In The Lane: April 10,2008
BYRON’S BEES ARE BEST
I count 55 of them.
With their 55th victory on April 9, they surpassed the previous 19 Hornets teams as the most successful ever.
The fans are turning out in record numbers at the New Orleans Arena…with five consecutive sellouts…with 11 sellouts in their last 16 games…and with a total of 12 overall this season the buzz is back in the Big Easy.
There are plenty of reasons fans are clamoring for Hornets playoff tickets. Winning at a record-setting pace tops them all, but perhaps the WAY this team is stinging behinds and taking names is more impressive.
They really do play with passion, purpose, and pride, as the team marketing slogan says. Fans feel that energy inside the New Orleans Arena and are now creating a great home court advantage for the players with their “M-V-P” chants and their extemporaneous booing.
But make no mistake; Chris Paul is the star of this Crescent City Show. He’s the kid that turns every Hornets home game into a big event…and no city does big events like New Orleans.
CP3 is the NBA’s MVP. He’s the most important player on the best team in the toughest division in the best conference. He’s setting team records on a weekly basis. He’s the most exciting point guard in the league. He defers to teammates when need be, and takes over games when he has to. He breaks double teams, knocks down open jumpers, floats in tear drops, breaks ankles, dupes opposing ball handlers, and makes owning a DVR mandatory.
It makes sense that the best team in franchise history should have the best player in franchise history.
And while the 22-year-old Paul (I know, 22, isn’t that just insane?) is the best of the franchise’s best-ever he’s still just part of the story.
There’s 30-year-old Peja Stojakovic, who played a TOTAL of 13 games last season due to back surgery, setting a franchise mark for made threes in a season, leading the league in free throw shooting, and giving Paul one of the best catch and shoot targets in the league.
There’s David West, one of the least talked about stars from the much-hyped 2003 draft, turning himself into an NBA all-star as one of the best mid-range shooters in the league, while averaging a near double double.
There’s Tyson Chandler, dismissed in Chicago as a high lottery bust, proving the theory that a change of scenery can do wonders for talented athlete. He’s the top offensive rebounder in the league, while joining Paul as one of just two duos in the NBA averaging a double double. He and Chris Paul have turned the alley oop into the signature play for this playoff bound team...so much so that some have nicknamed it “The Big Easy” or “The Crescent City Connection”.
There’s shooting guard Morris Peterson, a key free agent acquisition who has helped stabilize the most unstable position on the team going back to the trade of David Wesley.
Then there are role players such as well-liked Jannero Pargo, who reminds some of Vinny Johnson (the “Microwave”) from Detroit’s “Bad Boys” days. Turn him on and he’s hot to the touch…no matter what defenses are thrown at him.
There’s Bonzi Wells, acquired in a mid-season trade from division rival Houston, who just happens to play his best basketball against San Antonio, which just happens to be a division rival and the defending NBA champs.
There’s Ryan Bowen, whose energetic play off the bench is contagious.
There’s fabulously talented rookie Julian Wright, who missed out on a chance to win an NCAA title with Kansas this season, but brings athleticism and exuberance into the game.
There’s Hilton Armstrong and Melvin Ely, two big men who have taken turns filling in for Chandler, and at times playing along side the 7-1 pivot man.
There’s offensive insurance in sharpshooters Mike James and Rasual Butler. And there’s the great story of Chris Andersen’s return from the NBA’s two-year banishment for violating the league’s drug policy.
Then, of course, there’s head coach Byron Scott. He appears to be the perfect coach for this young squad of Wild West gunslingers. A three-time NBA champ for the “Showtime Lakers” of the 80s, a title winner in Greece (where he first connected with Stojakovic), and a two-time Eastern Conference champ during his first head coaching stint in New Jersey. Scott the psychiatrist knew it was time to call out his underperforming bench in early January to, as he claims, “make them feel uncomfortable and give them their edge back”. They responded by increasing their production during the team’s best month of the season (12-2).
In 2004-2005 the Hornets were last in attendance and won 18 games before hurricane Katrina forced the franchise to relocate to Oklahoma for two seasons. This is their first full season back in New Orleans since the storm and it is no exaggeration to suggest that the team’s revival is a reflection of the city’s comeback from catastrophe.
While the Hornets team record 55 (and counting) win season proves the franchise has recovered nicely from its worst season ever the recent string of sellouts in New Orleans proves the city is bouncing back from its worst storm ever.
Fans feel a bond with the Hornets and the gulf coast region for a myriad of reasons, but I think near the top of the list is that we are all a part of rewriting history (both the team’s and the city’s) day by day.
