By now, you've probably seen the play from Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, where Chauncey Billups inbounded the ball to himself off of Kobe Bryant's back, and got himself an easy layup because of it. Crafty move by a cagey veteran, and a play that you almost never see in a real game, much less at this stage of the playoffs, right?
Actually, that's wrong. Because we saw the same thing happen back in February, and it once again happened to Kobe -- courtesy of Chris Paul.
There really are no words to describe the Hornets' 58-point home loss on Monday, in what was unquestionably a must-win playoff game against the Nuggets. But embarrassing, humiliating, inexcusable, and unconscionable are all good places to start.
After trailing by 22 points at the break, there was no fight in New Orleans to start the third quarter, and they managed just 11 points in the period while Denver continued to play as if it were Game 7 of the Finals.
Part of the blame for the second half lack of effort falls on Byron Scott, but a more than equal share should also fall on the shoulders of Chris Paul. Either way, give Denver their due for providing teams with a blueprint for how to defend one of the league's best point guards.
Even for overwhelming favorites -- like Boston last season, Dallas two years ago -- "advancing" is the endgame for the first round. Don't worry about sweeping the opponent, or dominating the action. Just move on. Just advance to the next stage of play.
The Lakers did that Monday, knocking out the Jazz in Game 5. Mission: accomplished, at least for the first round. But it must have been pretty difficult to ignore what the West's No. 2 team (Denver) had done to New Orleans earlier in the night. The Lakers did their job, but the Nuggets did a job on the Hornets, and potentially the psyche of the rest of the conference.
James Posey and Chris Paul were all smiles after their Game 3 victory over the Nuggets, and why not? New Orleans did everything it could to blow a 10-point lead in the final two minutes, but hung on for the win anyway and cut Denver's series lead to two games to one.
The Hornets have a chance to tie things up at home tonight, and considering how chippy the series is starting to get (58 fouls, including three flagrants were called in Game 3), we should be in for a good one. Whether you have NBATV or not (that's the only place it's being televised), join me right here at 8:30 PM ET for all the action.
Less than eight minutes into Saturday's Game 3, the Hornets were down 16 points to the Denver Nuggets. But thanks to a big-time effort by point guard Chris Paul, the Hornets overcame that deficit and ended up hanging on for a two-point win.
Conventional wisdom suggests the Hornets are right back in the series, now down just two games to one. But they've still got a lot of work to do and many obstacles and challenges to overcome.
In fact, the Nuggets still have plenty of reasons to be optimistic, while the Hornets' margin for error remains small. In short, the Hornets still have some problems ... and here are five of them:
Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.
Entering the playoffs, the Nuggets-Hornets series looked like one of the most compelling first-round matchups, featuring an exciting battle between Chauncey Billups and Chris Paul, two elite point guards with contrasting styles.
Sadly, the schedule makers conspired to make this series one of the most overlooked -- each of the first two games tipped off at 10:30 PM ET, meaning fans on the East coast had to choose between spending the next morning drinking two pots of coffee or catching up with 90-seconds worth of highlights on SportsCenter.
Two lopsided Nuggets wins later, here's to hoping you chose coffee.
It's trophy time in the NBA, and the FanHouse crew has submitted its ballots. Find out which players deserve to take home the hardware and which ones don't, in our NBA Awards series.
Last season, the MVP was a hotly contested two-man race between Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul. People took sides, and seemed to be willing to battle to the death in support of their candidate. This season, however, there's no such drama. One man has flexed his muscle more than the rest all season long, and he's expected to take home the hardware in a landslide.
Expectations were sky high for the Hornets the season after crashing the conference gates, but injuries and a still-weak bench sunk N.O.'s hopes for true Best of the West contention. Denver meanwhile, picked by many to watch the postseason from the couch, pulled off a coup by landing Chauncey Billups and the No. 2 seed ... a spot where New Orleans expected to land. Can Denver confirm its regular season, or will the Hornets renew their status as elite?
By now, you've probably seen the play from Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, where Chauncey Billups inbounded the ball to himself off of Kobe Bryant's back, and got himself an easy layup because of it. Crafty move by a cagey veteran, and a play that you almost never see in a real game, much less at this stage of the playoffs, right?
There really are no words to describe the Hornets' 58-point home loss on Monday, in what was unquestionably a must-win playoff game against the Nuggets. But embarrassing, humiliating, inexcusable, and unconscionable are all good places to start.
Cherry Picking recaps yesterday's action.
James Posey and Chris Paul were all smiles after their Game 3 victory over the Nuggets, and why not? New Orleans did everything it could to blow a 10-point lead in the final two minutes, but hung on for the win anyway and cut Denver's series lead to two games to one.
Less than eight minutes into Saturday's Game 3, the Hornets were down 16 points to the Denver Nuggets. But thanks to a big-time effort by point guard Chris Paul, the Hornets overcame that deficit and ended up hanging on for a two-point win.
Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.
FanHouse previews the first round of the NBA Playoffs. 
