Spurs vs. Hornets: Game 7 Brings Pressure
Timmy has been there…Paul has not
Game 7 brings pressure.
Everything in the off-season leads towards the season. Everything is the season leads to the playoffs. Every playoff series has the potential to end in a Game 7.
The New Orleans Hornets and the San Antonio Spurs are preparing to engage in what has the makings of a spectacular series deciding game. Both teams have looked unbeatable at times in this series. Players for each side have dominated in spurts and come into this game with all kinds of confidence.
Somehow the general consensus is that the Hornets want to be in this position. They want the pressure of a make or break game. They want to play in the confines of their home arena. The Hornets want to ascend into the upper echelon of the Western Conference at the Spurs expense. They want to break the spirit and will of the defending champions.
Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
The San Antonio Spurs are a veteran team. They are used to the pressure that will permeate the atmosphere on Monday night; as a matter of fact they’ve thrived in it. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are playoff seasoned and ready for this moment. They won’t shy away from the situations that will decide this game.
What stands out more than the Spurs history of playing well in these moments is the fact that the Hornets had a chance to prevent it. New Orleans gave Game 6 away. Sure David West and Tyson Chandler weren’t 100%. Sure San Antonio was at home and the theme of this round is home team dominance. Look beyond those things and you’ll arrive at a familiar theme. New Orleans didn’t want to win that game. They didn’t want to close out the champs on the road. They wanted to go back home.
Now their wish has been granted and a sure fire challenge awaits them. The way we remember these New Orleans Hornets will be determined by how they perform Monday night. That’s how heavy this game is. To be the man you have to beat the man and the Spurs are the ultimate measuring stick in the NBA.
Sure the home teams are 22-2 in this round of the play-offs. Sure the Hornets have thumped the Spurs in all 3 home games this series. Consider the two teams that managed to win on the road in this round. Both Detroit and L.A. have similar personalities to this team. Each has major contributors who are familiar with this position. They know how to play in, stay in and eventually win a game on road.
Where will that savvy and poise come from for New Orleans to win this game? When trying to reach a goal experience is not a must. There are times when the truly exceptional can overcome challenges without having been faced with them before. The New Orleans Hornets may be that team. More importantly Chris Paul must be that truly exceptional player.
This season has been a coming out party for Paul. If his career is a book then this game will constitute an extremely important chapter. Every decision, every pass, every shot, every steal and every rebound will lend itself towards New Orleans making history. If he doesn’t play a hell of a game then they don’t have a chance to win. If he doesn’t demand his teammates raise their level of play and follow his lead then it’ll be close to impossible for them to win. He’s that special.
More than a few times this season Paul has met such ultimatums. When his team needed him he stepped up, when his teammates needed him to lead he led him. When he plays like the elite player he is the New Orleans Hornets are a truly impressive team.
Then again the San Antonio Spurs have defeated such teams before…. and my gut says they’ll do it again.
To me the real theme here is that those who have success in this league are ruthless. When they smell blood, they attack. The Spurs were a wounded team after being thrashed by the Hornets in game 5. Game 6 should have been the end for them. New Orleans should have gone for the kill. Instead they took the path of least resistance and chose to fight this battle at home.
Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
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May 18th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
I got my money on the bayou boys!
May 18th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
I meant like the buffalo, we TFS have to stick together. ALWAYS!
May 18th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Let’s go Hornets!!
May 19th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Please Hornets beat the spurs. I am tired of seeing Manu flop every play. I am tired of duncan, parker and Manu act like they never commited a foul in their life.
May 19th, 2008 at 3:43 am
please spurs beat hornets. I am tired of seeing Paul flop every play. i am tired of chandler, west, and paul act like they never committed a foul in their entire life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HORNETS!!!!!!!
May 19th, 2008 at 3:46 am
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOtOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nyOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 19th, 2008 at 3:48 am
ako si pedrooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! altar
May 19th, 2008 at 7:05 am
The Hornets much like the Celtics seemed very content to have to play a Game 7. The Celts ended up winning theirs again, and the Hornets may very well win theirs, but their cavalier attitudes about playing Game 7 is the reason I think the Pistons and Lakers will meet in the Finals. They took care of business pretty much as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Neither of them played like they had home court advantage and I think the Celts have been leaning on the fact that they don’t have to win on the road and to a certain extent NO did the same thing this series. There’s something to be said about team’s who know how to kick a team when they’re down…
May 19th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Great point Co Co. Real rap right there.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
My money is on SA, sure they’re old and all, but this was a team that was down 2-0 and ready for the dustpan because it looked like a sweep. Game 7 in this case will come down to experience and a true sense of urgency.
I love what the Hornets have done this season for NO and the league I just feel the Spurs have one last gasp in them to pull it out.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Doc Rivers seemed to say the same thing in an interview I heard. He was very comfortable with the idea of coming home. LeBron, though, in his post game interview spoke about how much the Pistons focus in road games. Detroit is likely to win on the road — and lose at home.
Boston-Detroit should be a phenomenal series (defensively).
I like the Hornets tonite because of Chris Paul and the crowd. They need someone to step up like PJ Brown did for Boston. Maybe it’ll be Gennaro Pargo or Bonzi Wells since they should still have fresh legs. If the Spurs get anything from players like Kurt Thomas or even Horry, it’s going to be a long night. Knowing Popovich, he’ll pull a rabbit out his hat in this series just for the last game or the pivotal moment in the 2nd half…it could be a trapping defense to get the ball out of CP3’s hands when he crosses half court - it could be anything…but it’s going to be something.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
I think the Hornets will do everything they can to get a chance to NBA because they have been there but again the Spurs will fight for it. The Spurs play like a Team it is not just about Tim or Parker it is about how is open and that is what a Champion Team does. We will see how they do tonight but I can see it already THE SPURS will take Pistons and get another ring.
May 19th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
The Spurs will win in this order.. 1st Hornets, 2nd Lakers, 3rd Pistons. Spurs show them how it should be done.
May 19th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Spurs don’t repeat. Lakers/Pistons Finals
May 19th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I’m with Co Co. La vs Detroit.
This is Kobe’s year. He
will win the triple crown like Big Brown.
NBA title and both MVP awards.
Is that a cool name for a champion horse or what?
May 19th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
CoCo I still got Lakers and Celtics in the finals.
Lakers over hornest in 7 games. Celtics over Pistons in 7 games.
Celtics over Lakers in 7 games.
In games 7 with 20 seconds left. The Celtics are up by 1 point. Kobe passes to a wide open Walton under the hoop……….but Walton gets blocked under the hoop repeatedly (like Charles smith versus the bulls). And the Celtics win…………Stern takes a deep breath because there is no way he could handle having to give Kobe the MVP, Finals MVP and Championship Trophy in the same year…….
May 19th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Also if the spurs lose tonight they are one of the weakest so called dynasties I have ever seen.
Has any team that has won 3 or more championships never made it to the conference finals in the years that they were trying to repeat????
May 19th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
My definition of a dynasty is winning consecutive championships when everyone is gunning for you. The Spurs have taken a couple of years off and won titles–in my opinion–by default (Webber’s knee, Dallas and Phoenix bitchassness).
They’ve been a great team over the last ten years but they don’t qualify as a dynasty.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
I hear you brotha thats why I call them a so called dynasty. It seems as though if you win 3 or more championships the media considers you a dynasty.
Check this out if they lose tonight. They will have lost in the first round once and the 3rd round 3 times in the years they were trying to repeat.
Now one of those years Duncan was out because he hurt his knee. I think that was 2000 playoffs. They lost to the suns.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
The Celtics are about to face a team that can beat them in their house. Even if they make it past the Pistons (which they won’t) they will not beat the Lakers. Kobe has that look in his eyes…… I’m not convinced that all of a sudden a team full of loveable losers is going to win a title. I just don’t believe it.
May 19th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Sorry Mizzo I menat to say that the spurs have lost once in the first round and 2 times in the second round. When trying to repeat.
If they lose tonight it will be 3 times in the second round.
And CoCo I hear you. But I just believe that the Celts will win it all this year. You can ask Mizzo I been beating this drum since last year. Just a feeling same feeling I had about the Giants beating the Pats.
If Bynum was healthy I would say that the lakers would win. But the lakers really do miss Bynum on the defensive end.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
I don’t believe in them, but luckily for them they don’t have to win on the road to win a ship. They better not slip up at the Garden or TD Bank, whatever the hell its called these days.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
As much as I respect what Chris Paul has done on the court this year, and as much as I loathe the Spurs, I think San Antone takes this one.
That’s too bad because it means more bitching and moaning every time the refs call a foul on any Spur and/or everytime the refs do not call a foul on any Spur opponent (dammit I get tired of watching all that begging, all those upward palms, and “who me?” looks)!
It’s too bad because it also means more flopping from the two Argentenians, more goon squad from Kurt Thomas and a decrepit Robert Horry, more google-eyed disbelief and “making-love-to-the-rock-before-I-shoot-freethrows” from Tim B Dunkin; it means more reaching pulling grabbing nudging grappling wrestling submission holding mixed martal arts hacking tripping and awkward-foot-placement-as-you-come-down-from-your-jumpshot from the man who has perfected the art of dirty play, Bruce Bowen (seriously, that cat would get his skinny ass whipped - whipped! - at any park, gym, or rec league for having the nerve to play ball like that); it means more driving the lane at 170 lbs, getting hit, falling down, and curling into the fetal position for five minutes while my teammates act concerned before jumping up and crying to the refs for five more minutes from Antione Longoria; finally it means more mucking up the sanctity of the game by playing hack-a-whoever has the the lowest FT% and trying to intimidate the weakest ref with my gruff demeanor and military background (except Joey Crawford who ain’t havin that mess) from “Coach Pop.”
Besides that, yeah, Go fucking Spurs… Can’t wait til Kobe does what Chris Paul probably can’t do this year and splits yo muhfuckin wig next round.
May 19th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
As far as Pistons-Celtics goes, well, for all you Star Trek geeks out there, this is what happens when matter meets anti-matter, to wit:
The Pistons seem perfectly content to give away games at home, yet the Celtics haven’t won on the road in these playoffs. So what happens when two negative externalities meet? I guess they cancel each other out, but still, somebody has to win this series. So who will it be? I say, whoever sucks the least, which is no good way to advance to the NBA Finals.
Ergo, Phill-Italia, Spanish Pow, the king of Queens, and Pine Bluff walk away with the chip.