NBA Playoff 2008 新奧爾良黃蜂 VS 達拉斯小牛 (Game4) ( 第1,2節)

The Dallas Mavericks just can't take a punch. In Game 1, they had a 12-point halftime lead and folded once the Hornets made a run in the third quarter. In Game 2, New Orleans started out strong and the Mavs never countered. The Hornets never really made a run in Game 3, but tonight, they showed some fight. And again, the Mavs rolled over.

Dallas is still alive, but let the blame game and shakeup talk begin. Expect plenty of columns in the next two days about how the Jason Kidd trade hasn't worked out, and about Avery Johnson's future.

But let's not take anything away from the Hornets. They came back from Friday's disappointment, and while they weren't as sharp offensively as they were in Game 2 (or the second half of Game 1), they did enough to get the win tonight. They were able to play solid D without putting the Mavs on the line, and while Chris Paul didn't go off, he got plenty of support from his supporting cast.

David West missed more shots than he made again, but he was the key to the third-quarter run that gave the Hornets control of the game. Peja Stojakovic had another strong game, and the bench was able to keep pace with Dallas' reserves.

So, the Hornets head back home up 3-1. They can close it out on Tuesday, or they can let the Mavs back in the series. They say that the fourth win in a series is always the toughest. The Hornets have passed every test they've faced so far. There's no reason they can't pass this one ... especially if the Mavs continue to show a glass jaw.


Final: Hornets 97, Mavs 84

West rebounded from his Game 3 struggles.
Glenn James/NBAE/Getty Images

Another quarter, another Hornets run to start it. This one was 13-4, as the Mavs scored on just two of their first 12 possessions of the fourth. That made the lead 19 points and essentially ended the game.

Julian Wright gave the Hornets another big lift, picking up an assist and two points on the first two possessions of the period. The two points came on a where-did-that-come-from drive, spin and fade move from the left wing. A few possessions later, Wright pinched on a Jason Kidd post-up, stripping Kidd and getting fouled on the other end. Wright finished with 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, two boards and two steals.

Kidd was ejected with 7:16 to go when he committed a flagrant 2 foul on Jannero Pargo. Kidd was running alongside Pargo on the break and wrapped his hands around Pargo's head when he went up, sending Pargo head-first towards the floor. Fortunately, Pargo was able to break his fall.

Ugly line for Kidd: 1-for-6 shooting, three points, four rebounds, three assists. But there is no truth to the rumor that he has asked Mark Cuban for a trade.

The Mavs shot just .360 from the field, the Hornets shot .500 and New Orleans actually got to the line more, with a 21-16 advantage in FTA.

Interesting night for Tyson Chandler: He picked up two fouls in the first 3:22, but only one after that. And even though his numbers (two points, five boards) were low, he was a game-high +22 in the Lenovo column. He did defende Dirk Nowitzki pretty well.

First Hornets win in Dallas since Jan. 24, 1998, and their first ever at the American Airlines Center.

More to come...


End of Third Quarter: Hornets 76, Mavs 66
The Hornets scored on their first six possessions of the period, part of a 16-7 run that gave them a 13-point lead. David West did most of the work, scoring 10 of the 16 points and assisting on the other six, two Peja threes. He was mostly taking advantage of his matchup with the slower Erick Dampier, but the last Peja three was the result of some Dallas defensive confusion when Jason Terry matched up with West in transition.

The Mavs didn't get to the line at all in the second quarter, nor for the first nine possessions of the third. But they ended a five-possession scoreless drought by getting to the line on three straight possessions.

A little scare to end the third: Chris Paul turned his right ankle on a drive in the Hornets' final possession. He was fouled by Jason Kidd on the play and hit both free throws though.

West leads all scorers with 22, while Terry leads the Mavs with 20.

Dallas continues to control the boards. They have 16 offensive rebounds.


Halftime: Hornets 48, Mavs 44

Howard continues to struggle.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images/NBAE
15-4 run for the Hornets to start the second quarter, giving them a 38-34 lead. Jannero Pargo was involved in 11 of the 15 points: 7 points for himself and two assists.

The highlight of the quarter was one of the other buckets on the run: Rookie Julian Wright stripped Jerry Stackhouse near midcourt and then threw one down on the other end.

It was looking a lot like Game 3, with the Hornets making a second-quarter run with Chris Paul on the bench. But this time, they were able to stay ahead after Paul came back in. He picked up two assists in his first two possessions after checking back in with 4:34 to go in the half.

The Mavs had just two turnovers in the first quarter, but they had five in the second. The most interesting one occurred when Jason Terry threw the ball to assistant coach Mario Elie on the sideline with none of his teammates in the vicinity. In Terry's defense, Elie was wide open.

Josh Howard has been pretty awful. He's got four points on 2-for-12 from the field and just looks very uncomfortable when he goes up for a shot.

Brandon Bass has been the Mavs' best player. He's got 12 points and eight boards (six offensive).


End of First Quarter: Mavs 30, Hornets 23
For the second straight game, Tyson Chandler picked up two quick fouls. His second came with 8:38 on the clock. It was 8:55 in Game 3.

Erick Dampier also picked up two fouls before the first timeout.

Quick start for Morris Peterson. He had a fast-break layup, a long two from the left wing and an un-Mo-Pete-like lefty runner in the lane, all in the first six minutes. He and Peja Stojakovic lead the Hornets with eight points apiece.

Dallas was in the penalty with 4:34 to go in the quarter. They know how to get to the line.

The Mavs scored on nine straight possessions near the end of the period, a 20-9 run that gave them a 30-21 lead. Jason Terry had 10 of his 12 points during the run. Transition defense is an issue for the Hornets.

Rebounds: Dallas 15 (5 offensive), New Orleans 7 (1 offensive)

Slow start for Chris Paul. He's got two points on 1-of-2 shooting (his miss was an airball fadeaway in the lane) and three assists. Terry is doing another solid job of keeping him contained.

The Hornets are going with the gold road uniforms tonight (they were in teal on Friday). The gold joints are one of my favorite unis in the league. I want a pair of the game shorts, and my birthday is coming up (hint).


Pregame:
With a win, the Mavs will make this a three-game series. Otherwise, they'll need to win three straight. The word "pivotal" is usually reserved for Game 5, but I'm pulling it out right here, right now. Avery Johnson says his team plays well when they have a sense of urgency. Well, they better have such a sense tonight.

Dallas needs to bring the same defensive energy and offensive aggressiveness that they had on Friday. They don't necessarily have to get to the line 25 more times than the Hornets, but a significant advantage at the stripe sure would help.

For the Hornets, David West needs to hit his shots and Tyson Chandler needs to stay out of foul trouble. Chris Paul needs to do what he do and his shooters need to knock 'em down. Defensively, they can let Dirk do his thing, but letting someone else get 20-plus could spell trouble.

Phoenix's win today means that we'll have four Game 5s on Tuesday. Mavs @ Hornets will be at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.

-- Edited by John Schuhmann at 04/29/2008 12:55 AM