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A.M. Updates

John Hollinger from ESPN's Daily Dime

... I'm sorry, but the New Orleans Hornets' performance was one of the most pathetic efforts I've ever seen, and the fact that it came in a home playoff game with a chance to even the series just makes it more shameful. The Hornets' 121-63 loss to Denver tied for the most lopsided in NBA history, and it was humiliating from the get-go.

Our own Niall Doherty also on the Daily Dime(See Item Nine)

I don't see the Hornets winning Wednesday's Game 5 in Denver. The Nuggets are by far the better team in this series. The Hornets are too banged up, too badly coached, too shallow benched. And with an aging roster and several crippling contracts, it will probably get worse for New Orleans before it gets better.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports sees Byron Scott's job in peril after the debacle:

As much as his players deserved scolding for such a startling submission on Monday night, they needed to hear Scott take his burden of blame for an unfathomable 58-point loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Only, Scott didn’t do it. He’s a proud, assured man, but no one should’ve deserved to escape responsibility for this stunning 121-63 loss in Game 4 of the Western Conference playoffs. To no one’s surprise, Scott suggested that the Hornets didn’t compete at the New Orleans Arena. In the history of the NBA, no truth had ever been so resounding. Yet, it was odd to hear him punctuate that thought with, “I don’t know what you can do to change that.”

It wouldn’t be Scott’s worst idea to come up with something between now and an embarrassing season’s end in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Multiple agents and rival league executives say that Scott’s job could be in peril.

The Times-Picayune

Denver's largest lead was 58 points. Not since 1956, when the Minneapolis Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks 133-75, had the NBA had such a blowout in the postseason.

"It was the worst we've played since I've been here," Hornets Coach Byron Scott said.

James Varney celebrates Carmelo Anthony at Nola.com

In Game 4 of the Western Conference playoff series between the Nuggets and the New Orleans Hornets -- an embarrassing 121-63 rout that gave the Nuggets a 3-1 lead with the series headed back to Denver -- Anthony put on a show. By the time he left the court for the first and last time with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter, he led all scorers with 26 points, making nine of 17 field-goal attempts, including two of three 3-point attempts and six of seven free throws. He also had seven assists, and six rebounds and two steals.

John DeShazier at Nola.com

The future Western Conference power, a young team led by the NBA Coach of the Year and MVP runner-up, poised to challenge the established Lakers and the aging Spurs for the spot in the NBA Finals as well as the similarly ascending Trail Blazers for the best rising team in the West?

Place a forearm squarely in the chest of that theory -- and the Hornets -- and push.

Apparently, both will fall down and one, the Hornets, will refuse to get up, let alone fight back.

John Reid at Nola.com lists the playoff record lows set in that disaster of a game.

The Hornets set five franchise playoff lows, which included points, field goals made (17), field goals attempted (54), assists (32), second-half points (24) and a playoff-high turnovers (26).

Paul Forrester of SI.com echoes DeShazier's take on the Hornets future

Wasn't it the Hornets who took the defending champion Spurs to seven games in the second round last spring? Wasn't it the Hornets whose star point guard, Chris Paul, was supposed to lead them to the Western Conference finals, according to three SI.com writers (including this one)? Not anymore.

Alejandro de los Rios notes what was happening the last time a loss like this occured in the playoffs.

The last time any team lost by this much was 53 years ago when the Minneapolis Lakers beat the St. Louis Hawks 133-75. Some other things that happened in 1956:

  • Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected to a second term as President of the United States.
  • A young, hip-swerving kid from Memphis named Elvis Presley hit the music charts with the hit "Heartbreak Hotel."
  • Morocco declared its independence from France.
  • Bob Barker made his television debut on the show "Truth or Consequences".
  • Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other men arrived in Cuba.

At the Hive pretty much sums it up:

"The best part about that game was when it ended."