Empty the Bench

The New Orleans Hornets left their comfortable nest after Game 2 looking unstoppable only to run into the Spurs we’ve come to know and hate over the years in San Antonio. Instead of taking a commanding 3-1 lead on the road they returned home tied 2-2 with their more experienced counterparts in a series that suddenly looked more like a slugfest than a coming out party. David West responded by spending extra time reviewing film on the Spurs over the last two days. He was embarrassed by his performance in Game 4. His entire team had played poorly, but the 27-year-old Xavier product had been especially bad in going just 4-15 from the field in the 100-80 loss.

He wasn’t going to let that happen again.

That approach to a potentially devastating and momentum-stealing playoff loss is emblematic of what has defined these young Hornets all season: energetic and explosive, yet wise and disciplined beyond their years.

It sure looked like the Spurs would take advantage of their newfound momentum in the first half. They were attacking the rim and putting the New Orleans frontline in early foul trouble. They were knocking down outside jumpers. They were playing more physical basketball than the Hornets and setting a tone for the game that better suited their personnel. San Antonio went into halftime with a 47-44 lead.

But David West simply refused to let this game slip away. He scored 14 points on 7-9 shooting in the first quarter while the rest of the team went just 1-9. He continued to lead New Orleans in weathering the storm in the second, finishing the first half with 22 of his team’s 44 points. On defense he bodied up on Tim Duncan when Tyson Chandler got two quick fouls and helped play the interior D that caused Tim to start 0-6 from the field. And unlike previous 2008 playoff games, David West was all business, all night.

West managed to have a huge second half on both ends despite tweaking his back and hobbling up and down the court for much of the fourth. On offense he showed a variety of back-to-the-basket moves, his usual steady jumper and strong drives to the hoop that allowed him to get to the line and shoot 6-7 FTs. It was a career night for West overall as he finished with a stellar line of 38 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks and 2 steals on an incredible 16-25 FGs. His teammates in the frontcourt Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler combined for just 13 points, but West was everything New Orleans needed whenever they needed it.

“How the West was won?” after the jump…

And so despite the halftime deficit, the team that won the third quarter won the game for the fifth consecutive game. New Orleans has trailed at the half in all three of their wins but came out of the locker room inspired and dropped 28 on the Spurs in the third while holding them to just 11 points. In the words of Byron Scott, “It was time for the lil’ fella’ to step it up.”

Chris Paul came out with tremendous intensity and led a 20-4 run to start the period. Paul had 8 assists and only 1 field goal at halftime but finished with 22 points, 14 assists, just 1 turnover and 3 rebounds (all offensive). He also shot a cool 9-11 from the line. Paul “only” had 6 assists in the second half, but he got the entire team involved and kept countless possessions alive. Center Tyson Chandler didn’t attempt a field goal in Game 4, but Paul threw him three successful alley oops in this game. Paul also played stellar defense as the Spurs, and Tony Parker specifically, who were completely unable to get the penetration that had keyed their offense in the last two wins.

After heroic performances from their young stars these upstart Hornets now stand one win from the Western Conference Finals. In the final minutes Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio starters sat on the bench slowly nodding their heads with looks of begrudging respect. They seemed to be finally acknowledging that this is a worth adversary indeed.

But all dramatics aside, this series is far from over. The Spurs have faced elimination before. They aren’t going to fold. This is going to seven games. And that may be fitting because the raucous home crowd in New Orleans deserves to be on hand for New Orleans’ eventual triumph.

Tags: New Orleans Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, David West