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Last week we heard about Ryan's old man-ness and how he really wanted OKC to lose. His wish was granted, as the Kobe company took down the Thunder in six.

Today I welcome you to Haterville, the home of hate. Now before you get your panties in a bunch, realize that I don't really hate these teams per se, I just don't want them to win. Well, to be more accurate, I'm rooting for their demise.

Do I need reasons? No, it's a free country and I can hate whoever I want, except for players on the Hornets of course. And Michael Jordan, because he's the reason I started watching basketball all those years ago. And Big Chief Monk Boudreaux. If you're unsure about the requirement of love for Big Chief, I suggest you learn more about him.

Without further adieu:

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It's playoff prediction time here at Hornets247. No, the Bees won't be part in the postseason, but that doesn't mean that we can't have some fun talking about the 16 teams that have earned a shot to compete for the title. The seeding is set, players and coaches are preparing, and we're predicting.

Ryan Schwan: If ever there was a time when seeding was unimportant, it was this year in the Western Conference.  Seven games difference between the 1 seed and the 8 seed?  Point differentials that only vary by 2.6?  Crazy place, the Western Conference.

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Yet again, the Hornets lost to the surging San Antonio Spurs, who completed a season sweep of the Hornets for the second time in the last four years. Even worse, the Hornets dropped below .500 for the fist time since January 2nd.

It's becoming increasingly clear that missing their leader is wearing on the Hornets, as even big nights from the rookies go unrewarded in the win column. As great as Collison has been, and again was tonight, the drop off between solid point guard and superstar player has been simply too much for the Hornets. On the year they dropped to 10-16 without their superstar, and 21-16 with him. I personally count the game they blew against Portland as being without him, since his injury led to Portland's comeback. You don't like my math? Tough.

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The 31-31 Hornets finish up their season series against the Spurs tonight in San Antonio, trying to avoid the 0-4 sweep. Game tips at 8:30 Central, and you can catch it live on ESPN.

The Spurs haven't played since beating the Hornets last Monday in New Orleans. They relied heavily on the pick and roll in that game and caught the Hornets out of position repeatedly. George Hill, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan did most of the damage for San Antonio. Marcus Thornton did his best to keep the Hornets in it with a game-high 30-point effort, becoming only the fifth rookie in the last 20 years to drop 30 on the Spurs.

While the Hornets may not win tonight, I have two reasons to believe that they'll put up more of a fight than they did on Monday. First, they have Darius Songaila back healthy again, and he can defend that high pick and roll much better than any other big on the roster. Second, Darren Collison should be better rested for this one. He looked exhausted in the second half on Monday, playing that second game of a back-to-back and his third game in four nights. Not easy when you're getting no less than 42 minutes per.

Numbers:

Pace: Spurs 93.9 (22nd), Hornets 94.7 (17th)
Offensive Efficiency: Spurs 106.6 (9th), Hornets 104.5 (14th)
Defensive Efficiency: Spurs 102.5 (10th), Hornets 105.7 (18th)

Linkage:

• Journals: Marcus Thornton - The evolution of Buckets
  
• Lagniappe: Much love for the rooks, plus a breakdown of some key plays from Wednesday's game
  
• Standings: The Hornets are now 10th in the West, five games behind the 8th-place Blazers and 7th-place Spurs.
  
• Rival bloggers: 48 Minutes of Hell (THN) | Pounding The Rock | Project Spurs

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

The Hornets lost their fourth game in five tries tonight, falling to the visiting Spurs, 92-106 (box). San Antonio steadily built up a big lead with some hot shooting in the first half, and were able to answer every Hornets run with poise and precision. Marcus Thornton had a big night for New Orleans, putting on a torrid shooting display and finishing with 30 points in just 27 minutes.

Pick and rolled to death

Textbook offensive basketball by the Spurs when they had Tony Parker running the pick and roll with Tim Duncan. Darren Collison mostly went under the picks and Parker was able to capitalize with some jumpers. David West and Emeka Okafor took turns trying to hedge out on Parker but TP made them pay by turning the corner and getting to the basket, or finding Duncan rolling to the hole. When guys like Thornton or James Posey caved in to deny Duncan, Parker was able to deliver some great skip passes or swing the ball to find the open man for three or a slasher from the weak side.

That's simple, fundamental basketball, and it's hard as hell to do. But the Spurs do it as well as anyone and the Hornets had no answers for it tonight. Darius Songaila was missed big time, since he's nifty at hedging out and not getting lost in no man's land like West and Okafor are prone to.

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