Here we go...
Game 1 of Hornets-Mavericks tips off just after 6pm Central today in New Orleans. There's been a bunch of talk about which team should be considered the favorite, whether or not experience will be a factor, if last Wednesday's game in Dallas was a sign of things to come... But it all goes out the window when that ball goes up and it's just two great teams playing basketball.
Some relevant info...
Game Time: 6:00pm Central.
TV: CST locally, ESPN everywhere.
Radio: KMEZ 102.9 FM in New Orleans and WIBR 1300-AM in Baton Rouge.
Linkage:
- Our Q&A with MavsCentral.com
- Our Saturday news wrap
- At the Hive: Q&A with Dallas Sports Radio 1310
- FreeDarko: Eavesdropping on the MVP candidates
- Mavs blogs/sites: Dallas Basketball | MavsCentral.com | Mavs Moneyball
It's been four years since the Hornets last played a Playoff game, and New Orleans has had to endure a lot of shit since, both on and off the court. Now we're back, more amped and hopeful than ever. Memories of a half-empty Arena back in November and December seem decades old, and at some point this evening, when the Hornets make a run and the Hive is about to explode, I'll take a moment to look around and absorb the fantasticness. It's gonna be something.
Let's go.
[UPDATE] Hornets kick ass in the second half and take Game 1, 104-92.
27 magnificent comments post your own
Mark
04/19/08 12:05 PM
I think we're all proud of the progress this team has made this season, so at least for me, playoffs is icing on the cake. God forbid people reassure themselves after this series too. If Hornets win, "See? Mavericks always choke." If the Mavericks win, "See? Hornets have no experience." This series (as will most others) will literally just boil down to match-ups and how well the team plays basketball. Good stuff indeed. Oh, and I enjoyed your interview with mavscentral too. I personally don't see any bitterness between fans entering the series (maybe because I'm the one of the lone Hornets fan in Texas), so I'm very happy for that. Fan up!
#1
Mark
04/19/08 02:13 PM
Note: Clock was ticking during in-bounds pass with ~1:15 left in the 2nd.
#2
Fab
04/19/08 02:23 PM
First half: Hornets seem to be very nervous in the Play-off atmosphere.Hope they will play better in the second half!!
#3
Dejan
04/19/08 02:23 PM
....this is guna be tough
#4
Stefan
04/19/08 02:29 PM
Ok when Terry saved the ball from out-of-bounds from the corner on our basket, did you guys see where he jumped from!? He was already out of bounds. He can't jump up and save it. The ref was right next to him too! Somebody explain this shit to me! The refs must have been paid or some shit. I'M PISSED OFF!!
#5
manu
04/19/08 02:31 PM
welcome to the real season :)
#6
Fab
04/19/08 03:07 PM
Stefan calm down.we don't need the refs to win :-)
#7
saltandcarbon
04/19/08 03:41 PM
PEEEEJJJJJJJJJJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
saltandcarbon.blogspot.com #8
Fab
04/19/08 03:41 PM
what a great 2nd half!!! CP3 MVP!! West did his usual business & Peja is still money from behind the arc. Chandler is a beast under the boards and Bonzi a.k.a Donatello is a Monster (Turtle) of the bench!!
#9
spiiro
04/19/08 03:47 PM
its oooover :) chris paul <strong>MONSTER</strong> game again if mr pargo was his usual forest fire we would of won by 30 LOOOL what a win . now time to drink the night away
#10
Dejan
04/19/08 03:48 PM
good win , lets sweep thes faggots
#11
jdub
04/19/08 03:49 PM
that was beautiful
#12
Mark
04/19/08 03:55 PM
Dejan, first you should probably check the grammar and spelling before you go and be derogatory like that. But wow. What a comeback. I guess lack of playoff experience took only two quarters. Hope we maintain intensity for the rest of the series and playoffs. Sweet!
#13
Emir lidan
04/19/08 04:00 PM
i think peja made all of our 3s not sure if thats correct but some1 check i remeber hearin the people say that we shot bad from behind the arc either way awesome win and for the maverick fans / players youwanted us now your stuck with us
#14
twills
04/19/08 04:15 PM
Yes! Can't say this team doesn't have any playoff experience anymore. 1 game counts, right? I've never seen the giant Peja heads before. Love it. Are these new?
#15
Dejan
04/19/08 04:53 PM
@ Mark: buddy its called slang, i aint writting no essay or sht wher i hav to have proper spellin as long as ppl can understand.
#16
Dejan
04/19/08 04:54 PM
@twills: hah yeah the peja heads where pretty awesome.
#17
Ron Hitley
04/19/08 06:12 PM
Just got back from Gordon Biersch. Great win tonight. That Hive was jumping. Loved every minute of it. I'm gonna hit the scratcher now though and get my head right for a good recap in the morning. @ Dejan: Keep it clean, man. We can kick ass and be classy about it.
www.hornets247.com #18
godallas
04/19/08 06:14 PM
the series aint over yet... don't expect the mavs to drop one in dallas.
deleted #19
Mikey
04/19/08 08:17 PM
Yes the giant Peja heads were new... I was cracking up. For the record, the Honeybees came out in high socks in the 2nd half.... they should don Ninja Turtle wear before the end of this series.
#20
Emir lidan
04/19/08 10:02 PM
ye i saw the guy running wit the peja head i thought it was pretty cool bet peja is glad to see his fan base is growing now every1 in sacramento and new orleans likes him =p + other areas
#21
Kamo
04/19/08 10:40 PM
WE WON!!
#22
Apple
04/19/08 10:52 PM
How about that missile pass from Bonzi to CP3 that went the length of the court and then CP put it in the basket. WOW! That was impressive! Yes, I loved the Peja heads, too. They had a whole parade of them in front of our section. I wish they'd hand out Peja or CP3 heads in the end zones to wave when the other team takes free throws. Balloons are so lame.
appleita.blogspot.com/ #23
Emir lidan
04/19/08 11:19 PM
i luv balloons lol
#24
munciemug
04/19/08 11:58 PM
Wow! ! !After the early game gitters we looked like a championship team, didn't we.....I have been watching the NBA since 1958 and CP3s first game performance is THE BIGGestBESTestSTRONGest first game in the playoffs I have seen! ! ! ! I would like to check the tape.I bet Paul handled the ball on over 50possessions and with only 1 turnover WOW, taking it inside literally past 3 or 4 players to score or dish, and the delectable delight he served up was somethin' the Hungry Hornet fans ate up. If we avoid the one bad quarter syndrome, we will not even need to play as strong of a second half to beat this Cuban concoction called the Mavs.....MoPet gave us a real effort,getting some rebs and playing solid D...Pargo may have missed several shots but played great D and didn't turn it over+ made some neededfrees....Peja's threes came at the dagger in the heart times of the game........DWest started shakeeeeey but regained his composure to give us the scoring punch, along with CP3, that got us back into the game (David we need more rebounds from you in the next game).......I thought it was Tyson's best game in a long time, Great Great D, over and over causing Dallas to take forced shots deep in the shot clock,and Chandler's rebounding was super SuPPPer...that brings me to BWells.....wish he could hit a free, but other than that, he played super....I got totell you one story about Bonzi,...his junior yr. in High School, he stole the ball in exactly the same place on the floor he did last night(to turn a close game into a victory)and I turned to my wife and said,"Bonzi is going to play in the NBA"...and I was right on.....you all now see what I predicted...he is a major contributer on the big NBA stage. Hope he doesn't get in foul trouble. and can help ever more in the next game....... GEAUX Bees, sometimes it's the littlest bees that sting the worst, GET GAME TWO! ! ! ! !!!!
mykronzz@gmail.com #25
spiiro
04/20/08 12:17 AM
BAHAHAA please everyone go check out nba.com the playoff bracket states <strong>CHR</strong> 1 - 0 instead of <strong>NOH</strong> 1 - 0 im preety sure they know whose running these hornets :)
#26
Apple
04/20/08 10:08 PM
Oopsie! I made (another) mistake. That wasn't Bonzie who threw that amazing pass to CP3, it was D-West. I keep watching it over and over in the post-game clips. Wow...!
appleita.blogspot.com/ #27