantage on the boards thus far.

Third Quarter

The Hornets start out looking for Peja, who didn't get many shots up in the first half. He rewards his teammates by knocking down a pair of jumpers in the early going.

The rest of the third quarter belongs to Chris Paul. He scores 16 points and dishes 4 assists in the period, and gets the Hornets into a comfortable double-digit lead. His play is just insane. He's scoring from inside, outside and everywhere in between, usually just working with nothing more than a pick up top. Oh, and just for the hell of it, he drives the Grizzlies nuts on the other end of the floor, too, playing solid D and coming up with steals.

One play in particular by CP stood out for me in the third quarter. About three minutes in, he ran the pick and roll with Tyson, and Stromile Swift got caught on the switch. Now I imagine Stro's intention was just to flash out and stall CP, then rush back to his own man, but Chris dived through a seam and got in front of Swift, and kinda boxed him out, all while keeping his own dribble. So he's at about the free throw line by now, with Stro on his back and Stoudamire still in front of him. It's like he forced the Grizzlies into a crappy double team, effectively eliminating Swift from the defense. Meanwhile, the ever clever Tyson has moved to phase two of the pick and roll, and is at the rim when Chris pulls the trigger on an alley-oop.

And CP makes plays like that all the time, just getting into positions that rip apart the opposing defense. I think it's the way he positions himself, and the smarts it takes to setup and execute plays like that, is what makes him better than just about every other point guard in the game.

Anyway, Warrick again closes the quarter with a bucket, and the Hornets take an 86-73 lead into the final stanza.

Fourth Quarter

Chris starts the fourth quarter along with Jackson, Butler, Armstrong and Peja. Hilton doesn't last long though, swapping out for Tyson at the 11:25 mark. Turns out he hurt his ankle in the second quarter, and now it's not letting him play. Just what we need; another injured big man.

8:17 – Jackson and Pargo are in the backcourt now for the Hornets, and Bobby is playing like a true point guard. He's controlling the pace and looking to get guys involved. Hornets lead 93-78 after a nice basket inside by West, who has quietly put 18 points on the board tonight.

6:21 – CP just drops the shoulder and bulls to the basket through poor Kyle Lowry. Count it and the foul. Give Chris 34 points after he makes the free throw, and the Hornets have a 15-point lead.

4:06 – Chris dives into the lane again and causes a ruckus before kicking to Peja who wets a three. At the other end, CP deflects a pass and the Hornets end up with it. This trip, Chris just pulls up and drops a 20-footer. That's just mean.

3:02 - Jannero Pargo, who hasn't been having a great game so far, wakes himself up with a couple steals, the second one coming off a Pau Gasol inbound after Pargo went coast to coast and knocked down a pull-up J. Make it a 20-point lead after Jannero splits a pair of free throws.

2:54 – MARCUS VINICIUS , BABY! Feeling comfortable with a 16-point lead, Byron gets the Brazilian on the floor for the second straight game. Mikey is loving this. He might be the biggest Marky V fan on the planet, I shit you not.

1:59 – Chris goes baseline and flips in a layup. He then fouls Lowry to check himself out of the game. 40 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 turnover, 17-25 from the field, 5-8 from three. Methinks the Grizzlies announcers mention that the 17 made field goals are the most by an NBA player this season. Or maybe just one shy, I'm not sure. But 40 points and he only shot one free throw? Just nuts.

Postgame Thoughts

The final score was 116-98 to the Hornets, and all that was missing from that one was a dunk by Vinicius.

Just an excellent performance by the Hornets, especially CP. Peja came up good with 21 points on 7-of-14 from the field, West finished up with 20 points and 9 boards, and Tyson had a strong second half to end with 12 points and 13 boards. Mo-Pete laid an egg, missing all five of his shots, every one of them from behind the arc. Oh well.

The result puts the Hornets at 18-10 on the season, which equals their win total from their last full season in New Orleans. Next up it's the Bobcats tomorrow in Charlotte, and then we're back to a packed New Orleans Arena for the Cavs on Saturday. Could be a nice little win streak in the making here.

Leaving you with zee linkage: box | recap | standings

I'm fat and sleepy right now, having had a very nice Christmas, but I'm still going to do my duty and produce something for you to read prior to the game tomorrow.  But ya'll owe me, alright?

GAME PREVIEW!

Matchup: Hornets (17-10) @ Grizzlies (8-19)
Opposing Blogger(and personal favorite): 3 Shades of Blue (Their Preview)

To paraphrase Chip of 3 Shades of Blue, the Hornets face the Grizzlies tomorrow night for what seems like the 12th meeting of the year.  In reality, it's only the third, but it's no surprise we feel like we've seen enough of the Grizz for this season.  Both of the previous games were nail-biters that went to overtime.  Hopefully the Hornets can finally put these guys to bed in regulation.

The key to doing that?  Stop Rudy Freaking Gay in the final minutes.  Seriously.  The guy spends all game managing to shoot from average to mediocre(35%) from the three point line, and then in the last minute can't miss.  He's hit no less than four big three-point shots at the end of games against the Hornets.  Maybe we can call Marc Jackson's fat butt back from Europe and have him fall on Gay a couple times.  That might slow him down a little.

Positional Analysis
PG: Damon Stoudamire vs. Chris Paul
Advantage: Hornets
I'm still very surprised Stoudamire has his starting job.  He came into the season with two young prospects behind him, Lowry and Conley, and has managed to hold them off by through a combination of decent basketball and going Tonya Harding on Conley.  That's right, you heard it here first.  Conley's injuries were caused by Damon Stoudamire.  All you Grizzlies reading this should therefore resent and/or fear your starting PG. 

I'd mention Chris Paul here too, but I don't want my man-crush to be too evident.

SG: Mike Miller vs. Morris Peterson
Advantage: Grizzlies
Mike Miller is a dead-eye shooter with good rebounding instincts and a solid dribble drive.  The same could be said about Morris Peterson – except he's a notch below Miller at pretty much everything except defense.

SF: Rudy Freaking Gay vs. Peja Stojakovic
Advantage: Grizzlies
Peja came back last game from his pulled groin, and didn't seem to have any problems so I expect him to be at full speed, hitting for about 15 points.  Rudy Freaking Gay is now the focal point of the helter-skelter Grizzlies offense, and has become va very impressive scorer.  He keeps his turnovers down, ballhawks and blocks shots fairly well, and his rebounds have almost reached a respectible level.  He'll be hard to handle. (Ha – I said "pulled groin", "Freaking", "Gay", and "hard to handle" in the same paragraph, and it was legitimate!  Yeah!)

PF: Pau Gasol vs David West
Advantage: Hornets
West likes to eat Grizzlies for lunch.  Gasol has started slow against the Hornets the past couple games and then picked up steam.  Unfortunately for the Grizz, Gasol's steam is only for the offensive side, leaving West to continue to do damage.

C: Darko Milicic vs. Tyson Chandler
Advantage: Hornets
Two heavyweight big men battle it out in Memphis.  In a flashback to the 80's, a Tyson will come out on top.  He's just faster, more athletic, and wants it more than Darko.

Bench:
Advantage:  Memphis
My good friends at 3 Shades of Blue believe the Hornets bench is a veteran squad with a smattering of youth, built to win now.  That may be the truth, but most of that veteran bunch sucks and can't shoot to save their lives.  The only light from the bench is that Julian and Hilton are beginning to show they can contribute.  That's about it.  The Grizz roll out hot-shooting Juan Carlos Navarro, Energizer Lowry, and two solid bench players in Warrick and . . . well I was going to say Stomile Swift, but he sucks.  Anyways, Juan Carlos can outscore our bench by himself, so the Hornets 2nd unit will have to do what it specializes in – defending – if it's to keep the game warm for the starters.

Prediction:  Hornets Win  99-93

Twas three nights before Christmas, and all through New Orleans Arena, the Hornets kicked ass. Oh yeah, our guys took care of business last night, crucifying the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-76 (box | recap). I was in the building with a pen and a pad and one of my better shirts. Here's how it all went down…

Pregame

The Hornets come out of the tunnel throwing t-shirts to the crowd as usual. There's not many in the building yet so they have to pick their spots.

Peja Stojakovic is out there warming up with the rest of the team. I'm assuming he won't play tonight. Resting him one more game would mean an extra four days to fully recover from that groin injury.

Bobby Jackson addresses the crowd before the tip, wishing everyone happy holidays. That's nice, but I'm distracted by the Honeybees, who come out wearing Santa-themed skimpies. Damn.

First Quarter

Turns out Peja is playing, and starting! While I won't feel good about this until the game is over and he's still healthy, it's nice to see our full starting five out there again. The T-Wolves start out with Sebastian Telfair and Corey Brewer at the guards, Ryan Gomes and Al Jefferson up front, and rookie Chris Richard in the middle.

11:45 – Peja wastes no time, tossing up a three right away, but it rims out. A minute later, he takes a feed from Chris Paul at the top of the key and wets one. Everyone takes a seat.

8:02 – The T-Wolves put together a 7-2 run, before the Hornets get busy on defense. A couple of steals, some fastbreak layups and Peja's first three of the night puts us on top, 13-9. Timeout T-Wolves. Chris Paul has either scored or assisted on every Hornets basket so far. Mark him down for 4 points, 4 assists and a couple steals already.

2:43 – Chris gets his fifth assist, as Tyson Chandler finishes a lob with a slam. Those two have to be leading the league in alley-oop hook-ups. Every Hornet starter has now scored, Rasual is in for Peja, and the home team leads, 23-20.

2:28 – Timeout, same score, two kids on the court have to put on adult shorts and shoes and try make a basket. Funny.

The Hornets haven't been playing bad D, but the T-Wolves have been shooting pretty well thus far. If not for Minnesota's turnovers, they'd probably have 30 points on the board already. The Hornets have been hustling, playing good help defense for the most part. The offense has been smooth. Different guys are getting looks and making shots.

0:59 – Another CP steal and he takes it all the way for the lay-in to cap an 11-0 Hornets run. The quarter finishes with the Hornets up, 30-20. Chris had 10 points, 5 assists, 4 steals and 0 turnovers in those first 12 minutes. Unreal.

Second Quarter

Byron Scott starts out with the trigger-happy backcourt of Jannero Pargo and Bobby Jackson, along with Rasual, Julian Wright and Hilton Armstrong. The T-Wolves roll with Telfair, Brewer, Gerald Green, Antoine Walker and Craig Smith.

10:17 – I notice the T-Wolves are playing some zone D. They might have been doing that since the tip, but I just noticed.

8:36 – Minnesota takes a timeout, with the Hornets up, 35-23. Our second unit is playing well so far, scrambling, rebounding. Armstrong and Wright are active on D, getting some blocks, keeping possessions alive. The T-Wolves are starting to look dejected. They can't get anything going right now.

Out of the timeout, Jefferson gets the ball in the post against Hilton, and spins past him to the baseline. JuJu is right there with the help and blocks AJ. Sweet.

6:50 – The T-Wolves are still in their zone, but Wright sneaks through it to catch a lob from Pargo. Damn, that was a nice finish. 37-28 Hornets.

6:22 – Gerald Green drops a tough triple over B-Jax to give him 8 points in the last two minutes. Next trip, Green, who seems to be running point for the T-Wolves right now, strolls through the Hornets defense but misses the layup. Jefferson is there to clean it up, though, slamming home the put-back. That's a 10-2 run by Minnesota, the lead is down to four, and Byron wants to talk.

Que the Honeybees for their first performance of the night. They bring out the chairs and candy canes and do it well to Santa Baby. They finish the routine by lining up and throwing high kicks. It must suck to be sitting at the other side of the court.

4:09 – Peja, West and CP come back in after the timeout, the T-Wolves stay in that zone, and Pargo and Mo-Pete punish them from the corners. 43-35 Hornets after Peterson's triple.

2:31 – David West is taking them to school. He dropped a J, turned the corner for a driving slam, then made a lay-in plus the foul. Give him 13 points after he makes the free throw.

The quarter finishes with the T-Wolves getting three looks but they can't finish. The Hornets take a 53-38 lead into the break.

Halftime Thoughts

• Great job so far by the Hornets. They're playing exactly like they should against these guys, controlling just about every aspect of the game. They're rebounding well, challenging shots, moving the ball on offense and keeping turnovers to a minimum. In fact, I'd later find out that the Hornets had zero turnovers in the first half, which is a first in franchise history.

• Ryan Gomes leads the T-Wolves with 12 points, all of which he scored in the first quarter. A few times before halftime, Minnesota looked to be trying to isolate Gomes on Peja, but that didn't get them much.
• The crowd isn't bad at all. Attendance is announced as 11,257, which is about 3,000 more than the last time the T-Wolves were in town, back in November. Good job, New Orleans. Let's keep building.
   
• The halftime show is some magician dude with three hot assistants in Santa nightdress thingies. The magic is okay, but I'm thinking they should just
  have the three chicks do what those two bald dudes did halftime at the Suns game last weekend. Yeah.
• The reserves came in and didn't do a bad job, considering the T-Wolves still had some starters in the game. Our second unit seems to be fine defensively, but they can have trouble scoring because nobody on the bench is a true playmaker.
• Mistletoe cam! One guy goes for tongue and gets a huge cheer from the crowd but he'll probably regret that move for the next month. At one points, the camera hits two chicks and they go along for the ride. Legends.
• I'm still nervous about Peja. Methinks it's not healthy to worry so much about another man's groin.

Third Quarter

The Hornets don't let up, starting the new half on a 7-2 run. Three minutes in, Peja gets a hand on a pass, leaks out, gets it back, dumps it off to CP, who dumps it off to a trailing Peterson. Basket and the foul. Nice. Make it 60-39 to th Hornets after Mo-Pete drops the bonus, and I'm thinking we might see Marcus Vinicius yet.

8:41 – West blows right by Mark Madsen, who just checked in at the 9:21 mark. Madsen just wraps up West to prevent an easy two, giving him two fouls already.

7:59 – Madsen fouls West again.

6:51 – Madsen fouls CP trying to guard the pick. That's four fouls in two and a half minutes. Wow.

6:07 – Chris gets his fifth steal, picking of a Gerald Green pass, and talking off up the left side of the floor. Telfair is right there, stride for stride, so CP wraps his right arm around him to drop a bounce pass to Chandler who throws down an emphatic slam. But wait, doesn't count. The ref calls a foul on Telfair, and CP is upset. "Don't call that, man!"

CP gets the deuce anyway, sinking both free throws. 66-45 Hornets.

5:32 – Twice, CP almost comes up with another steal, causing havoc for the Timberwolves, but they get a bucket via an Al Jefferson tip. At the other end, CP pulls up and knocks down a 16-footer. Dude is everywhere right now.

5:14 – Mark Madsen goes after an offensive rebound, gets the ball, but lands on his ass under the basket, feet out over the endline. Hornets ball.

1:57 – Chris shows surreal court vision, finding a streaking Mo-Pete cutting to the basket on the break. A bounce pass through traffic, and the Hornets are up 74-50. I'm wondering how the hell these T-Wolves ever beat us this season.

The quarter ends with the Hornets up 79-53. A comeback is unlikely. 

Fourth Quarter

Jackson, Pargo, Hilton, Rasual and West in there for the Hornets. It doesn't matter who the T-Wolves have on court at this point. 

11:37 – Hilton misses a 15-footer, but goes after the rebound and is rewarded with a jumpball. He wins it, and gets the ball back from Pargo in the low post. For some reason, the T-Wolves decide to triple-team Hilton, but then the two help defenders realize that's probably not the best idea in the world and back off. Hilton turns and hits the jumper over whoever is left.

10:18 – JuJu gets the ball on the low block, posting up Gomes int he zone. Wright goes baseline and gets to the basket for a nice finish. 83-56 Hornets.

8:26 – Triples by Gomes and Antoine Walker makes the score 86-65. Understandably concerned, Byron burns a timeout.

At this point, nature calls and I have to leave my seat for a while. On the way back, I get side-tracked talking to random funky people.

2:58 – Back in my seat. What I miss? Hey, Marcus Vinicius is in the ballgame, and he has two points already. Unstoppable, baby!

The Timberwolves are so bad, Jannero Pargo almost looks like Chris Paul out there. In the last 2:09 of the game, the Hornets score 12 points, and Jannero scores or assists on all of them.

0:15 – Pargo steals from Telfair, and does the right thing to give it up for Vinicius on the break. Marcus rises up and throws down an impressive right-hand slam. That was 25 games of DNP-CD pent up aggression right there. I'd find out later that Marcus' wife, who goes to all the games, went berserk after her man landed that jam.

As she should.

Postgame Thoughts

So it finished 110-76. So so nice to see the Hornets crush an inferior opponent. Chris Paul set the tone in this one with that insane first quarter. He finished with 19 points, 15 assists and 5 steals in just 30 minutes.

David West had it going tonight, getting to the basket and dropping 9-of-12 for 22 points. Tyson Chandler grabbed 14 rebounds in just 29 minutes, while Peja and Mo-Pete combined for 21 points. I'm damn glad Peja is back healthy. I would have never forgiven Byron though if he had got hurt again in that game, when he didn't even need to be playing.

As for the bench, they were all good. Everyone got some burn and scored at least twice. How about Julian Wright? He shot 4-of-4 from the field for 8 points, and also grabbed 7 boards and blocked a couple shots. Jackson and Pargo both shot pretty well, combining for 22 points.

Stealing the show of course was Marcus Vinicius. 4 points in 5 minutes. You know, that works out at about 38 points per 48 minutes. Jeff Bower, get working on a contract extension for this dude.

Our 17-10 Hornets will chill now for a few days and enjoy the Christmas break, before it's back to work on Wednesday at Memphis. Then it's off to Charlotte to play the Bobcats on Friday, before LeBron and the Cavs come to New Orleans on Saturday.

Now, back to football. Let's go Saints.

The Minnesota Timberwolves roll into New Orleans today with their league-worst 4-21 record. Our 16-10 Hornets will be waiting, as they try to build on their demolition of the Sonics in Seattle on Wednesday.

Today's game really should be another easy one for the Hornets, but then the T-Wolves have already beaten us up in New Orleans once this season; 103-94, back on November 26th. That game saw Chris Paul drop 31 points and 11 assists, but he didn't get much help from his teammates, even though we had a full-health squad back then. Marko Jaric and Sebastian Telfair did most of the damage against us, scoring 21 and 20 respectively.

The Hornets just looked flat in that game. It was a Monday night, only 8,393 in the building, and the T-Wolves were looking for revenge after we beat them at their place a week earlier. This time around, I'm hoping the Hornets come out with some intensity and put these guys down good and fast. It really should be over by the third quarter. Hopefully, despite the lousy opponent, there will be a nice crowd in the Arena and they'll get to see a dominant performance by the home team.

Minnesota will also be playing the second game of a back-to-back, so that should work in our favor. They hosted the Indiana Pacers last night, and came away with a 131-118 win. Them's a lot of points. Al Jefferson led the T-Wolves with 29 points and 13 rebounds in that one, while Telfair dropped 27 and 11 assists. Jaric and fellow guard Rashad McCants both missed the game with flu-like symptoms, meaning they probably had the flu. No idea what their status is for tonight. 

Anyways, I'll be at the game tonight, so check back for game notes tomorrow. Leaving you with some random shizzle style notes and links…

• Peja Stojakovic practiced yesterday but he's listed as questionable for today's game. I doubt he'll play.

• Interesting excerpt from a Tyson Chandler Q&A over at ESPN.com…

  "… it would be a huge disappointment [to miss the playoffs]. If we don't make it this year, some changes need to be made."

  I wonder what kind of changes he has in mind.

• Hornets legend Larry Johnson done went and got his degree. I'm so proud.
• Jeremy Pargo, younger brother of our own Jannero, had himself a game for Gonzaga yesterday. That is, until he took the last shot.
• T-Wolves blogs: TWolvesBlog.com | Wolves Watch

Game time this evening is set for 7pm. Methinks there's no BuzzFest ahead of this one, which sucks. Guess I'll just have to make up for it after the game.