Coach Byron Scott is going to have a very long Summer...and I hope for his sake that it's hot and humid and funky as all get up. He deserves a hot and uncomfortable Summer....oh yes he does!!! These young and talented Hornets have a bright future ahead of them, but it didn't have to end the way it did.
I'm excited for the fans of New orleans in this respect...even MJ and the Bulls had to go thru their share of adversity ala the Bad Boys of Detroit. BUT, when they finally scaled Mount St Pistons...they were unstoppable. And so it goes for CP3 and the Hornets, that they are no longer a surprise in the league. Teams will come at them harder, and fans will expect more from them...and yet still, last night did not have to end the way it did.
Scott chose to allow Pargo to initiate the bulk of the offense down the stretch with his team behind and Summer vacation on the horizon. He chose NOT to go with his team MVP and general Chris Paul. He chose to allow CP3 to get cold on the floor...to get out of rhythm...to become a bystander almost. and why? just because Pargo got a little hot? NO NO NO NO NO Coach Scott....that way plain old wrong. You have to down swinging with your star in the front. i don't care what the Spurs thought they were doing to shut down Paul. He's still a young man with zero playoff experience. he needed his coach to get in his ear and set a raging fire worth of motivation. he needed Coach Scott to say go get at 'em CP3...you go and take your team to the promised land....but he didn't. he allowed his player to settle into the role of the backdrop...and now they're all on vacation.
Granted...the refs made an incredibly huge momentum stopping ghost foul call on Tyson Chandler with the Hornets down by 3. If you saw the game, you understand what I mean. As it turned out, it completely wiped out a furious comeback attempt (from being down by 17) by the Hornets, and ultimately helped to secure the Spurs' in the conference finals.
Still, i can't help but look at Coach Byron Scott and ask....WHY??? Why didn't you put the ball in Chris Paul's hand? even if you had to slap him up to wake him up...you should've done just that....now you're on vacation. I sure hope it's a hot and humid and funky Summer for you.
I agree about the Chandler foul. Right after Pop had complained to the refs.
I also liked the one where Ginobili got a foul while on his #### when the Hornets were trying to tie him up. In the Celts-Cavs game 7 they had two similar situations where the defender jumped on top of the guy, and got the jump ball...
and i ask this?? did scott miss free throws??? make turnovers, miss free throws??? i think we might like to not blame always the coach???? but we do!!!!
I don't think the coach told them to jack up a bunch of threes. And what is it with Peja and the 7th game? Dude chokes in every 7th game! Like Sir Charles said, the Hornets need another player that can create his own shot. They can't rely on Peja if he's cold from the three point line.
From a Hornets fans perspective the calls on Chandler and and Paul trying to get the loose ball from Manu was crucial to helping the Spurs win. But I have to say I agree Pargo running the floor jacking up shots like some mad,doped up teen with a shotgun was the bigger problem.
They also let the Spurs dictate the flow of the game from begining to end. By keeping the game at a slow pace that favored the Spurs simple as that.
I believe most of you guys make valid points. I believe however, the game was decided much earlier than you think. Though much has been made of the success of the team that dominates the third quarter,the Spurs realized much of their energy was spent in that quarter trying to both play stop defense and catchup offense,leaving them spent in the 4th and still behind. Smart coaching to play your A game in the 1st half, while spelling your key players at critical times so during that critical 3rd quarter you can concentrate on defense. That forced the youngsters, being behind, to make quick decisions they weren't used to making. Notice the Spurs didn't have a lot of offense in the quarter, but capitalized on numerous mistakes? As for the reason Scott played Pargo at point? The only logical reason I saw was part of the Spurs defense after effectively shutting down everyone else was the weave defense through the lane, hoping to draw the charge on CP. That was the Spurs last attempt at trying to make the youngsters say 'uncle'. It worked.
This series changed in game 5. The refs set the tone by making balatant bad calls. Have anyone ever noticed how anytime a Spur player is called with a foul their in the refs face with their hands out in disbelief? It's as if they aren't capable of fouling anyone !! It's ridiculous !! and they get the majority of the calls. Refs aren't consistent with making calls on both ends of the floor. Everyone seems to be on the same page with the Chris Paul foul that was called against Manu on the lose ball. However, the Hornets looked very tense last night. They did not look relaxed, energized, aggressive nor confident in themselves. To me, Chris Paul needed to be aggressive for 4 quarters, attacking the basket, dictating the tempo and taking those 15-20 footers freethrow line extended jump shots just as Tony Parker was doing. He wasn't doing that. He wasn't penetrating to the hole. He'd penetrate and then back it out and several times he was inside the freethrow line and back it out. I'm sorry but as a point guard, you take those jumpers. West never got going, Chandler gave no offense other than alley-opps and nobody seem to want to go to the hole with authority to draw the contact and get these guys in early foul trouble. Manu hurt the Hornets really bad with the 3's. Byron Scott should have made the adjustment and made whomever defended Manu not leave him and let Chandler play Duncan 1 on 1. Chandler was not in foul trouble. He only picked up his 2nd foul in the 4th quarter. The Spurs ran the same play over and over which was, Manu kick it inside to Duncan, Manu cuts through, Horn
Last edited by DWilson1960 on May 20th at 9:41 AM.
i'm glad some of you are honest enough to stick to your gunz...so don't get it twisted...i'm sticking to mine. i didn't say fire the coach...i simply said he blew it. i absolutely agree that ultimately, the players have to execute when out on the floor...but if and when they don't..do we ONLY blame the players? all i'm saying is Scott needs to take his share of the blame. where was Peja? where has Peja been since game 2? that ain't noting new. the fact of the matter is they've been looking for Peja to create his won shot when he's shown us several times over the years (including in Sacramento) that he can't. he needs the ball in transition or behind a screen...or when he's just plain old wide open. otherwise...his game is lost.
the Hornets were clearly more inexperienced and so where does Byron Scott pick up the slack? his team played too anxious and that's due to inexperience too, but when does the coach step in to find a way to relax his team? there's no leadership on the floor...no one gathering the guys together to say look, let's compose ourselves cuz the game is getting out of hand. if the players ain't doing it then the coach should. that's part of his job right?
Scott's decision to not only play Pargo, but let him control the flow of the offense was still a mistake in my eyes. why not demand your starting point to attack the rim? i don't care about the fact that D.West was AWOL...they were still in the game. even with all of the role players absent they stayed in it...but with the game on the line you have to let your man be the man.
he didn't and he blew it.
Byron Scott is a hell of a coach....he didnt deserve to be fired from New Jersey... Jason Kidd was mad because a coach actually got after his ####lol!....anywho Byron is still learning....I mean Pop has been in these situations numerous times with the same players....Byron did what he thought would help his team win....granted Pargo was terrible this series, but he did make a few shots....but the big miss came down 3 and he had a wide open corner 3 point attempt...he missed...now why he shot a 3 in the first place is beyond me when there was plus 1 minute on the game clock....Byron did his best....the players needed to step up and win this game...cause if you wanna play an x's and o's game with Pop...he will win more times than not...this one falls on CP3 and West and Stojo...especially Stojo...the only guy with Game 7 experience on the court for NO and he scores a whopping 7 points?!....not gettin it done....Byron can't make shots for them....they need to take that upon themselves to say hey we gotta win this game......but....still a great season for NO...no reason to hang ur heads....they played the defending champs tough and will be tough to dela with next season....im out....
Well Well Well...Experience is the best teacher the
Spurs used that experience to school the young minded Hornets its all good...Byron did a hell of a
coaching job to get them to cusp of the Conference finals but in the end CP3 & D. West had to carry the load home, & they could not deliver it this time...But in the years to come they will gain from this experience...Now lets get down to business Lakers Vs Spurs & Pistons Vs Celtics...I
have one major question who is going to guard Kobe
and who is going to guard Chauncey...This is getting serious...The Mamba wants his Ring without the Big Crossed eyed Ogre (CHAQ) & with the squad he has around him now he is going to get it...more
than 1...Maybe 3 more before he hangs em up...
Lakers will win the Championship PERIOD....Also the
Pistons will beat the Leprechauns in 6 games...Only
to get they're back side spanked by Kobe & Co. in 6...Spurs are in for a big dose of Triangle in your face all nite long Gasol will have Timmy so frustrated that he's going to need a pacifier Whaaaaa!!!Manu get ready to use your right hand Son
because Kobe is going to force you right, Flop all you want all those calls you use to get, guess what
Kobe is getting them now after all he is the M-V-P.
Sit back and enjoy fellas its going to be a party
in LA....
Last edited by blackfrost on May 20th at 11:05 AM.
ok let me try this again...
yes Byron scott is a good coach. i never disputed that. yes the Spurs' obvious edge in the experience department played a huge part in their victory....BUT...i said BUT...why couldn't Scott DEMAND that CP3 attack? that's what i'm asking.
Pargo came very close to getting in a zone late in the game...yes he did...BUT that could just as easily have been Chris Paul had he been pushed a little more by the coach.also...knowing that Peja has the experience, why didn't Scott draw up a play to get him open, instead of giving him the ball in the corner and expecting him to create, when he can't?
I fully agree that experience is the best teacher, and this defeat goes to serve well for the next time the Hornets are in this position
CP3 just did'nt realize that Bowen is relentless &
Tony Parker has just as much heart as anyone in the league CP3 now understands that the playoffs
are a totally different animal...Byron had those guys ready but the players did not have that sense of urgency until it was too late...Byron even showed them his rings and let them try them on...He
was showing them the maginitude of the place they were at but yet and still until you've had your heart ripped out you just won't understand...But Now I think Chris gets it...But it wont be easy getting there again...Because the Lakers are young also...And Utah is young also...The West is going to be a dog fight for a long time...Go Lakers...
GameStormC2C
What the final game came down to more than anthing else was the wealth of experience that the teams had. The Hornets and their youthful exuberance weren't going to be a match for the Spurs down the stretch. And then having to play catchup was never what they or Scott had envisioned at all. The Hornets were derailed because of the lack of postseason experience more than anything else.
This has been a learning experience for them from which they'll no doubt learn a lot for the future. So if there's any blame to be apportioned it shouldn't solely rest with Scott. What about the likes of Stojackovic and Wells amongst others ?
to set the record straight...let me say that Byron Scott is not the only one to blame for the loss...but I decided i wasn't in agreement with some of his coaching in crunch time. obviously as i stated earlier, the lack of experience the Hornets have, played it's role in their loss.
D.West played with anxiety, and rushed a lot of shots. he was clearly not relaxed. i got no excuses for Peja except that he did the same thing in Sacramento. Now i'll point a finger at Bonzi Wells and say he stunk. he's more versatile and can actually dribble and create moves to the hoop on the fly...but someone please tell me when we've ever seen Peja do that...go ahead...i'll wait. LOL
i'll admit that blame can equally be placed on failure to execute free throws and so on.
Byron Scott is indeed a good coach. but just like he got lots of acclaim when he won the coach of the year award...right now he's gonna take some karate chops for his part in this series.
Storm, I sense you know at least a little ball. If you have a tape just go through that 3rd quarter again. Although CP is a wonderful PG, he's still a rookie of sorts at this level. Like I said, the Spurs put them in a hole in the 1st half, then played some of the prettiest defense you'll ever see in the 3rd. SA changes defensive sets faster than most teams change offense. Watch how on a single set by NO, SA changes defensive sets 2 or even 3 times. That's a lot for a young PG to read and react to. Pargo has seen much more of it so why not try him with his 7 or 8 years. Not having the benefit of transition, several traps were set for CP in the paint. (Notice the constant switching across the lane with no 3 second violations?) Smooth as silk. 5 working as 1. That defense has befuddled much more experienced teams so I don't understand why you couldn't see what was happening. If you can't close HIM down, close down his passing & driving lanes. Point guards are taught to read and react. If you can't read it, you don't just go blindly to the hole. That's what SA was waiting for. Enjoy the blog by the way.
Oh, had to point out that Pop was choreographing those defenses like a conductor does an orchestra, with hand signals. They key on one defender. When he moves they all know where to go.
That wasn't the only weak foul called during the game.
The Spurs played better. We all have to deal with it.
The clock struck midnight and N.O. turned into a pumpkin.
No one will underestimate them next year.
GameStormC2C Experience goes a long way in settling these sort of games and that's what the Hornets definitely lacked. And that's also one of the main reasons behind the loss.
PArgo was the reason they were back in the game at the end in the first place! As a Spurs fan I was starting to hate all over the little F'er for making it a game again.
I could understand you bringing it up if he was missing shots but the guy had the hot hand and was making plays.
As for complaing about the foul on Ginobli while he was on the floor I agree it was a loose ball which made it fair game but you all seem to forget the foul call on Finley when he and Paul crashed into each other chasing what else, a loose ball.
Bottom line, they weren't getting to all the loose balls and hitting the glass the way they did in their previous home game and that is why they lost. Maybe it was for lack of hustle or maybe the Spurs turned it up just enough to fight another day.
are you starting to realize that with some people it's really hard to talk shades of gray? Either Byron Scott is the greatest coach, and the refs wanted the Spurs to win (you know that whole Big City conspiracy...aparently SA is a huge market) or you hate Byron and want him fired.
I personally that Poppovich had a great plan, it worked early, and the tone was set. Once the tone was set, it was just a matter of time before check-mate. The difference between Kobe and Paul, is that Kobe won't wait, or need to be told to go get them (sometimes a detriment) or have a fire lit.
Paul is young still. A fantastic talent, and will be great. But you saw what happens to young leaders when the plan if falling apart. Scott probably should have done better, but he was up against an increadible coach who probably won that battle on that day with his plan....simple as.
Of course that's after he paid off the reffs and got them to give all the calls to the Spurs....right guys?
DanFan, the Spurs just lost game 1 of the finals so I guess it's time to move on. Just had to check this one once more. Trying to objectively sort through your opinion that Scott could've done better. I guess any losing coach could say that. I just don't see him being able to explain all the things that were happening in a single time-out. SA plays defense like it's offense. The only thing he could do was give the ball to Pargo and let CP watch from another angle to find a way to attack. Going to another blog to see those Laker loyalists gloat at beating a team by 4 points at home that had 1 day to rest and no practice. All I can tell them is be afraid. Be very afraid.
No Slorelor....I think you missed my point entirely. I think Scott is awsome, but he came up against one of the best, in Pop. Simple as.
Just like the Spurs are Chap-#### 'been there done that' vets....so is Pop. And although I think Scott is awsome, his team met their match. Both Players and Coach. It's no shame losing to the Spurs..Hell...plenty have in last 10 years.
Oh...and your team got spun around...bent over and spanked like a naughty schoolgirl. You afraid now?
