Recaps
Game 5: Hive Live
by hldomingue on Nov 5, 2009 1:33 AM CST
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Dallas 107 (3–2) | New Orleans 114 (2–3)
Great game. Any win at all would have been acceptable; however, the Hornets dialed it up a notch and found a way to win even in the face of adversity (aka Dallas, which is a way better team than Sacramento).
After flying out the gates and finishing the first with an 8 point lead, the Hornets started to sag while the Mavs, who started cold, began hitting open looks all over the court. The lead continued to change hands for the rest of the game until the end, when the Mavs were up 4 with 16 seconds to play to play. Things looked pretty bleak from section 325, and the Hornets seemed to be headed to yet another loss; a hard fought loss, yes, but a loss all the same.
One CP offensive foul and 4 missed Dallas free throws later, the Hornets find themselves down by 3 with 9 seconds to play and deem Peja "0 for the night and then some" Stojakovic the man to fire the tying shot... and he drains it. Un.be.lieve.able.
The Mavs went ice cold in OT, and really, that's all she wrote. The Hornets finished the contest with the advantage in every statistical category but blocks and three-point percentage. Perhaps the most important part was the Hornets owning the paint in the second half. They were able to penetrate and out duel the Mavs to the tune of 26 to 14 down low.
Bullets after the jump.
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Hornets Defy Expectations, Find Lower Gear
by atthehive on Nov 3, 2009 3:22 AM CST
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The New Orleans Hornets have played four games. They've won one time, unconvincingly squeaking by the Sacramento Kings, perhaps 2008-2009's worst team. They've now lost, rather convincingly, to one of the perennial losers of the NBA. Unequivocally, the Hornets have stumbled out the gate.
At this juncture, the optimist points to the small sample. Yes, the Hornets have played 4 games. Yes, Ike Diogu and Sean Marks are hurt. Yes, the team will still gel and understand each other and play as a team.
Statistical fluctuation happens in small samples. It's why Alex Rodriguez was a playoff "choker," why Peyton Manning could never win the big one, and why Juan Pierre can get a hit off Tim Lincecum. The common thread in all these examples is the uncertainty. Increase the sampling, and the uncertainty is diminished from an overall sense. In basketball terms, this uncertainty can manifest in shots rimming out, low percentage players going on hot streaks, basketballs slipping out of hands, or any number of other possibilities that we've all seen happen.
These first four games will not define our season, obvious as it may sound, because they are just four games.
At this juncture, the realist steps in. Yes, these are just four games. Yes, a team with Chris Paul and David West and Emeka Okafor will not go 20-62. But even in these four games, there are signs of systematic flaws, flaws that are not merely a function of statistical fluctuation, but rather of longer term issues.
The optimist says the team will eventually hit its stride and that these first four games, though harmful, may prove more illusory than absolute.
The realist also says the team will eventually hit its stride, but that in these first four games, we've seen moments and plays that aren't entirely illusory, that aren't simply products of a small sample size.
What are those moments and plays? I think you know.
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Game 2: Hive Live
by hldomingue on Oct 30, 2009 11:32 PM CDT
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Sacramento 92 (0–2) | New Orleans 97 (1–1)
It would have been nice to win this one by a larger margin but a W is a W, especially after the Spurs dismantled us to start the season a couple days ago.
The Kings started strong (and we started weak), and held the edge in points for most of the first quarter. After the Hornet's first lead (with about 3 minutes to go in the first), the lead jumped back and forth with no team ever leading by more than 7. Our 5 point margin of victory was actually the biggest lead we had all night.
The Hornets were able to put this one away thanks largely to their efficient shooting (45.5% from the field) and their ability to get to the line (26 of 32 from the stripe compared to Sac's 13 of 20).That aggression down low led to a 40 to 30 advantage for points in the paint. The Kings, despite way out rebounding us on both ends of the court, were ultimately undone by their inability to hit any manner of shots (poor percentages across the board).
There's a lot of talent on this Hornet team and, frankly, I like the way things are shaping up for us, but I also think it's going to take some time before we find out sea legs. The guys are still getting used to playing with each other and it was pretty evident that we haven't quite adapted to this new zone defense. It'll be interesting to see what happens when we start firing on all cylinders.
Bullets after the jump.
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Yeah, Let's Not Remember the Alamo
by atthehive on Oct 29, 2009 1:20 PM CDT
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I really hoped it wouldn't start this way.
2008-2009 was defined, more than anything, by our tendency to lose big games by massive amounts. There was the Christmas Day Special, the Los Angeles Massacre, and the Denver Wait Are You Serious? among others.
It's not all gloom and doom after a double digit loss to the championship-contender Spurs. After all, Chris Paul was still awesome. Emeka Okafor was quite impressive, especially if you buy his line that he's still sort of injured. David West was actually aggressive on the boards again. Even Julian Wright made some nice contributions after a shaky start. There is a lot of room for this team to grow, as Ike Diogu and Sean Marks come back into the lineup.
But one thing remains the same from last year, and it certainly comes as no surprise: the coaching.
I'm not worried about the players after one game; I am worried about the overall strategy.
Let's start with the obvious, Bobby Brown. I was relatively stunned when I saw him enter the game in the first quarter. Coming into this summer, Brown had played one NBA season, establishing himself as (a) a chucker, (b) a very, very poor shooter from the floor with even poorer shot selection, and (c) a thoroughly mediocre passer. Brown is, and was, the definition of a 3rd string point guard, one you put into the game in blowouts.
When he entered the game (Paul stayed for a couple, then left), this was the lineup: Hilton, DX, Peja, and Posey. The offensive possibilities for this lineup are so unbelievably limited, it's ridiculous. Hilton, Peja, and Posey need their shots to be created. Bobby Brown is generally never in a giving mood. David West can create his own shots, but Byron Scott decided it would be a great idea to keep isolating him 20 feet from the basket with limited time on the shot clock. This resulted in a couple long clangs. Meanwhile, the mildly amused Spurs ended the quarter on a 9-0 run.
In a stunningly cunning move to open the second, Scott decided to replace West with Darius Songaila. 4 guys that need shots to be created, and a shoot first point guard. Yep, +7 run Spurs.
From that point forward, the Hornets' offense was pretty decent. But that -16 run doomed the Hornets to the 17 point loss.
The second thing that stunned me was Brown from a defensive standpoint. In the first quarter, the Spurs had a backcourt of Parker and Ginobili when Brown checked in. This left Paul and Brown (5'11 and 6'2) guarding Parker and a 6'5" off guard. Scott executed his only reasonable option and switched into a zone. Cue an absolute barrage of three point shooting. Had Scott been smart about it, and not forced the Paul-Brown backcourt into the game at a poor time, the zone would never have become necessary. Instead, the zone plunged New Orleans' defense into a complete funk. Those were among the most awful rotations I've seen in years, college basketball included. Scott's insistence on his favored double-PG backcourt- hearkening back to the Pargo days- rendered the defense helpless. Is there blame to be placed on individual players? For sure. But Scott's decision made their job a little tougher.
Overall, I'm done with Byron Scott. Is this way too early to be saying things like that? Sure, maybe, whatever. Last night was the last straw. He played Darren Collison 3 minutes, left Thornton inactive, and found his new favorite Pargo chucker in Bobby Brown. He refuses to play anything but a slow, plodding, methodical style. I don't want him to be fired, but I will be happy when the Hornets fail to renew his contract at the end of this year. He's a good coach, he just hasn't adapted with the times.
And I'm really done complaining about Scott too. His style of coaching is what it is; there are so many other positives on the team I'd rather focus on. And after tonight, I don't have any great expectations for the team. I just want to watch the players play and have fun doing so; Byron can do whatever the hell he does on the sidelines.
So, in that spirit:
- Chris Paul had a great shooting night. The 5 turnovers is shabby, but a couple were caused by mishandled transfers by Brown and West. It's nice to have one thing that's always thoroughly awesome on your team, no matter what.
- Emeka Okafor was very, very impressive. Between the nice spin cycle he put Tim Duncan through, his active hands on the glass, and general athleticism getting up and down the court, he provided a lot more than I anticipated. It's hard not to be excited about him getting in rhythm with West and the rest of the offense. 18 pts, 10 rebs, 0 tos in 29 mins is a good start.
- Julian Wright started slowly, but the monster coast to coast dunk seemed to snap him out. That pull up jumper looked steady; more oddly, it went in despite very un-confident looking approaches by Wright. The day that JuJu makes up his mind and goes into each move forcefully is the day he gets to the next level as a player. There's so much talent, but just equal parts hesitation.
Anyways, Sacramento on Friday, before Boston on Sunday. Let's hope we can get Diogu in here somewhere.
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Game 87: Hive Five
by atthehive on Apr 30, 2009 1:59 AM CDT
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Congratulations to the Denver Nuggets. They were clearly the vastly superior team, and they made sure the final series result reflected that. Best of luck to them in the second round.
As far as the Hornets... well, let's just say it's gonna be a long summer.
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Game 86: Hive Live
by hldomingue on Apr 27, 2009 11:18 PM CDT
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Denver MANY POINTS | New Orleans NOT MANY POINTS
"The best part about that game was when it ended."
Overheard that on the way out of the arena. Perfect descriptor of the most stunning and embarrassing loss I've ever witnessed.
Last year when we lost in the playoffs, we did it with dignity. We believed in ourselves and we were willing to put up a fight to the bitter end. Man, those days seem so far away.
Tonight, we sucked and the Nuggets didn't. End of story. In fact, they were arguably twice as good as we were, and there are actually numbers to back that (beyond the score). Credit the Nuggets for a damn good performance. This was one for the history books.
I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to read a recap and have to relive this atrocious experience, but if you do there's a semblance of a recap after the jump.
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Game 85: Hive Live
by hldomingue on Apr 26, 2009 12:25 AM CDT
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Denver 93 | New Orleans 95
That was close. But man did it feel good.
The Hornets pulled out the W in a hard fought game that saw four (major) players foul out. At the very least, they avoided getting swept by the surging Nuggets. At the most, they kept their championship hopes alive.
One game at a time.
Overall, the Hornets looked sharp today. They rotated well on defense and were aggressive attacking the basket (not our usual suit). We still made plenty of mental errors and the Nuggets continued their streak of "Oh-my-god-will-they-ever-miss-a-shot-we-had-our-hands-in-their-faces" but when it was all said and done, the Hornets prevailed.
Both squads were extremely close in terms of team stastics on the night (no one really had a big margin). We shot better from the floor and the stripe, they shot better from deep. Both teams coughed up the ball a ton (15 for the Bees, 14 for Denver) and Denver was, overall, able to push the pace in their direction... or so it seemed.
CP and company did well on the fastbreak today. They were able to push the pace more than normal, but they also excelled in slowing down the gameplan when necessary.
All in all, we still have a hell of road to travel if we want to make it out of this round, but for now I'll just be happy that we avoided the sweep. Monday is crucial.
Bullets after the jump.
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Game 84: Quick Recap
by atthehive on Apr 23, 2009 12:27 AM CDT
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Three reasons we lost this game: turnovers, shooting, and officiating.
Let's start with turnovers. Chris Paul was way out of control, making horrible decisions all night, and throwing awful passes. In short, this was the worst game he's played as a point guard in a long while. Couple that with the various freebie shots he missed, and he really didn't provide much to the Hornets. The rest of the team didn't help him out on the ball-control front. David West turned into a black hole offensively; literally every time he passed out of the post, it resulted in a turnover. The Hornets finished in the neighborhood of a 20% turnover rate, meaning they gave the ball away once every five possessions. On the road, that won't get it done.
Denver shot terrifically from the floor once again. Only this time, they hit far tougher shots; for most of the first three quarters, the Hornets closed well. I know the rotations got sluggish in the fourth, but I don't feel too poorly about the incredible shots J.R. Smith and Chauncey were knocking down.
Finally... the officiating. Long time readers of this blog know that in almost two season's worth of recaps, I've complained about officiating maybe twice. No exaggeration. I HATE hating on the refs. It's generally counterproductive and comes at the expense of analyzing shortcomings of players. I've seen the Hornets in the playoffs before- many times- and so this isn't some thing where I'm just extra jacked up due to the intensity. There's no way around it; the officiating was very, very, very bad tonight. I'm probably going to put up a video of all the phantom calls that went Denver's way. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least ten. It's ironic that Denver blogs were anticipating superstar calls going Chris Paul's way prior to the series, and Chauncey Billups was the recipient of at least three superstar calls in this game. Dahntay Jones drew two "charges" with his feet clearly moving. J.R. Smith got one of those. Nene travelled three times in the first quarter and was whistled once. Chauncey stiff armed Rasual Butler and drew a blocking foul. The amazing thing was the consistency with which the calls went Denver's way and how widespread they were. They occurred at all points in the game, whether it was West getting called for a "charge" with the Hornets trailing 25 or Butler getting called for a "block" in a tie game.
There is one element of positivity I should throw in. We were down 10, having fought back, to start the 4th quarter. A flurry of ridiculous threes (J.R. from 27 feet, anyone?) and questionable calls allowed Denver to pull away in a hurry. A 10 point deficit on the road with 12 minutes left, with your superstar point guard and star power foward struggling, and with every close call going against you? That really isn't shabby. It certainly gives me hope for Game 3.
A fuller recap, analyzing individual players, will come soon. For now, we gotta sleep on another bitter loss.
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