Spurs vs. Hornets Previews

[duncan228]

Wednesday: Hornets (49-32) at Spurs (53-28) (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Wednesday_Hornets_49-32_at_Spurs_53-28.html)
Express-News

Time: 7 p.m.
TV: FSNSW
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350

STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - HORNETS

PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 8th yr) - 3 Chris Paul (6-0, 4th yr)
Both these point guards should garner MVP votes.

SG - 8 Roger Mason Jr. (6-5, 5th yr) - 45 Rasual Butler (6-7, 7th yr)
Spurs' loss (Manu Ginobili) is Mason's gain (more scoring opportunities).

SF - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 14th yr) - 16 Peja Stojakovic (6-10, 11th yr)
Stojakovic coming off season-low 2-point outing in loss to Houston.

PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 12th yr) - 30 David West (6-9, 6th yr)
After logging 22 minutes in past two games, Duncan should be rested.

C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 5th yr) - 6 Tyson Chandler (7-1, 8th yr)
Scott wants Chandler, out nearly a month, to return for 20 to 25 minutes.

SPURS RESERVES

12 Bruce Bowen, F, 6-7, 13th yr
90 Drew Gooden, F, 6-10, 8th yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 1st yr
40 Kurt Thomas, C/F, 6-9, 14th yr
5 Ime Udoka, G/F, 6-5, 5th yr
11 Jacque Vaughn, G, 6-1, 12th yr
2 Marcus Williams, G, 6-7, 2nd yr

HORNETS RESERVES

4 Sean Marks, C/F, 6-10, 9th yr
23 Devin Brown, G/F, 6-5, 7th yr
33 Melvin Ely, F, 6-10, 7th yr
50 Antonio Daniels, G, 6-4, 12th yr
9 Morris Peterson, F/G, 6-7, 9th yr
41 James Posey, F, 6-8, 10th yr
32 Julian Wright, F, 6-8, 2nd yr

COACHES

Spurs: Gregg Popovich

Hornets: Byron Scott

INJURIES

Spurs: Manu Ginobili (stress fracture, right fibula) is out.

Hornets: Chandler (inflamed left ankle) is day-to-day.

PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS

Spurs: Ian Mahinmi, Fabricio Oberto, Ginobili.

Hornets: Ryan Bowen, Hilton Armstrong.

NOTABLE

This game could mean everything for the Spurs, or nothing. A victory, plus a Houston loss to Dallas, gives the Spurs the conference's third seed. ... After losing five of its past seven games, New Orleans finds itself needing to win just to hold on to the sixth slot. ... The Spurs, looking to even season series with Hornets, enter game on first three-game winning streak since March 24-27. They have not won four in a row since the end of February.

- Jeff McDonald

[exstatic]

If the Hornets lose and Utah beats a playing for nothing LA squad, NO could drop to 8th. OTOH, Dallas is in the same situation, and hopefully will fight like rabid dogs against the Rox. Dallas and New Orleans will be playing blind because Utah/LAL is the late game.

[exstatic]

This game could mean everything for the Spurs, or nothing. A victory, plus a Houston loss to Dallas, gives the Spurs the conference's third seed. ...

Oh, and the requisite error for a McDonald "masterpiece": we need to win and have BOTH Portland and Houston to lose to finish 3rd.

[NewJerSpur]

But if we win and Houston loses, wouldn't that give us the division, thus making us the 3rd seed as divisional winners?

[DPG21920]

If the Hornets lose and Utah beats a playing for nothing LA squad, NO could drop to 8th. OTOH, Dallas is in the same situation, and hopefully will fight like rabid dogs against the Rox. Dallas and New Orleans will be playing blind because Utah/LAL is the late game.

The game is on tonight, they will know where they stand.

[DPG21920]

Yes. If Spurs win and Houston loses, the world is ours.

[duncan228]

New Orleans Hornets center Tyson Chandler may return tonight against San Antonio Spurs (http://blog.nola.com/hornetsbeat/2009/04/new_orleans_hornets_center_tys_11.html)
by Jimmy Smith
The Times-Picayune

SAN ANTONIO -- In the past few weeks, as the hopefulness of a repeat as Southwest Division champions gave way to the realization of a third-place finish, the Hornets, to a man, have insisted that their ultimate playoff seeding was meaningless.

"If we're healthy," Hornets Coach Byron Scott has continued to preach, "we can beat anybody in the Western Conference."

The Hornets need a victory tonight over the Spurs at AT&T Center to clinch the sixth seed in the postseason playoffs. Meanwhile, San Antonio's slim hopes of a division title will be kept alive only with a win over New Orleans and a Dallas victory at home over the first-place Houston Rockets.

Yet, for the Hornets, tonight's game could be an indication of what it could be like in the playoffs with a roster at full strength, if Scott decides to use recovering center Tyson Chandler. Or, it could be a concession to fate if Scott opts to rest Chandler once again, as well as All-Stars Chris Paul and David West, letting the seeding chips fall where they may.

Under myriad scenarios, the Hornets could be the sixth, seventh or eighth seed in the postseason, although the outcome of Tuesday night's late game between the Lakers and Utah could eliminate the eighth spot if Los Angeles wins. If Utah wins, the eighth position still would be in play.

Scott's ultimate lineup determination tonight may or may not affect the outcome, for both teams.

The Rockets' 86-66 drubbing of the visiting Hornets on Monday night, in a game that could be a preview of a first-round matchup, merely made Scott's thought process for his rotation tonight a little more difficult.

"I'd like to get one game under (Chandler's) belt before we start the playoffs," Scott said. "I'm optimistic he'll be fine for the playoffs. Risking one game is not that bad. I can play him 15, 20 minutes and shut him down and get ready for the playoffs."

Or Scott could opt to keep Chandler out of the lineup and give his injured left ankle a little more time before the first postseason game this weekend. Scott could sit weary Paul and West, as well, although both got extra time on the bench Monday night when Scott conceded the loss to Houston, Paul playing 29:41, West 31:41.

"But my thing is with that," Scott said, "is if I can play Tyson in that last game, I would like him to play with the starters, the guys he's used to playing with. If that's the case, it might be where Chris plays one quarter and a little bit of the third, and the same with David.

"But just to have those guys out there for 10 or 15 minutes together I think is important. If that's the way I go, basically it's not so much thinking about the game, but preparing for the playoffs, with the starters having a little bit of time together, because they haven't been together for a while. I think it would be important for them to be on the floor in a regular-season game, just for five or 10 minutes, just to get familiar with one another again."

The last time the Hornets' starting unit played together was March 2 in Philadelphia against the 76ers, a game in which Peja Stojakovic left in the third quarter with back spasms. Stojakovic returned to the lineup April 3 after missing 15 games.

Chandler left the lineup two weeks later when his long-standing ankle injury flared up again. He has not played since March 16.

Chandler's absence from the lineup this season has had a definite effect on the bottom line. The Hornets are 19-18 in games Chandler has not played, 30-14 when he has been on the floor.

"We're just trying to come up with the best scenario and what makes most sense for the team," Chandler said. "I want to have some timing and my first game back not be the first game back in the playoff series."

[NewJerSpur]

Yes. If Spurs win and Houston loses, the world is ours.

Cool.

[Spursmania]

Yes. If Spurs win and Houston loses, the world is ours.
:lol:toast

[duncan228]

New Orleans (49-32) at San Antonio (53-28) Preview (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2009041524&prov=ap)
Game info: 8:00 pm EDT Wed Apr 15, 2009
TV: CST, FSSW
By Santosh Venkataraman

The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Hornets face a myriad of playoff possibilities entering their regular-season finale.

While those permutations may be complex, both teams realize they want to enter the postseason with momentum.

The Spurs will need help to claim the Southwest Division crown Wednesday night when they host the Hornets, who will finish as either the sixth or seventh seed in the Western Conference.

San Antonio (53-28) is tied with Houston for the Southwest lead, but the Rockets own the tiebreaker. The Spurs must beat New Orleans (49-32) and hope Houston loses at Dallas for San Antonio to win the division and gain the No. 3 seed in the West.

If that happens, the Spurs will meet the Mavericks while the Hornets will take on Denver in the first round. San Antonio, though, will guarantee itself the fifth seed - and no home-court advantage - with a loss Wednesday.

New Orleans gains the sixth seed with a win or a loss by Dallas. The Hornets will be seventh with a loss and a win by the Mavericks.

With so much still to be decided, the Spurs are looking to close the regular season with a fourth straight win. They cruised past Golden State 101-72 on Monday as Drew Gooden had 20 points and 15 rebounds and Tim Duncan added 16 and 13.

“We need our rhythm, we need some confidence, and we need to play well against some of the elite teams in the West,” said Duncan, who returned after sitting out Sunday’s game against Sacramento to rest his aching knees. “Whatever happens, happens. We’re going to go in there (against New Orleans) and try to take that game and figure out what happens.”

The mood is a bit different for New Orleans, which lost 86-66 at Houston on Monday. The Hornets missed a chance to clinch the No. 6 seed, but coach Byron Scott was more upset with the effort that resulted in his club’s lowest point total of the season.

“It is very disappointing,” Scott said. “I think most of our guys in that locker room think that it’s like a light switch, that you can just turn on when the playoffs start. It’s not going to happen, it’s just not.”

Superstar point guard Chris Paul had just nine points and seven assists, marking the first time all season he failed to reach double figures in at least one of those categories. The Hornets have lost five of their last seven games.

“We got smashed,” Paul said. “It was embarrassing. They beat us in just about every way possible.”

Hornets center Tyson Chandler is expected to play for the first time since March 16. He has missed New Orleans’ last 15 games with inflammation in his left ankle, but Scott intends to play him 20-25 minutes Wednesday.

The Hornets have won two of three this season against the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last year, with the home team winning each meeting. Paul is averaging 27.7 points and 8.3 assists against San Antonio in 2008-09.

He will be matched up against Spurs point guard Tony Parker, who is shooting 60.9 percent and averaging 21.7 points versus the Hornets this season.

Notes

Hornets:

Hornets C Tyson Chandler, out since March 16 with inflammation in his left ankle, was inactive, but coach Byron Scott was hoping to play him 20-25 minutes in Wednesday's regular-season finale in San Antonio. "Just to get him out there and get his timing a little bit," Scott said. ... Monday's loss was the fifth in the last seven games for the Hornets. ... The Hornets had only 11 points in the third quarter en route to a season low output.

Spurs:

If Houston and San Antonio both win their regular-season finales on Wednesday, the Rockets will win a complex tiebreaker and get the No. 3 playoff seed, while San Antonio could end up starting the postseason on the road against the Trail Blazers unless Dallas knocks off Houston.

Team Stat Leaders

Points

Chris Paul NO 22.8
Tony Parker SA 21.9

Rebounds

Tyson Chandler NO 8.9
Tim Duncan SA 10.6

Assists

Chris Paul NO 11.0
Tony Parker SA 6.9

Team Comparison
Team Record Standings PF PA Road/Home Streak L10

New Orleans 49-32 3rd Southwest / 6th West 95.8 94.1 Road 21-19 Lost 1 5-5

San Antonio 53-28 2nd Southwest / 5th West 97.0 93.2 Home 27-13 Won 3 6-4

[Spursfan092120]

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/1700/paulwq2.jpg

[Ditty]

blazers have nothing to really play for and might want to lose to match up with nugets IMO but at the same time there game starts after ours so its kinda a lose or lose situation for new orleans because they either might play houston or san antonio

hope chandler sits out

[Rapper]

2 words only

"must win"

[Lars]

Go Hornets!

[Duncanoypi]

Chris Paul and David West could play "one quarter and a little bit of the third" in Wednesday's season finale, according to coach Byron Scott.

http://blog.nola.com/hornetsbeat/2009/04/new_orleans_hornets_center_tys_11.html

[timvp]

Hopefully the Hornets don't try. It'd be nice to get another easy game before the playoffs begin.

[Thomas82]

hopefully the hornets don't try. It'd be nice to get another easy game before the playoffs begin.

+1

[TampaDude]

Oh, and the requisite error for a McDonald "masterpiece": we need to win and have BOTH Portland and Houston to lose to finish 3rd.

Nope...if the Spurs win and the Rockets lose, the Spurs are SW Division Champs and automatic 3rd seed, regardless of whether the Blazers win or lose...and they would face the Mavs in the first round.

[exstatic]

Nope...if the Spurs win and the Rockets lose, the Spurs are SW Division Champs and automatic 3rd seed, regardless of whether the Blazers win or lose...and they would face the Mavs in the first round.

Nope. We'd win the division, but of course, after one season as top seed (2006) where we get butt fucked by having the Mavs forced into the 4th spot by not winning their (our) division, they changed the rule. The three division winners will be among the four top seeds, but it DOES go by records and tie breakers within the top 4. Portland owns the tiebreaker with us, so unless they lose, even if we win and HOU loses, we'd be 4th.

[Texas_Ranger]

Nope...if the Spurs win and the Rockets lose, the Spurs are SW Division Champs and automatic 3rd seed, regardless of whether the Blazers win or lose...and they would face the Mavs in the first round.

I think that if you're the division champ it doesn't mean that you're 3rd. Didn't this rule change last year.

[kace]

I think that if you're the division champ it doesn't mean that you're 3rd. Didn't this rule change last year.

yes, IIRC you can be at worst 4th (because of the mavs in 06).

[spursfan1000]

Hopefully spurs win tonight and Rockets lose.

[ElNono]

Nope. We'd win the division, but of course, after one season as top seed (2006) where we get butt fucked by having the Mavs forced into the 4th spot by not winning their (our) division, they changed the rule. The three division winners will be among the four top seeds, but it DOES go by records and tie breakers within the top 4. Portland owns the tiebreaker with us, so unless they lose, even if we win and HOU loses, we'd be 4th.

Not this shit again... Go to nba.com and read tie breaking rules for a multi team tie, then come back.
If the Spurs win and Rockets lose we have an automatic #3 seed by virtue of being division champs.

[ElNono]

I think that if you're the division champ it doesn't mean that you're 3rd. Didn't this rule change last year.

They would be #3 because they would have the same record as a non-division champ (Portland), while also being tied with the other division champ (Denver). The #1 rule for a multi team tiebreaker is to determine the division champs, which automatically places Denver at #2 and Spurs at #3.
The only way to a non-division champ to be above a division champ in the top 4 is to have a better record, or be tied with ONLY ONE of the division champs, and own the tiebreaker.

[Indazone]

Wishful thinking about the Hornets not trying. They aren't bringing Chandler back to look pretty.

[duncan228]

New Orleans Hornets (49-32) at San Antonio Spurs (53-28) (http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nba/scores/live/preview.aspx?id=11346)

(Sports Network) - The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Hornets both enter the season finale tonight with a number of playoff possibilities still on the table.

The Spurs can still lock down the Southwest Division title when they host the Hornets, who can finish in either the sixth or seventh seed in the Western Conference.

San Antonio is deadlocked with Houston atop the Southwest but the Rockets own the tiebreaker. The Spurs must beat New Orleans and hope for a Houston loss in Dallas for San Antonio to take the division and the No. 3 seed in the West. That scenario would have the Spurs meeting the Mavs in the first round while the Hornets would take on Denver. A loss by San Antonio tonight and the Spurs will be the fifth seed.

New Orleans, meanwhile, earns the sixth seed with a win tonight or a loss by Dallas. The Hornets will be seventh with a loss and a win by the Mavs.

The Spurs are coming off an important win in Oakland on Monday when Drew Gooden finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds, as San Antonio routed the Golden State Warriors, 101-72.

Tim Duncan, who sat out the team's previous contest with sore knees, returned to post 16 points and 13 boards for San Antonio. Tony Parker added 17 points as the Spurs won their third in a row.

The Hornets, meanwhile, fell in Houston on Monday when Yao Ming returned to the lineup with 22 points and seven rebounds, as the Rockets earned an 86-66 blowout win over New Orleans.

David West tallied 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Hornets, who were held to a season-low in points and fell into a tie with Dallas for the sixth spot in the West with one game remaining.

It was an off night for guard Chris Paul, as he had nine points and seven assists.

Hornets center Tyson Chandler, who has missed the team's last 15 games with a balky left ankle, is expected to play 20-plus minutes tonight.

San Antonio, which is 27-13 in the Alamo City this season, has dropped two of the three meetings between the clubs this year but earned a 106-93 win at the AT&T Center on January 31.

[Strike]

HORNETS RESERVES

4 Sean Marks, C/F, 6-10, 9th yr
23 Devin Brown, G/F, 6-5, 7th yr
33 Melvin Ely, F, 6-10, 7th yr
50 Antonio Daniels, G, 6-4, 12th yr
9 Morris Peterson, F/G, 6-7, 9th yr
41 James Posey, F, 6-8, 10th yr
32 Julian Wright, F, 6-8, 2nd yr


Damn. Enough Ex-Spurs on that bench?

[Chomag]

I know CP3 flops every game but have you guys noticed that he always flops a whole lot more then his usual when playing us?

Be ready for the flop fest fellas. CP3 will be testing the refs to see what he can do in the playoffs. Hopefully he wont get much playing time so the game will be bearable to watch.

[shelshor]

Referee Assignments
Wed. Apr. 15
New Orleans @ San Antonio: S. Foster, T. Brothers, Z. Zarba

[Creation88]

i want someone outside Parker and Tim to step up big tonight. i want at least 20+ from someone else.

[Chomag]

I bet we'll see this at least once or twice tonight...before the game I am going to start a thread counting how many barrel rolls this punk does.

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090406/capt.a2a0fe1394ab4419b1841f008c7b6b5b.humbled_horn ets_lalwh105.jpg

:lol Well I'm sure he wont disappoint!

[duncan228]

Chandler will play vs. Spurs (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/04/chandler-will-p.html)
By Mike Monroe

The Spurs' quest to get the highest possible playoff seeding will come against a full-strength Hornets roster tonight at AT&T Center.

Tyson Chandler, the 7-foot center who has missed the past few weeks with a sprained ankle, has been cleared to play tonight, and Hornets coach Byron Scott said he is penciled in for 15 to 20 minutes of work.

Scott is hoping to get Chandler back in some sort of rhythm before the playoffs begin this weekend. The recipient of most of point guard Chris Paul's long lob passes when he is healthy, Chandler has battled a sore ankle much of the season and has played in only 44 games. He last played on March 16. Last season he averaged 11.8 points and 11.7 rebounds.

James Posey, who missed the March 29 game against the Spurs because of a shoulder injury, also is available for tonight's game.

[Morg1411]

Chandler will play vs. Spurs (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/2009/04/chandler-will-p.html)
By Mike Monroe

The Spurs' quest to get the highest possible playoff seeding will come against a full-strength Hornets roster tonight at AT&T Center.

Tyson Chandler, the 7-foot center who has missed the past few weeks with a sprained ankle, has been cleared to play tonight, and Hornets coach Byron Scott said he is penciled in for 15 to 20 minutes of work.

Scott is hoping to get Chandler back in some sort of rhythm before the playoffs begin this weekend. The recipient of most of point guard Chris Paul's long lob passes when he is healthy, Chandler has battled a sore ankle much of the season and has played in only 44 games. He last played on March 16. Last season he averaged 11.8 points and 11.7 rebounds.

James Posey, who missed the March 29 game against the Spurs because of a shoulder injury, also is available for tonight's game.

Of fucking course.

Doubtless they'll all play like All-Stars tonight, as well.

[DPG21920]

For the love of all things holy, I think I have tickets for tonight's game. God Bless Sons.

[DPG21920]

Got tickets: Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

http://highbridnation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/flavor-flav-ps021.jpg

[duncan228]

New Orleans Hornets battling for sixth seed in Western Conference playoffs (http://blog.nola.com/hornetsbeat/2009/04/new_orleans_hornets_battling_f.html)
by John Reid, The Times-Picayune

The New Orleans Hornets can gain the sixth seed in the Western Conference playoffs with a victory tonight against the San Antonio Spurs or with a loss by Dallas against Houston tonight.

The Hornets would finish as the seventh seed with a loss tonight and Dallas beats the Rockets.

As the seventh seed, the Hornets would play the Denver Nuggets, who can clinch the second seed tonight with a victory against Portland.

If the Hornets finish sixth, they would play the Houston if the Rockets beat Dallas.

The Rockets would win the Southwest Division with a victory tonight and could move up to the second seed if Denver losses to Portland.

But, Houston would fall to fifth with a loss against Dallas and San Antonio and Portland win.

San Antonio can gain the third seed and win the Southwest Division if it defeats the Hornets and Houston losses at Dallas.

If the Spurs lose to New Orleans, they would be the fifth seed.

The Los Angeles Lakers have clinched the No. 1 seed. With Utah's loss to the Lakers Tuesday night, they will enter as the eighth seed.

Portland currently holds the fourth seed and they can maintain it with a victory against Denver.

[Mavs<Spurs]

Winning the division is not a way to break a 2 way tie.

It is only a way to break a 3 way tie.

Therefore, there must be 2 other teams tied with the Spurs in terms of there record for that to matter. And Houston cannot be one of the two teams tied with the Spurs in terms of record. For, they hold the tiebreaker of better record against Western Conference Playoff teams. So, they would be the division winner.

So, Houston must lose (otherwise they win the tiebreaker with San Antonio).
Obviously, San Antonio must win (otherwise we are behind Houston in either our record or because Houston holds the 2 way tiebreaker of better record against Western Conference playoff teams [if Houston loses].

Now, Portland holds the 2 way tiebreaker of better record in head to head games against San Antonio. Therefore, San Antonio cannot be in a 2 way tiebreaker with Portland and still finish third.

However, if Portland wins, they would finish 54-28 like the Spurs. And a Portland win means that Denver lost. So, Denver would finish 54-28.
Thus, all 3 teams would have the same record. These teams would be competing for the second, third and fourth seeds respectively. The Nuggets would get the tiebreaker against the Spurs. So, the Nuggets would be second. The Spurs would be a division winner which in a 3 way tiebreaker is a first way to break the tie. So, the Spurs would be the third seed. The Blazers would have a better record than the Rockets since the Rockets lost. Thus, the Blazers would be the fourth seed. Since New Orleans lost, they would still be behind the Rockets. So, the Rockets would be the fifth seed. New Orleans would be the sixth seed. Presuming that the Spurs are the third seed, then Dallas must have beaten the Rockets. Thus, Dallas remains the seventh seed. Utah would remain the eighth seed.



[I]Bottom line: For us to get the third seed: Spurs must beat New Orleans, Dallas must beat Houston and the Blazers must beat the Nuggets. All three of these events must take place or the Spurs do not become the third seed.

Please, please, please remember that winning a division is only a 3 way tiebreaker and never a 2 way tiebreaker.



:flag: