Hornets247.com

The Hornets came up against a throwback Pistons team tonight, with the likes of Rip Hamilton and Ben Wallace playing like it was 2004. New Orleans got down big early and seemed to be fighting back for most of the game. It was tight down the stretch and Chris Paul was able to send it to overtime with a late layup and some tight D on Hamilton. Rodney Stuckey awoke from a coma in the extra session, coming up with two impossible three-point plays to make up for his earlier irrelevance. Adding to that, some ugly plays by Paul and David West sealed the Hornets fate.

104-110 the final (box).

Impressive Pistons

I have to give the Pistons a lot of credit tonight. They played much better than their record. Defensively, they hedged hard on the pick and roll and had exceptional defensive rotations to fall back on. They never allowed David West to go one-on-one down low, clogging up the middle regularly. They were lucky in a sense that the Hornets shot poorly from three for most of the game.

Offensively, the Pistons showed excellent ball movement and used a lot of off-the-ball action. They looked to Rip Hamilton early and often. He ran off about six million baseline screens and knocked in plenty of midrange J's. Jeff Bower tried several different guys to try slow him, but nobody could really shut him down. Rip finished with 32 points and 10 assists, both season highs. (Must be noted though that he's played just twelve games this season.)

Detroit also did a great job on the boards and getting to the free-throw line. They out-rebounded the Hornets 46-34 and earned a bunch of second chance points. Wallace alone had 21 rebounds, 5 of them offensive. They shot 40 free-throws, making 31, compared to 25 takes and 21 makes for the Hornets.

Lost points

Continue reading »

The Hornets play the first game of a back-to-back in Detroit tonight, taking on the 12-25 Pistons.

The Pistons had lost 12 straight games before their 9-point victory in Washington on Tuesday. Charlie Villanueva poured in 23 points off the bench in that game, while Rip Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey contributed 19 points apiece.

Both Ben Gordon (groin) and Tayshaun Prince (knee) have missed the last two games for Detroit and are listed as day-to-day. Will Bynum remains sidelined with an ankle sprain.

The Hornets (20-17) are coming off Wednesday's blowout win over the Clippers in New Orleans, their seventh victory in eight games. Six Hornets scored in double figures against L.A., with Chris Paul dishing out 15 assists.

The Hornets and Pistons met in New Orleans back in December, with the good guys rallying from a 16-point deficit to win 95-87. David West went off for 32 points and 12 rebounds in that one. The Pistons were without both Hamilton and Prince.

Game tips at 7 Central. The Hornets are hosting an official watch party at the Fox & Hound in Harahan, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Linkage:

• Ryan's game preview
• Lagniappe: Love for Marcus Thornton, some Hype, and plenty more good stuff
  
• Rival bloggers: Detroit Bad Boys | Need4Sheed | PistonPowered (THN)

(Many thanks to Dariusz for today's banner featuring Armon Gilliam, who averaged 19.1 points and 9 rebounds in 85 games for the Hornets back in the early 90's. Be sure to check out more of Dariusz's designs in our Wallpapers vault.)

Friday night the Hornets hit Detroit and then travel south on Saturday to take on the Pacers in their fourth and fifth games in seven nights. So that means a double preview.  Yay?  Double the fun?

Matchups: Hornets(20-17) @ Pistons(12-25) & @ Pacers(13-25)

Offensive Efficiency:

Hornets 104.1(16th), Pistons 100.0(24th), Pacers 98.8(26th)

Defensive Efficiency:

Hornets 105.6(20th), Pistons 107.4(24th), Pacers 103.9(17th)

Pistons

The Hornets played the Pistons on December 16th, fell behind by 13 at the half, and stormed back in the second half behind tightening defense and an offensive blitz from West and Paul.(32 points combined in the half)

Since that game, Rip Hamilton has returned to the lineup for the Pistons, Austin Daye has fallen out of the rotation, and the Pistons have managed one win(over the Wizards) in fourteen tries.

The Pistons had hoped that Villueneva, Tayshaun Prince, Stuckey, Hamilton and Ben Gordon would provide the scoring needed to compete this season.  While Gordon has done well, he’s battled injuries, and is injured now, leaving the others to fire away freely. Combined, they manage a pathetic 59.3 points on 56.3 shots.  It’s so bad GM Joe Dumars could hire an Imperial Stormtrooper to teach them how to shoot and expect improvement.

Continue reading »

I came into this game wanting to write about David West.  I was determined to watch him this entire game to get a fair read on his play.  And after watching him almost single-handedly lead the Hornets to a 95-87 win against the visiting Detroit Pistons with a huge night on the stat sheet (32 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and an assist), I’m extremely glad I did.

Making big play after big play in the fourth quarter, West showed the kind of All-Star form that has drifted in and out of his game ever since he first joined the team as a rookie.  He can simultaneously be the most electric and most frustrating player on the court on any given night, and for that reason alone he is an extremely compelling figure.

David West, much like Reggie Bush for the New Orleans Saints (a player who was in attendance tonight), is a pretty divisive figure amongst the die-hard fans in this fair city.  I think the main reason for this is that his lapses, much like Bush’s, tend to stick out quite a bit.  Other players make mistakes, but these two have a knack for making their errors highly visible.  Only instead of fumbling, running backwards and avoiding contact (like Bush), West is turning the ball over (SIX tonight), not playing defense or not hustling after loose balls.

I often get asked my opinion of Bush by fellow Saints fans, and I’ve often struggled to give them a good answer.  Until recently, that is, when it all sort of clicked for me.  I’d watched enough of Bush and thought enough about his game to sum it up quickly; and so I now can do so in short order.

West, however, I am still completely baffled by.  Perhaps that is to his credit and it means I’ve been too hard on him.  Or perhaps it means I’m simply trying too much to rationalize for his errors.  Or perhaps it is even an indictment of my understanding of what his assignment should be on any given play.

In truth, I suppose it’s some of all three.

Continue reading »

Hornets back home this evening to take on the 11-13 Detroit Pistons. Honeybee night at the Hive. Game tips at the usual 7 Central.

The Pistons had won five straight games before losing 96-107 in Houston last night. Detroit's starting backcourt of Rodney Stuckey and Rip Hamilton combined to score 38 points while Charlie Villanueva contributed 16 off the bench. On Monday, Stuckey was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.

The Pistons are hurting right now, with Ben Gordon and Will Bynum having missed recent games due to ankle sprains and Tayshaun Prince still out with a back injury. Bynum and Gordon both practiced Monday but did not play last night. Hamilton also suffered a hamstring injury in Houston so he may not be available for this one.

The Hornets have lost two straight, coming off Monday's loss to the Mavs in Dallas.

Linkage:

• Lagniappe: Rookie watch, Twittastic Tuesday and Anthony Randolph anybody?
  
• Rival bloggers: Detroit Bad Boys | Need4Sheed | PistonPowered (THN)

(Many thanks to Dariusz for the banner, today featuring Darren Collison. Be sure to check out more of Dariusz's designs in our Wallpapers vault.)