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Dear Mr. Thibodeau,

I write to you today not as a member of the media, but as a hopeful New Orleans Hornets fan who wants ever so much to see his favorite team bring home an NBA championship.

In an off season in which no less than six head coaching jobs will change hands, it's no surprise that a man with your credentials and personal recommendations is being sought after, especially given the Celtics stifling defensive performances throughout the playoffs. Bravo, might I add.

Now, I'm not here to tell you how great you are, since I really have only come to know the details of your supposed genius rather recently. We can leave that to the writers who have had the privilege of covering your previous and current employers, since they are obviously more qualified than I. What needs to be said is something more relating to the city of New Orleans and the team that the Hornets can be(e).

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Just what the doctor ordered. The Hornets got just their third win in 13 tries tonight, ending a 7-game road losing streak in the process. It was their fourth win of the season against the Clippers, and 13th consecutive overall against them. If only we could play Baron and the boys every night.

The game was tight throughout the first half with David West and Emeka Okafor keeping the Hornets in it. In the third quarter, Darren Collison turned it up a notch and the momentum started to swing permanently in the Hornets' favor. Once Marcus Thornton joined in the fun in the fourth quarter, the Clippers were done.

108-100 the final (box).

Darren Collison

We witnessed perhaps DC's best Chris Paul imitation tonight in the third quarter. He'd dished out 6 assists in the first half, but had attempted just four shots and had been overshadowed by Baron Davis. But Collison came out of halftime aggressive, and within six minutes he'd knocked down 5-of-6 shots for 12 points and had the Hornets on track.

Later in the quarter, he ran a pick and roll with David West and whipped a gorgeous behind-the-back bounce feed to him for an easy 2 when the Clippers tried to trap. Jogging back on defense after that, Collison noticed Drew Gooden jogging behind him but not paying much attention, so he put on the brakes and let himself get clobbered. Offensive foul on the Clippers. Less than a minute later, Emeka Okafor got called for an iffy foul on defense, and Collison worked over the ref who called it during the ensuing free throws, being bold enough to put his arm around the official's shoulder as he pleaded his teammate's case.

Next thing you know, Collison will be purposely getting defenders on his back, sporting a mouthpiece and letting his eyebrows meet in the middle.

DC's final numbers tonight: 18 points, 8-13 FGs, 14 assists, 4 turnovers and 3 rebounds without a single breather.

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Rejoice! Here comes an opponent struggling even more than the Hornets. We shall see who sucks less tonight at 9:30 Central.

The Clippers are 25-42 on the season, 18-14 at home and have lost their last seven straight. They've been outscored by an average of 20 points per game during that losing streak, and D.J. Foster of ClipperBlog.com notes that the they've been just awful defensively. On top of all that, Baron Davis is disgruntled (surprise!) and Mike Dunleavy was recently fired twice.

The Hornets have beaten the Clippers three times already this season, most recently on January 13. Six Hornets scored in double figures in that one as they cruised to a 108-94 victory. The Hornets have also beaten the Clippers once without Chris Paul this season, back in mid-November for Jeff Bower's first win as head coach. 

Numbers:

Pace: Clippers 94.8 (16th), Hornets 94.9 (15th)
Offensive Efficiency: Clippers 100.8 (26th), Hornets 104.4 (16th)
Defensive Efficiency: Clippers 106.6 (19th), Hornets 106.4 (18th)

Linkage:

• Just launched: Morris Peterson's brand new website
• Lagniappe: Among other things: Should Chris Paul play again this season?
  
• Standings: The Hornets are now 8 games behind the Blazers for the final playoff spot. 15 games left on the schedule for New Orleans.
  
• Rival bloggers: ClipperBlog.com (THN) | Clips Nation

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

So, the Hornets get their second double-digit win of the season, against the Clippers, who they got their other double-digit win of the season against.  I don't much care who it was against.  It was just nice to not be on edge during the fourth quarter for once. 

The ball movement in the third was excellent.  A lot of that had to do with the Clippers defense being somewhat slow, but it's still great to see three or four passes lead to a layup, and it happened a good half-dozen times.

Marcus Thornton

Marcus Thornton was fantastic tonight.  When he crashes the offensive glass, he looks like he's on spring, and he's got an amazingly quick release.  He ended with 11 points, 5 rebounds(3 offensive), 2 assists, and no fouls.

He impresses me no end, because he's clearly one of the smaller guards out there.  He might be listed at 6'4", but he doesn't look much bigger than Paul on the floor, and next to Eric Gordon, who is listed at 6'3", he looked like he was giving up both height and about 30 lbs.  Didn't matter though.  He played him - and Baron Davis - with energy and didn't back down.

Defense & Rebounding

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Baron Davis and the Clippers (17-19) in town tonight to take on the Hornets (19-17). Game tipping at 7 Central.

This will be the third of four meetings between these teams this season. The Hornets won the previous two battles, with that 112-84 result in L.A. on November 9th still standing as their lone blowout victory of the season.

The Clippers come to New Orleans a little shook up. They were riding a 4-game win streak before they played the Grizzlies in Memphis last night, a game which saw the whole building evacuated briefly during the third quarter on account of a broken water pipe. The Clips were up 13 before that break, but ended up losing 102-104., dropping their road record to 5-11. Chris Kaman did not play against the Grizz after hurting his back in warm-ups, while Marcus Camby left after the first quarter due to a stomach virus. No word on whether those two will be available to play tonight, and Blake Griffin won't be playing anytime soon.

The Hornets will be looking to slow Clipper guards Baron Davis and Eric Gordon. Davis put up 27 points, 12 boards and 12 assists last night in Memphis, while Gordon is averaging 17 points on 54 percent shooting the past five games. Note that Gordon missed the previous two meetings with the Hornets this season.

Some numbers:

Pace: Clippers 91.8 (21st), Hornets 91.9 (20th)
Offensive Efficiency: Clippers 102.4 (22nd), Hornets 103.6 (18th)
Defensive Efficiency: Clippers 103.2 (13th), Hornets 105.7 (20th)

Hornets coming off that loss in Philly on Monday, which snapped their six-game win streak. They've won their last six at New Orleans Arena.

I'll be chatting with the TrueHoop crew over at ESPN's Daily Dime Live during the game. Drop by with questions or comments.

Linkage:

• Lagniappe: Better with Bower, Grandmama flashback, and CP feeling at home in N.O.
  
• Rival bloggers: ClipperBlog.com | Clips Nation

(Many thanks to Dariusz for today's banner featuring Jerome Moiso, who played 66 games with the Hornets from 2001-2003. Be sure to check out more of Dariusz's designs in our Wallpapers vault.)