Chris Paul was dazzling on Wednesday against Dallas, in what really was a must-win for the Hornets if they were going to have any sort of confidence in their ability to play with the top teams as the season goes on. Paul dragged his team to a win with 39 points, on 14-for-23 shooting, including three of four from three-point land.
But as great as Paul was and as below average as Dallas was (Dirk Nowitzki was held to just 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting), if we're going to be honest, his Hornets were fairly fortunate to be able to pull this one out.
The Hornets jolted the West in 2008, nearly taking the first seed in the conference one season after missing the postseason entirely. After waxing Dallas in what would become Avery Johnson's final playoff series there, the Hornets went all the way to Game 7 against the defending champion Spurs. The Hornets lost, and didn't get close in 2008-09.
You can believe one of three things. The Hornets' short triumph could be over, more flash in the sky than formation of a new star. The Hornets could have experienced just a brief setback, a defeat at the hands of a bad match-up and an injury-riddled season. Or, the Hornets could have just ran into some structural problems in need of fixing, which they possibly have this summer.
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:
The Hornets will have Peja Stojakovic back for Friday's game against the Golden State Warriors as New Orleans tries to put the finishing touches on a 3-0 West Coast road trip.
Stojakovic has missed the past 15 games because of back spasms and hasn't played since a March 2 game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Hornets coach Byron Scott said he would bring Stojakovic off the bench for the time being.
Part of FanHouse's coverage of the NBA's All-Star weekend, coming to you live from Phoenix.
PHOENIX -- The All-Star festivities will be a little different this weekend, with the addition of the GEICO/HORSE Game on Saturday. If you've ever touched a basketball for longer than about six seconds, you have played a version of HORSE, so getting to see the big boys toss up crazy shots will be interesting.
During the media time on Friday, some of the bigger names talked about the game and who they thought might be the toughest to face in the NBA. The answers might surprise you.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Normally, we use this feature to give you a sampling of great performances from all around the Association. But in this edition, the three best performances of the night all came from a single game: the Hornets' win over the Lakers.
David West tops our list, with his career high 40 points and 11 rebounds. He did this on 14-of-23 shooting, and was the inside force the Hornets needed on a night where Peja Stojakovic and Chris Paul combined to go just 2-of-9 from three-point land. Speaking of Paul ...
If you always have the ball, then you'll have all the assists: Chris Paul's line of 32 points and 15 assists was obviously stellar, but what was even more impressive was the fact that he was responsible for dishing out 15 of his team's 17 assists. His dribble penetration wreaked havoc on the Lakers' alleged defense all night, and of course, West couldn't have put up those numbers unless Paul was around doing what he does.
Let's not forget Kobe: At least in terms of efficiency, Kobe Bryant had the best line of the night. He finished with 39 points on 14-of-22 shooting, while hitting six of his seven three point attempts and finding the time to dish out seven assists. His 20-point third quarter (!) gave the Lakers the lead, but it also exhausted him to the point where he could contribute just two points in the fourth.
This is not a division. It is a gauntlet. A spiked, imperial gauntlet inhabited by minotaurs, pterodactyls, stone giants, warrior pygmy tribes, and other things that go bump in the night. There is no sense of "If we can just make it to .500" in this division. .500 means nothing. .500 is for the Central division.
The Southwest Division hosts two former MVPs, the MVP runner-up from last season, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, the reigning Coach of the Year, a bazillion All-Stars, elite shooters, elite defenders, elite scorers, and Ron freaking Artest. Yeesh.
There are not headlines here. There are omens, prophecies, and obituaries.
Crystal Ballin'takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.
Now that the Birdman (Ka-kaw) is back, the Hornets are really only one or two pieces away from contending for a championship that they could have won last year anyway. Which makes this pick tough -- New Orleans certainly has needs, but whether or not those can be immediately answered at 27 will determine whether they actually end up pulling the trigger on any first rounders.
Picks: #27 Needs: A scorer from the two. They need some frontcourt depth too, but they can acquire that without having to use a draft pick. Not to mention an immediate offensive impact shooting guard takes the pressure off of Peja and Chris Paul (vis a vis Jannero Pargo seeing more minutes at the point).
Best case scenario: Chris Douglas-Roberts or Courtney Lee somehow drops to the Hornets in the first ... which a lot of mocks actually have happening. I think they gets pulled on before then but, oh, the three letter nicknames we'd see. Give me a second, I'll figure something out for Lee.
Game Seven. No way out except onward. The defending champs responded at home and sent a message about their physical approach. Now the Hornets are at home, hoping to knock off the Spurs and keep them from their "one for the thumb." In an expanded edition of our playoff game previews, here are seven things to keep an eye on in tonight's Spurs-Hornets Game 7.
1. Let's Get The Ugliness Out Of The Way: David West will play. So will Robert Horry. And it'll probably be fine and nothing else will happen. But the tension will be there. And don't be completely shocked if there's another incident of "good playoff basketball" somewhere that ends up with West clutching his back again. These things "just happen." Meanwhile, Horry will be booed like he probably never has been before. Suns fans didn't get another shot at him that season and are notoriously civil. I would not expect the same treatment from the New Orleans folks. There's going to be a lot of physical play and don't be surprised if we see more technical fouls as both teams are really getting to dislike one another.
2. Duncan Versus West: Mano A Mano: The Spurs are 1-1 in putting Tim Duncan on David West one on one. Duncan was able to shut down the All-Star before the "good hard playoff basketball" by using his size and length in conjunction with a cohesive Spurs effort that jacked up the spacing for the Hornets on the offensive end. Conversely, in Game 5, with a healthy David West and the confidence of homecourt, West was nearly unstoppable. If he gets separation from Duncan and freezes him with the drive fake, he can get his jumper going, and that's when he gets scary. Conversely, Tyson Chandler has the job of guarding Duncan on the defensive end, but West has held his own. You never know which Tim Duncan is going to show up anymore. The bamboozled veteran that seems to slow and too clumsy to ever get anything going, or the best power forward in the history of the game. The Spurs can win without Duncan going off, and they can lose with Duncan scoring 30+, but both scenarios are very difficult to achieve.
In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Spurs-Hornets Western Conference Semifinals Game 5 this evening.
1. Expect The Unexpected: I've worked this game around in my head for the last day, and I still can't get an answer out of it. It's like trying to get a clear choice out of a busted Magic Eight Ball. I can't even get a "Reply Hazy, Try Again." Nothing would surprise me tonight. A Spurs blowout? Of course! They're the champs and they've figured out the Hornets. A Hornets blowout? Well, you saw the first two games, didn't you? A Hornets breakaway in the last five minutes? That's what happens when you're old and slow. A Hornets meltdown in the last five minutes? That's what happens when you're young and inexperienced! A Spurs buzzer-beater? There's a reason Robert Horry, Michael Finley, and Brent Barry play for the Spurs. Armageddon? Why not? There's really no way to predict what will come out tonight in New Orleans.
2. Duncan Go Nuts: Maybe it was just the flu. Maybe the only thing holding Tim Duncan back in Games 1 and 2 were the chills and fever he reportedly had, and it had nothing to do with the stifling and effective double teams by the Hornets. The most likely answer is that it was a little bit of both. Either way, the Spurs have figured a way around that trick. By pulling Manu Ginobili to Duncan's post side and using him as the entry passer, they've presented the Hornets with their two worst matchups at once. Bring the help defender, and Ginobili's either got a three or the step on a drive if the help tries to close out. Don't bring the help defender ... well, let's just say you want to bring the help defender. The Hornets may have to try going to zone tonight and bringing Bonzi Wells over from the weak side block to provide pressure. Most importantly, if Tyson Chandler is guarding Duncan, he cannot do what he did in the last game and give Tim Duncan the baseline. That's just suicide. And it's not painless.
Chris Paul was dazzling on Wednesday against Dallas, in what really was a must-win for the Hornets if they were going to have any sort of confidence in their ability to play with the top teams as the season goes on. Paul dragged his team to a win with 39 points, on 14-for-23 shooting, including three of four from three-point land. 
FanHouse 
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.
The Hornets will have 
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Part of FanHouse's coverage of the NBA's 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. 
In another of 
