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.
Never mind what college he came from (Xavier)...or how many years he's been in the league (5)...David West is officially a force to be reckoned with, and Tim Duncan's latest nightmare.
The line...he shot 16-25 for 38 pts...6-7 free throws...14 rebs...5 assists...2 steals and 5 blocks. D.West played MVP style in a game that required nothing short of just that. He literally carried the Hornets thru the first half when the most pts the next mnan on his team had was 6...and as horribly as the Hornets played, his 20 pts kept them within 3 by halftime. That proved to be all it took for CP3 to get it together and do what he does best....torch opposing guards and defenses with sweet dribbles...crafty passes...and lobs to Tyson Chandler. But don't get it twisted...it was all about D.West last night.
At a crucial point in the game, he swatted away a shot by Bruce Bowen, and then another one by Tim Duncan just 3 possessions later. He dazzled the crowd from the get go with technically sound jumpshots, and an array of inside moves en route to the hoop and ultimately, another 2 points. On this night, D.West would not be denied. He called out his team in such an incon####uous manner by saying "WE didn't show up" (to game 4). He challenged them to step up, and then he lead by example. D.West would not be denied in game 5, coming only 1 point shy of the Hornets all time playoff scoring record (39 by Glen Rice). He could care less though...he wanted the win...and even when his back tried to deny him...he kept on going.
Who is David West? ask Tim Duncan....ask greg Popovich....ask the NBA. If they didn't know...NOW they know!!!
