Game 16: Hornets vs. Spurs
by Rohan on Nov 28, 2010 9:01 AM CST
in Game Threads
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2010-11 NBA Regular Season
12-3 vs 13-2
November 28th, 2010
New Orleans Arena
2:00 PM CST
TV: CST, NBALP
Probable starters:
Chris Paul
>
Tony Parker
Marco Belinelli
<
Manu Ginobili
Trevor Ariza
=
Richard Jefferson
David West
>
DeJuan Blair
Emeka Okafor
<
Tim Duncan
Your Pregame Moment of Zen
Have yourself some lols.
The Spur Outlook
Surprise, surprise, the Spurs are, for the millionth year in a row, pretty damn good. Not to jinx anything, but San Antonio appears a lock to qualify for the playoffs for a fourteenth consecutive season (and hey, what do I care if I jinx the Spurs). But peeling back the onion a little bit reveals that this isn't the same old team that routinely made the casual playoff-viewing public shrivel their noses and cry.
No, this team plays not just efficient offense, but exciting offense. They're fast. They get up and down in a hurry. They still play decent defense, but these days, the D is predicated more on forcing turnovers than keeping down floor percentages (obviously the staple of the Spurs in the 2000s). Through 15 games, the Spurs boast the second most efficient offense in the league (trailing the obvious), shooting better than all but two teams in the conference. I never thought I'd say this about a Popovich-coached group, but the team has forged an offensive identity that far supersedes its defensive one.
From an overall perspective, B-R SRS system rates the Spurs the number one team in the NBA. The usual suspects- Timmy, Tony, Emmanuel- are all producing, so the Hornets will have their hands full tonight.
Subplots
- The first game feels like it happened multiple seasons ago. I don't think either team has really changed much in the past two weeks... we've just learned more and more that both squads are probably for real.
- The Spurs never foul, ever. The Hornets have done a middling job of drawing fouls. So basically unmovable object meets altogether resistible force.
- The Hornets are the league's last remaining undefeated team at home. The Spurs are the league's last remaining undefeated team on the road. Ooh, intrigue.
- Some lols were had above already, but 2k11 changing Tony Parker's loyalty rating from 87 to 0 is also worth mentioning and laughing about.
- The Miami Heat still have a higher point differential than the Hornets, despite losing for the 8th time last night. It makes you wonder what exactly was going on in their cupcake games. I'm too lazy to look it up, but I'm starting to think that their wins may have come against teams comparable to your average SEC football non-conference schedule.
- Tyson Chandler made 13 of 16 free throws against the Spurs Friday. Emeka, the gauntlet has been thrown.
- Win and we're tied for 1st... excitement!
- Win or lose, and we still have 66 games to play... boredom!
- Is it just me, or was Bruce Bowen's presence in the league just a really long, really bad nightmare? Bruce Bowen never actually existed in real life, right? I mean, just the name sounds silly.
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Probably not quite
not quite the place for it but do you (does anyone here) read Arturo Galletti over at Arturo’s Silly Little Stats? He’s got a lot of interesting things going on over there (based in the WP48 metric), I think … The latest installment of his Championship Equation series has some good things to say about the Hornets … Okafor does a lot for the team (second to Paul) but he’s no Tyson Chandler … let’s hope he changes that …
(sorry for the off-topic comment … I live in Japan … )
Chandler is playing as well as he ever has
Including his excellent 07-08 run.
He makes the Mavs a bit scary. I’ve never thought of them that way before.
Can't Wait
The Hornets could really do themselves a lot of favors with a win here today against San Antonio. I’d imagine the Spurs are going to play hard because they don’t want to drop two in a row overall, two in the series to the Hornets, etc. One thing I saw that bothered me was that the Spurs resigned Ime Udoka to the team. I’m not sure if you all remember, but he killed us in that one playoff series. As a result, I took strange pleasure in watching his career fall apart after that. Booo Udoka.
It should be a great game and I’d lie if I didn’t say I’m incredibly excited about the game. It’s an early start and those are always pretty bad, but hopefully the crowd is live, the team gives them a reason to be live and the Hornets play Hornets basketball.
Go Hornets!!
"You play to win the game."
We're going to need a strong 4th from DX/CP
Both have disappeared in the second half so far…. as usual
At least it's not a double digit lead haha
Can’t believe Jazz came down for double digits against Lakers!
Turnovers need to stop
Get ready to FEEL DAT BREES!!!
by born in areacode 318 on Nov 28, 2010 3:54 PM CST reply actions
We need another big in the game
Get ready to FEEL DAT BREES!!!
by born in areacode 318 on Nov 28, 2010 3:56 PM CST reply actions
Where the f is the Defense
Get ready to FEEL DAT BREES!!!
by born in areacode 318 on Nov 28, 2010 3:57 PM CST reply actions
Put the starters back in please
Get ready to FEEL DAT BREES!!!
by born in areacode 318 on Nov 28, 2010 3:58 PM CST reply actions
either way what we have out there us obviously not workin
Get ready to FEEL DAT BREES!!!
by born in areacode 318 on Nov 28, 2010 4:00 PM CST up reply actions
WTF is up with these crazy passes?!?!?
Get ready to FEEL DAT BREES!!!
by born in areacode 318 on Nov 28, 2010 4:03 PM CST reply actions
Its Chris Paul time
At this point in the game… I’d like to see him be the scorer we all know he can be
This is ridiculous
tired of this team blowin leads
Get ready to FEEL DAT BREES!!!
by born in areacode 318 on Nov 28, 2010 4:06 PM CST reply actions
From now on the guards need to
drive to the basket and get fouled or drive and kick it out
Get ready to FEEL DAT BREES!!!
by born in areacode 318 on Nov 28, 2010 4:08 PM CST reply actions
Complete defensive failure, Paul/West don't show up for yet another second half
Really didn’t expect to be typing those words today
are you kidding me
blew a 17 point lead at home and will lose by double digits wtf.
Well, its a long long season folks
Despite the discouraging things we’ve seen, we are 12-4. Its been a tough stretch but only the Clippers loss looks particularly bad, even if they did just blow a huge lead. Spurs are one of the best 3 teams in the league. We took one from them at their place, and they took one from us at the hive.
Ehh, I'm a lot more depressed
Really bad games against Cleveland, Sacramento, Clippers. Got destroyed by the Jazz. Beat Portland, but I think the Blazers are a mentally weak team right now and around 8 seed material. And then despite our lead today, we still just got blown out on our home floor.
I still think this is a middle of the pack West team, but the delusions of grandeur (top 3 team) are beginning to fade for me.
I still think we can be the 2nd or 3rd best team in the West by year's end
Though I understand your discouragement. Still, that 8 game winning streak was just as valid a look at who this team is as the 4-4 stretch we’ve just seen. Yet either is fully representative of who this team is exactly. We may not fully know until the all-star break.
I think anyone of us would have taken 12-4 before the season started. There are thing to work on but I’m still pleased overall.
I think we lose again
at OKC I just don’t like what I have seen from this team in the last week. The defense looks shaky and our offense hasn’t been great.
For some perspective
in 07-08, we were 10-6 after 16 games and had recently been blown out by the Pacers(!) and lost by medium to large margins to the Timberwolves(!), Jazz and Magic.
Not saying it means anything one way or another, just something to keep in mind.
Hornets also needed overtimes in both of the early games against memphis to win
And had been recently blownout by the Pistons (who were good that year, but still).
Just trying to cheer you guys up! Its a marathon not a sprint, blah blah, various cliches, etc.
sorry I missed the game
Then again…..maybe not.
had to take my kid back to SEMO.
see gray didn’t play, again, so it must have been another coach plan to keep the game fast?
nobody wants to hear it
b ut i need to say it…for myself.
To last through through the season,the Hornet better find a way to get big and strong up the middle.
I grow so tired of the fast, outside game.
’till next game….
Now That I've Been Able To Calm Down
The 2nd half was just awful. I was so excited with the bal movement in the first half, but I told my girlfriend that they wouldn’t be able to keep up the hot shooting because it was all jump shots. But I had no idea it would get THAT bad.
Belinelli was AWFUL.
Ariza and Paul played soft.
David West, Marcus Thornton and even Willie Green were the only reasons to enjoy the game. It was just bad all the way around.
What a shame that they had a chance to send a clear message and they let it just fall apart. That second half was atrocious.
"You play to win the game."
glad to hear
you say Thornton did well.
I am rooting for him.
What do you mean
when you say Paul played soft?
i read all the above and it sounded like he had gotten tired.
was he just able to find anybody tonight?
Heh...
The game was too bad, with bad collapse in the 2nd half.
But I just read Rohan’s preview, and it was hilarious. Tony Parker… Bruce Owen… multiple lols ^^
stayed out of the fray tnight.
i KNEWW nobody wanter to hear my nonstop crap tonight, so I just read the pain of others.
Oh, well. It’s not my team. Just a fan,
I suppose this blogging crap is supposed to help allow a little release of our emotions…but it’s not doing it for me.
I actually am beginning to feel more and more disconnected. more angry.
So perhaps its time to go quietly into the fog.
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