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According to Wikipedia, which obviously is the end-all source on everything, the Hornets don't have a rival. That makes me remarkably sad considering the deep seeded mild anger that I feel toward opposing ball clubs. If we don't have a rival, how will anyone know which games matter most at the beginning of the season? Sure every game matters, but there is something to be said for manufacturing drama, especially on a sports blog.

Since the dawn of sports, long term rivalries have existed for a number of reasons, including...

• The two teams that are competing have fan bases that are in close geographical proximity to one another, often leading for fans to root for one or the other.
• The teams are thrust into competing in crucial games year after year in which only one can prevail
• Both teams have an excellent player whose accomplishments for whatever reason are always compared to those of another team's excellent player.
• They are a great marketing tool for teams to entice fans to come to the arena, even if a season isn't going quite as planned.
  
• The media needs stuff to write about, and the fans want a reason to care more.
  

Frankly I don't want to start a discussion about who Hornets fans like the least, but that's exactly what needs to happen to determine a rival. Lot's of teams have angered the Bees over the years, and it's time fans let them know exactly how they feel.

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Tonight's game was enjoyable but hardly compelling as the only tough defense being played out there was Jared Jeffries earnestly humping David West in the post.  Happily, all that did was make him score more and shout "And One!" a half dozen times, making Hornets drinking games that much more entertaining and inebriating. Otherwise, most players were going under picks, semi-contesting shots, and generally not going at full speed unless they were scoring. 

Still, it is hard not to like West going for 35, 10 and 5, Collison for 26 and 11, and Thornton racking up 20 and 6 as the Hornets hit 9 of 15 from deep with 64% shooting from the floor. 

That trio is the core of most of the things right about the Hornets this past season.  At the All-star break I would have hesitated to put West in that list, but the last two months he's been turning it on, and the result is a PER that is the essentially the exact same it was last year, and the year before, and the year before and the . . . you get the idea.

The 2009-10 Season

The season itself?  Disappointing as a whole, but it was also bizarre in the extreme.  In no particular order, here's a half dozen subjects we wrote about that I would never have guessed I'd be touching on at the start of the season.

1. That the Hornets would have not one exceptional rookie, but two of the top five.
2. Considering(if rejecting) the idea of Chris Paul being traded - because of a rookie.  A rookie picked 21st in the draft, no less.
3. That because of those rookies, flights of fancy like Sign and Trades for Elite players like Chris Bosh are even moderately believable.
4. How Jeff Bower shed $9 million in salary in a bad economy with everyone gearing up for a crazy free agency - without moving any major piece on the team other than the injured Tyson Chandler.
5. That the Hornets will most likely be owned by someone not named "Shinn" in the near future.
6. That Tim Floyd, of all people, would return to the Hornets bench in any capacity.
   

Like I said - a crazy season.

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Game 82. End of the road. The rookies are about to be rookies no more. The Hornets will wrap this one up in Houston, game tipping at 7 Central.

The Rockets are 42-39 on the season, 23-17 at home and have won five of their last seven. On Monday they beat the Kings 117-107 in Sacramento, with Kevin Martin dropping 39 points on his former team.

The Rockets will finish ahead of the Hornets in the standings, but about seven games out of the playoff picture. They hadn't missed the postseason since the 2005-06 campaign.

The Hornets have beaten the Rockets twice in three tries this season, most recently on February 21 when both Darren Collison and David West put up big numbers en route to the 102-94 win.

A win tonight would give the Hornets a final record of 37-45. Their lowest win total in the Chris Paul era was 38, set in CP3's rookie season.

Numbers:

Pace: Rockets 96.5 (6th), Hornets 94.8 (16th)
Offensive Efficiency: Rockets 104.4 (19th), Hornets 104.8 (16th)
Defensive Efficiency: Rockets 105.2 (17th), Hornets 107.2 (19th)

Linkage:

• Earlier on the blog: Jeff Bower's final interview?
• Lagniappe: How the Hornets rookies stack up against the rest
• Rival bloggers: Houston Chronicle | Red94 (THN) | The Dream Shake

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

A solid all-around effort from New Orleans tonight gave them a big win over divisional foes Houston. The defense was impressive for much of the game and there was some nice balance to the offense with five guys scoring 12 points or more. They were able to weather multiple Rocket storms and hold their composure down the stretch, with David West and Darren Collison emerging as heroes for the second consecutive game.

102-94 the final score (box). The win gives the Hornets a 2-1 edge in the season series against Houston, meaning they can't lose that tiebreaker.

David West

Ryan noted that West had a "stealth game" on Friday against the Pacers, scoring 25+ points before anyone really knew what was happening. Tonight was another one of those games. West had just 8 points and 2 rebounds in the first half, battling double teams and missing 5 of his 7 shots. But the second half he found the double teams mostly absent and was able to take advantage of guys like Luis Scola and David Andersen. He also played away from the post more, running high picks with Collison and getting some jumpers and drives out of that.

West was at his best down the stretch, coming up with a big offensive board and dunk inside of the 2-minute mark, then hustling down the floor to grab the rebound on Trevor Ariza's missed three from the corner. He'd take the ball right to the rim after that and get to the free throw line. Just like that, the Hornets shaky 2-point lead had grown to 6 with 1:25 remaining.

West's numbers in the second half: 19 points, 6-11 FGs, 7-9 FTs, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

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A big divisional showdown for the Hornets and Rockets tonight in New Orleans. The Hornets are in ninth place in the Western Conference, and the Rockets are just a game behind in tenth. These teams have already played two of their four games against each other this season, splitting them 1-1. Tonight's game tips at 6 Central.

The Rockets are 28-26 on the season, 13-14 on the road. They shook things up at the trade deadline, shipping out Tracy McGrady, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey in exchange for Kevin Martin, Hilton Armstrong (haha), Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries and a couple of draft picks. Last night, in Houston's first game since the trade, Martin was the only newcomer to play against the visiting Pacers. He shot just 3-of-16 from the field as the Rockets lost for the fourth time in five games. Aaron Brooks led Houston with 26 points against the Pacers, while Luis Scola had 25 points and 11 rebounds.

On December 29 in Houston, David West scored a career-high 44 points and Chris Paul had a triple-double, but the Rockets still came away with a 108-100 win thanks to some hot outside shooting. The Hornets got their revenge four days later in New Orleans, beating the Rockets 99-95 when CP3 took over and led his team back from a 7-point deficit in the final three minutes.

The Rockets will of course be without Yao Ming, as they have been all season. Kyle Lowry has missed the last four games with an ankle sprain and will not be available tonight. Trevor Ariza re-aggravated a hip flexor injury last night against the Pacers but played through it. No word yet on his status for tonight.

Numbers:

Pace: Rockets 96.0 (8th), Hornets 94.7 (17th)
Offensive Efficiency: Rockets 103.6 (18th), Hornets 104.6 (13th)
Defensive Efficiency: Rockets 104.0 (14th), Hornets 105.3 (19th)

Linkage:

• Rival bloggers: Houston Chronicle | Red94 (THN) | The Dream Shake

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