I can't say I wasn't disappointed by the Hornets performance over the weekend. I can understand taking a little time to adjust to the defensive blitz the Lakers hit us with, and the way the Hornets fought back was great, but the Sacramento game was sheer misery. I actually had a little trouble sleeping after that game, confirming my wife's less-than-subtle suggestions that I'm too tied up with the Hornets. What can I say.
It is strange that after the Sacramento game I was probably at the second lowest point I've ever been as a Hornets fan. (The lowest being last year when Paul went down with an injured ankle, joining Peja and David West on the Bench of Crushed Dreams)
Expectations are dangerous, and despite my best efforts to keep mine low, my reaction has made it pretty clear I haven't. Somehow, over the course of the season, I have convinced myself this team is a Finals Contender. Even as I write that, I still think to myself "Hey, they could do it!"
I need to get back to thinking the second round is good - and anything past that is gravy. Judging by the reactions in the comments after that game - it may be good for all of us to do that. Otherwise soon we'll all be like Pheonix of Spurs fans - both sets at one point or another have acted like their teams were the worst in the league and playing like crap . . . while their team fought for the top seed out West.
So I'm now going to remind us what we have:
- A 55-25 record
- Three of our top four guys 27 years old or younger.
- A season sweep of the Suns.
- Our fourth top guy is a tall shooter - the type of player that can usually play until they are 35. He's 30.
- A promising 20-year old young wing player in Julian Wright
- A 22 year-old MVP candidate that happens to be one of the most electrifying talents in the league.
- Ryan Bowen's shirts
- A coach and GM that work together very well in putting pieces together.
- Only 2 sizeable dead weight contracts on our cap,(Mike James and Rasual Butler) though neither of which are really crippling.
- 10 Peja three pointers and 21 Paul assists in a single game.
- The Support of New Orleans, who have grown to love this team.
- Two twenty-five point spankings of the Spurs.
- Quadruple the number of Hornet's Blogs we had at this time last year.
- 100+ TCP Alley-oops. And counting.
And others.
15 magnificent comments post your own
Bob
04/14/08 06:05 AM
...not to mention a playoff berth, guaranteeing at least three nationally televised games, probably two more home games, and hopefully more.
#1
jdub
04/14/08 06:11 AM
How could you leave out marcus vinicious nasty, mean dunk earlier this year...
#2
atthehive
04/14/08 06:15 AM
Thanks for this. After a loss like the Kings one, it becomes real easy to forget the things we've accomplished. This year, first and foremost, was about making the playoffs no matter what. The team has done way more than that- in fact, they've proven that they will be a legit championship contender as early as next year and for at least the next 5-6 seasons. That's a hell of a job, and we need to be thankful for that.
atthehive.wordpress.com #3
Juncti
04/14/08 06:25 AM
@ Bob, wouldn't that be 4? If they were somehow swept it would be 4 games. I don't think that will happen though. A week ago or so I compared (while talking on arena football boards) being a sports fan in New Orleans is like being Charlie Brown chasing that football. We keep thinking we're so close, we're going to get it this time, and then in the blink of an eye, the football is pulled away and the whole sports world snickers as those gullible New Orleans folk thought they were actually going to win a championship. No matter how many times it happens, we keep coming back for more. Saints have an incredible year, we get our hopes up, we start 0-4 and season was pretty much mentally over before it started. So have we entered the year where the Hornets become our football? Playing the way they did against the Kings has got a lot of us not wanting to take a kick attempt. Inevitably though, we're all going to run to the football, only time will tell if we hit it through the uprights.
#4
Mikey
04/14/08 06:30 AM
Don't forget Big Bird coming back, and the emergence of Donatello in the Houston trade. Also. we havea winning record in our division, with tie-breakers against all the otherdivisional teams. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Hornets win1 of their last 2 games, does that not lock up the division as well as no less than a #2 seed?
#5
Ron Hitley
04/14/08 06:47 AM
@ Mikey: Yeah, our magic number to win the division is one, as Jim Eichenhofer noted at The Official last night. One win is all we need, or a loss each for the Spurs and Nuggets. I'd rather not rely on the latter though. I really enjoyed that post, Ryan. Always good to step back and look at how far we've come. I'd also add the Honeybees to that list, by the way.
www.hornets247.com #6
Steve H
04/14/08 06:50 AM
I would like to apologize for my rash, defeatist comments following the Kings loss and declare that as long as CP3 is running the point and Coach Scott is prowling the sidelines, I will be a Hornets fan. With that said, Chris needs to pull his ass out of that funk- and Byron needs to shorten up the rotation (James is an INJURY replacement at this point- same with Ely), and keep a shorter leash on Pargo for the remainder of the season (if he bricks his first three shots, its not his night and he needs to have a seat). Go Hornets!
#7
AK
04/14/08 06:59 AM
I think it is a good year for the Hornets, but for the playoffs it is important the guys finish on a high. I dont think that the team has let anyone down lately. Dont forget that we have not been routed, but all last games are lost while we were fighting to win even in the end. This is what good teams do, they fight more when everything gets harder. I am feeling better knowing that the guys have 2 games to fight and now they have been in "knock-off" situation so they will have some experience in the POs. Loosing 2 games now might not be so important as loosing 2 games during the POs..
#8
munciemug
04/14/08 08:07 AM
Surely we won't finish the year with 4 straight loses....or will we? Who KNOWS, one sad thing about this funk we ARE in is, CP3 can kiss that MVP trophy BAD-by... yes that's BAD-BY 'cause it's sure not good-by, there's nothing but disappointment for we-Bee-fans! ! ! ! Can we win our division....at this point....I will NOT speculate, just hope and may-be, have to wait till that last game of the season to find the "FINAL ANSWER"....... I'm disappointed in Bonzi Well's play lately.....I think he thought that when he was traded here, he was going to Bee a lot more of the offense. I hate it when he is in the game with Pargo at point G....because Wells might as well be over there on the bench...he AIN"T gona get the BALL....As I have blogged before, DWest wants the postups, so Bonzi has to stay away from the paint....taking a lot of his game away and rendering him less effective. What in the world has happened to Paul's shot???? Is he shooting much over 38% in the last 4 or 5 games? I'm sorry we are NOT gettin' the #1SEED but we may find our overall GaMe..or is it a BeeMe selfish, instread of team effort that's emerging at the end of this long season.....I see absolutelyNO indication that West wants Wells on this team. . .....and the same could be said (even more so) for Pargo......I am the confessed #1BWells fan you will findso I'm partial.Remember Bonzi's numbers in the last playoff he played in:23p 12r shooting 61% fron the field against those feared Spurs....the only time in NBA playoff HISTORY that a guard ever lead the playoffs in REBOUNDING. If we loose the first playoff game....we are burnt toast...but if we win it....who knows, we may still surprise the West. GEAUX BEES and get these last two games+++++
mykronzz@gmail.com #9
Mikey
04/14/08 09:45 AM
Here's something funny to consider. If we win Tuesday against the Clippers, we will actually have some say in regards to who we'll face in the 1st round of the playoffs. (I'm basing this off the assumption that the Lakers will win their game against Sac-town, which is no gimmie, and Denver beating Memphis, which is pretty much a gimmie) If Denver wins their last game, Dallas MUST win their final game against us in order to not fall to #8 and face the Lakers in the 1st round. So if the Hornets want to face the Mavs in the 1st round, it would actually be better for them to tank *ahem* rest their players for that final game of the season. The other method is just to come out and play hard and we get who we get in the 1st round. And still a less likely scenerio is the Lakers falling to the Kings, meaning we would have to beat the Mavericks in order to face them in the 1st round. Of course all this centers around us 1st beating the Clippers tomorrow night. If we don't take care of them, then we suck.
#10
Juncti
04/14/08 12:14 PM
Another thing to think of. There was the blown call a few weeks back which pretty much handed the Lakers a win over the Warriors. (google "fisher lakers blown call" if you don't know what I'm talking about) Warriors are currently a half game out of 8 seed, and Lakers are a half game ahead of us. That call doesn't get made, the Warriors likely win, Hornets would still have 1 seed with the ability to win out and maintain it, while the Warriors would have the 8 seed and possibly be able to maintain it as well. It's not going to change anything, but it's amazing the effect 1 call can have on the seedings this season.
#11
JC
04/14/08 01:25 PM
Hands up if you were expecting the Hornets to get 50+ wins this season...
#12
Spiro Vladimiroski
04/14/08 02:26 PM
"Donatello in the Houston trade." hahahahaha! ...so thats who he was reminding me of!
#13
Stefan
04/14/08 02:42 PM
All I want to do is add, "the top seed in the West", on that list but it seems that wont' be happening anymore.
#14
Emir lidan
04/14/08 04:02 PM
add the record for over-time wins the countless buzzer beater type games and the fact that we are one of the best in the west also i could say that we've been playing lots of games wit 4 players since our bench hasn't been as great as we want it to be and mo pete has had horrible games which question why hes a starter
#15