| Hornets Game Against Blazers A Wake-Up Call Authored by J.T. Magee - February 27, 2006 - 7:27 pm
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Led by David West in the fourth quarter and Chris Paul in the second half, New Orleans opened up an ugly game against the Blazers, winning 88-75. The game could’ve been over sooner than the fourth quarter. It should’ve been, but New Orleans/OKC took it as a walk in the park, and it showed.
In the first quarter, there was almost no movement on offense. Barely any off-the-ball movement. Barely any ball movement. Barely any offense. The shot selection was bad. They hit less than 40% of their shots in the first quarter. Lucky for them, the Blazers have no offense. Or that they couldn’t hit any free throws (42%). But this isn’t about how bad the Blazers are. This is about how the Hornets need to close out these games sooner than later.
In the second quarter, the offense improved, but it wasn’t the offense that has made them winners. It was the offense that plagued them last season. Portland ran a decent zone, but New Orleans did not move the ball around to move the zone. They dribbled out most of the clock, and then either went into the post to Desmond Mason, or to someone else. The results were mixed. Mostly, the results were bad. The Hornets could not make their shots and kept a team that should not have been in the game, well, in the game.
In the second half, they looked revitalized. The ball was moving around and the Hornets were attacking the middle with succession. I was surprised to see them perform with more fire under them. I was expecting the Hornets to attack the middle since they have one of the best penetrators in the NBA right now. I was expecting them to attack because Portland was without their two-leading shot blockers. But Byron Scott did his job, making sure they played their game rather then give into mediocre play.
Before the game, when I was watching the team warm up, there were a couple things that have defined the team so far. Everyone smiles, which meant two things; one, they are comfortable with each other, both on the court and off. But two, which really showed, they approached this game as a game that was already in the bag. And that’s one problem with the NBA: no game is guaranteed. Both teams can win on any given night and it took the Hornets a half to realize that.
Also, I can see why J.R. Smith receives no playing time whatsoever. During warm-ups, he was the only player without him warm-up jacket on. He would not practice game shots. He continuously went to the 3-point line and jacked up threes. Most of them went in, which I was not surprised about. He and Arvydas Macijauskas even had a little shooting contest. (Maus truly is one of the purest shooters in the world.) But Smith was not into warming up. It was as if he already knew he wasn’t going to play and that’s not how you approach a game.
Playing in the NBA is a privilege, not a right. I think Byron Scott wants Smith to realize this and approach games like they mean something, not like they are another paycheck. Once Smith realizes that Scott wants him to be their future shooting guard by working for it, then he will become a great player alongside Paul. But if Smith feels like his days in NOK are numbered, then he should not be showing the attitude that he displayed during the warm-ups because no team wants a great player with a poor attitude. Darius miles got lucky that a team like Portland wanted to take a chance because he had, and still has, a lot of potential. Smith does not to fall into this category because he still has time on his hands. His attitude can cost him millions in the future. At this rate, it just might.
In regards to the game, the whole team approached this as a game in the bags. It was almost as if they were just doing what they needed to do, then once they started to play, they got into gear and took control. Their ball pressure in the second half paid dividends. Their sporadic tempo caused confusion for Portland and they took advantage of Portland’s miscommunication.
In the end, NOK won, but it was not a satisfying win. If they want to be considered legit contenders, they need to come into games with a mentality that they cannot be touched. At the beginning, they had no mentality of wanting to crush. By the time the fourth quarter came around, they stopped grab-assing and played their style of ball. If they want to become that team that everyone takes seriously, they need to take their opponents seriously. Even if they know they are going to win. |
