duncan228
05-17-2008, 10:30 PM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA051808.11C.BKNspurs.hornets.sider.3371652.html
Hornets want their play to do the talking
By Mike Finger
Express-News
NEW ORLEANS — When the New Orleans Hornets returned to practice Saturday, the morning was filled with a handful of coincidences and curiosities that on any other Saturday would have been considered minor or completely un-noteworthy.
But because we have arrived at the Game-7, everything-is-magnified, two-ways-to-look-at-every-piece-of-information stage of the Western Conference semifinal, the Hornets' day was more intriguing than it appeared. Consider the following:
Exhibit 1: In the first practice session since David West left Game 6 with a back injury, the team's workout was closed in its entirety. This was the first time this happened during this series. Usually, the media is allowed into the gym for the last few minutes of practice, but on Saturday, the court was already empty by the time the cameras and microphones were allowed inside.
Possible conclusions: Either West is significantly healthier than the Hornets want the world to believe, or he's hurt significantly worse.
Hornets coach Byron Scott said West shot jumpers during Saturday's workout but didn't practice full-speed. Scott said West was “a little sore” but that he “looked better than he did in Game 6.” West said after Thursday's game he expected to play on Monday, and Scott said he has no reason to believe West won't be available for Game 7.
Hornets officials originally announced Saturday morning that West would be coming out of the locker room to talk to the media, but a few minutes later, they said he had to attend to a family emergency. Tyson Chandler and Morris Peterson, the only two Hornets players to speak to the media Saturday, both said they are confident West will be on the floor Monday.
“I told him, ‘If they got to pull you out in a wheelchair to play, that's what we're gonna do. We need you,'” Peterson said. “I think he understands that.”
But what really happened behind closed doors? West might have been unleashing 360-degree dunks, or he might have been lying prone on the scorer's table. Even if the likeliest scenario was somewhere in between, the Hornets kept people guessing.
Exhibit 2: When asked for their opinions on whether Robert Horry's endlessly replayed screen on West constituted a cheap shot, Peterson and Chandler said they weren't sure because they didn't get a good look at it.
Possible conclusions: Either the Hornets think it was a cheap shot and have been told to keep their opinions quiet, or there remains an alarming lack of YouTube access in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Scott, who played with Horry on the 1996-97 Los Angeles Lakers, defended his former teammate, saying, “I know he's not a dirty ballplayer.” But he also declined comment on the play itself, other than to say that the league office said it wasn't dirty, and “that's all that matters.”
Chandler said the screen “wouldn't have been as bad had David not already had the injury” to his back. But Peterson said the Hornets won't obsess over the play.
“We're a little tougher than that,” Peterson said. “It's going to take more than one hit to knock us out.”
Exhibit 3: Scott spent a large chunk of his interview time talking about officiating.
Possible conclusions: Either he was simply trying to help the media and the public understand the nuances of the game, or he learned something from Gregg Popovich.
Popovich needled the officials for what he thought were some inconsistencies in a Game 5 loss, and the Spurs had fewer complaints in a Game 6 victory. Saturday, Scott did his part to turn things around. On the foul calls that went against the Hornets in the third quarter of Game 6, Scott said:
“I thought it really affected our guys. I thought they started to feel that everybody, not only the crowd, but everybody else in there, was against us.”
He was particularly galled at a couple of charging calls against West and Chris Paul.
“I didn't think those were really offensive fouls,” Scott said. “I mean, you can call a foul on Tim Duncan on David every time he drives. He's got his hands on him. I guess it's home cooking. We'll see.”
Hornets want their play to do the talking
By Mike Finger
Express-News
NEW ORLEANS — When the New Orleans Hornets returned to practice Saturday, the morning was filled with a handful of coincidences and curiosities that on any other Saturday would have been considered minor or completely un-noteworthy.
But because we have arrived at the Game-7, everything-is-magnified, two-ways-to-look-at-every-piece-of-information stage of the Western Conference semifinal, the Hornets' day was more intriguing than it appeared. Consider the following:
Exhibit 1: In the first practice session since David West left Game 6 with a back injury, the team's workout was closed in its entirety. This was the first time this happened during this series. Usually, the media is allowed into the gym for the last few minutes of practice, but on Saturday, the court was already empty by the time the cameras and microphones were allowed inside.
Possible conclusions: Either West is significantly healthier than the Hornets want the world to believe, or he's hurt significantly worse.
Hornets coach Byron Scott said West shot jumpers during Saturday's workout but didn't practice full-speed. Scott said West was “a little sore” but that he “looked better than he did in Game 6.” West said after Thursday's game he expected to play on Monday, and Scott said he has no reason to believe West won't be available for Game 7.
Hornets officials originally announced Saturday morning that West would be coming out of the locker room to talk to the media, but a few minutes later, they said he had to attend to a family emergency. Tyson Chandler and Morris Peterson, the only two Hornets players to speak to the media Saturday, both said they are confident West will be on the floor Monday.
“I told him, ‘If they got to pull you out in a wheelchair to play, that's what we're gonna do. We need you,'” Peterson said. “I think he understands that.”
But what really happened behind closed doors? West might have been unleashing 360-degree dunks, or he might have been lying prone on the scorer's table. Even if the likeliest scenario was somewhere in between, the Hornets kept people guessing.
Exhibit 2: When asked for their opinions on whether Robert Horry's endlessly replayed screen on West constituted a cheap shot, Peterson and Chandler said they weren't sure because they didn't get a good look at it.
Possible conclusions: Either the Hornets think it was a cheap shot and have been told to keep their opinions quiet, or there remains an alarming lack of YouTube access in post-Katrina New Orleans.
Scott, who played with Horry on the 1996-97 Los Angeles Lakers, defended his former teammate, saying, “I know he's not a dirty ballplayer.” But he also declined comment on the play itself, other than to say that the league office said it wasn't dirty, and “that's all that matters.”
Chandler said the screen “wouldn't have been as bad had David not already had the injury” to his back. But Peterson said the Hornets won't obsess over the play.
“We're a little tougher than that,” Peterson said. “It's going to take more than one hit to knock us out.”
Exhibit 3: Scott spent a large chunk of his interview time talking about officiating.
Possible conclusions: Either he was simply trying to help the media and the public understand the nuances of the game, or he learned something from Gregg Popovich.
Popovich needled the officials for what he thought were some inconsistencies in a Game 5 loss, and the Spurs had fewer complaints in a Game 6 victory. Saturday, Scott did his part to turn things around. On the foul calls that went against the Hornets in the third quarter of Game 6, Scott said:
“I thought it really affected our guys. I thought they started to feel that everybody, not only the crowd, but everybody else in there, was against us.”
He was particularly galled at a couple of charging calls against West and Chris Paul.
“I didn't think those were really offensive fouls,” Scott said. “I mean, you can call a foul on Tim Duncan on David every time he drives. He's got his hands on him. I guess it's home cooking. We'll see.”