I don’t think I’ve ever been as nervous during any sporting event as I was during Game 4 of the New Orleans Hornets against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night (yes, that includes the Saints’ Super Bowl game a few years back).
I didn’t sit the entire second half. I just paced back and forth yelling at the TV. I’m happy Lent was over come game time because my whole giving up cursing thing would have come to an abrupt end.
Now I may have to go through three more of these things? It could be rough on the heart.
The series most people saw being the least competitive has turned into the best series in the playoffs. Nobody saw this coming, myself included. I had the Hornets out in four, and not a single “expert” had the Bees taking more than one game from the Lakers.
Yet here they sit heading into Game 5 with the series tied at two, leaving what is pretty much a best-of-three in the next week.
In order for the Hornets to have any shot at winning this series (and the realist in me still has strong doubts), it’s going to start with production from those not named Chris Paul.
Specifically, Marco Belinelli must shoot the ball better. During the regular season, the Italian Stallion shot 41 percent from beyond the arc. In this series, he’s shooting a paltry 22 percent. He has averaged only 6.5 points in nearly 27 minutes per game and hasn’t gone to the charity stripe once.
I don’t know if Hornets coach Monty Williams is trying to get him into a rhythm by keeping him in the game or what, but Belinelli has to find his stroke. He is a starter, and his skill set is a pure shooter. Lord knows he can’t defend Ron Artest, which has been his assignment this series.
If he can’t start to drain a few open looks, Williams needs to keep him on the bench and out of the starting lineup. I’m thinking Jarrett Jack deserves a start tonight after his clutch closing-seconds bucket in Game 4 and his solid play throughout the series.
But Belinelli is really the only Hornet who hasn’t done much this series. Everyone else who is getting minutes has played well in their time on the court.
The biggest help has come from Carl Landry, who has stepped up in monster ways to fill the big shoes of the injured David West. He is averaging 17 points and six rebounds per game this series.
And somehow, he is playing smothering defense against the taller Pau Gasol (Gasol has 3 inches on Landry).
I hate to say it (not really, but I feel like I should say that), but Marcus Thornton wouldn’t have been able to do that.
In addition, Aaron Gray has played well when Emeka Okafor has gotten into foul trouble (which he has done far too often this series).
He’s averaging only five points and three boards this series, but he had a huge Game 1 against the Lakers and a solid Game 4, despite tweaking his ankle in the Game 1 victory.
His defense against Gasol and Andrew Bynum has been far above par, and without him, the Hornets wouldn’t be where they are now.
No matter the outcome of the series, fans and bandwagon fans alike should be proud of this team for how hard it fought. I have a friend who is a lifelong Lakers fan who tweeted how impressed he has been with the Hornets’ unwillingness to roll over.
That says a lot.
This team has undoubtedly earned the respect of the league.
I hope they have won some support from New Orleans.
Andy Schwehm is a 21-year-old English and psychology major from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_ASchwehm.
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Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]
Schwehmming Around: Hornets surpass expectations, still have long way to go
April 24, 2011