NBA Playoff 2008 新奧爾良黃蜂 VS 達拉斯小牛 (Game5) ( 第1,2節)

The New Orleans Hornets are moving on. And the Dallas Mavericks may be too.

The Hornets have won a playoff series for the first time since their last year in Charlotte and just the fifth time in franchise history. Led by Chris Paul and David West, they silenced the doubters and played like they were the ones with the postseason experience.

Of course, they'll face the same experience-related questions in the next round, especially if they face the defending champs. But they've proven that talent, teamwork and confidence can trump experience when it matters most.

The Mavs showed some life tonight, but it was too little, too late. One might wonder if they could have made this a more competitive series if Josh Howard and Jerry Stackhouse (who were both banged up and/or rusty) could have gotten things going offensively.

Now, one has to wonder what's going to become of this Mavs team this summer. With another disappointing postseason finish, Mark Cuban may want to shake things up. Or he could think that his team just needs to get healthy and spend a full season with Jason Kidd running the point. The questions start now.


Final: Hornets 99, Mavs 94

Hornets win series, 4-1


Out with the old, in with the new.
Layne Murdoch/NBAE/Getty Images

Down 84-67, the Mavs went on a huge run, scoring on 11 straight possessions, including five threes. The Hornets got a few buckets on the run however, and they were still up three with the ball with 33 seconds to go.

Chris Paul missed a fadeaway with eight seconds on the clock, but Tyson Chandler tipped the ball out (he had several of those tonight) and Paul retrieved it and quickly got the ball to Peja Stojakovic, who got fouled. Peja then finished off the Mavs with two free throws.

That Chandler tip out not only won the game, it gave Paul his 10th rebound and a triple-double. His final line: 24 points, 11 boards (he got another at the buzzer) and 15 assists.

Paul's line for the series: 24.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 12.0 apg, 2.00 spg, .500 fg%

Chandler finished with 10 points and 14 boards. And he was a game-high +18 on the night.

Jerry Stackhouse and Josh Howard couldn't hit the side of a barn from the outside tonight. Between the two of them, they had at least five airballs or bricks off the glass from downtown. Meanwhile, Devean George hit three of the threes on that last run. George played 7:36 tonight. Howard and Stackhouse played a combined 56:57.

Howard was -19 for the night, easily the worst +/- in the game. After starting out 4-for-4, he went 2-for-10. He shot .292 for the series.

His team lost the series, but Dirk Nowitzki redeemed himself after last year's playoff performance. He averaged 26.8 points and 12.0 boards in the series and played all 48 minutes tonight.

If the Spurs win tonight, they will be in New Orleans for Game 1 of the Conference Semifinals on Saturday.

More thoughts to come...


End of Third Quarter: Hornets 71, Mavs 63
The Mavs have shown some fight tonight. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Brandon Bass are giving them good effort especially.

Bass started the third instead of Erick Dampier and had six points and five boards in the period. He's a beast down low.

The Hornets scored on just six of their first 18 possessions of the third, but David West got 'em a three point play on the final possession with a strong back down and spin move on Brandon Bass.

Tyson Chandler had three blocks in the quarter, two of them coming on the final play, as he rejected Jerry Stackhouse twice to keep the lead at eight.


Halftime: Hornets 54, Mavs 49
The Mavs scored on their first five possessions of the second quarter. Going back to the end of the first, it was a 19-8 run to tie the game at 32.

After Chris Paul returned from a brief rest, the Hornets finished the half on a 22-7 run. The Mavs scored on just four of their final 15 possessions of the half.

Paul's got a triple-double in sight: eight points, six boards and 11 dimes at the half.

Tyson Chandler is just one board away from a double-double.

Dirk's being guarded by Stojakovic with double-teams coming often. The Mavs like to isolate him just above the foul line, and he's doing a good job of not settling for the jumper, but rather getting into the lane for his patented running fadeaways. Still, he's got just eight points on 3-for-10 shooting.

With the Hornets going with a Paul-Pargo backcourt, the Mavs posted Jerry Stackhouse on Paul quite a bit. It resulted in scores on two straight possessions, but Paul stripped him on the third.

On the possession after that, as Dirk Nowitzki was getting fouled by David West, Stackhouse hit Paul with an elbow down low. They got hit for double-Ts and, after Stackhouse went to the bench, he continued to jaw with someone on the floor. His teammates had to hold him back at one point.


End of First Quarter: Hornets 28, Mavs 22

CP3 goes to work.
Layne Murdoch/Getty Images/NBAE
For the second straight game, the Mavs gave Peja Stojakovic a wide-open three when they were caught in a mismatch in transition and tried to adjust. This time, Dirk was caught guarding Paul on the perimeter. Kidd came over to swich as Dirk backed up, the other Mav defenders sunk in to help, and Paul found Peja in the opposite corner.

More Mavs miscues. On a Paul-West pick-and-roll, Dirk let CP go right by him. When help came from Tyson Chandler's man, CP hit him under the basket for a dunk.

Our blogger has avoided early foul trouble tonight, and he's off to a good start: six points and six boards in the quarter.

Jason Kidd came out aggressive, scoring seven points in the quarter on 3-of-5 shooting. Josh Howard has also played well. He's got eight on 4-of-4, but he picked up his second foul in the final minute of the period.

The Mavs showed some life at the end of the quarter, scoring on their final four possessions.

The Hornets had zero turnovers in the period.


Pregame:
I have only one question before we get started tonight: Can the Mavs take a punch?

Their inability to do such in the first four games was my focus in Sunday's game blog, and it will be the story of the series if they can't do it tonight.

You know, playing in front of their home crowd, the Hornets are going to make a strong run at some point tonight, and it will likely come early. If the Mavs can respond, it will be a sign of life. If they can't, it will be the mark of death.

-- Edited by John Schuhmann at 04/29/2008 10:58 PM