Observations from Game 3:
1.) Parker and Ginobli had very good games and should be commended for keeping SA in the game and this series....for now.
2.) However, Chris Paul took his game to an entirely different level last night. He is without a doubt the best point guard in the league and he showed it with every dazzling play. At one point, ESPN cameras showed Tony Parker dribbling downcourt after one of Paul's baskets. He couldn't help but to shake his head is disbelief. CP3 is amazing.
3.) Hornets will make the adjustments and come out guns blazing in game 4. I think you'll see increased defensive pressure and better ball movement compared to game 3. CP3 is at his best when he's a facilitator, not a scorer. Coach Scott knows that and he'll do what's necessary to get this team ready to take this series back to N.O. with a 3-1 lead.
4.) Bowen played good defense on Peja last night. If he can continue to stick to Peja like that, that will change the series since Peja's shooting is key for us.
In conclusion, as a Hornets fan I can't honestly say I woke up this morning worried at all. Spurs are a great team, they're the champs, and deserve as much respect as the Bulls teams from the 90's. However, everyone expected the spurs to show more tenacity in game 3 and that's what we saw. Winning game 3 for the Hornets would've been "a cherry on top" so to speak. It was in essence a game 7 for them.
But the Hornets showed alot of tenacity and were in this game from beginning to end. I would be worried if we would've lost by 15+ pts but that wasn't the case
. San Antonio is not a team built to win games with their offense and that's exactly what they did last night. They won't continue to make shots that are continuously contested the rest of this series. That's not the way this team was built.
Peace