Bringing Back the Buzz: Zo & '92-93 Hornets

[studbucket]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

Wow, a loss! Is this the crack in the Hornets armor the Knicks (and the rest of the league) need to end their run of dominance? ... Doubtful. Even the best have an off night.

You're probably right, but the fact that the Hornets' defense couldn't stop the Knicks was a bit concerning. This a big game 4, and Coach J will desperately want to see his team's defense get better, maybe hold the Knicks to 105 points or less.

[studbucket]

The second round has been quite interesting so far, especially in the Western conference as both series are tied up at 2-2. In the East, the underdogs have some wins, but it looks like we may have the Wizards-Hornets conference finals showdown we’ve been waiting for.

Game 3s
Lakers 110 – Thunder 92: D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle got the Lakers out to an early lead at home and never let the Thunder get a lead the whole game. OKC committed 29 fouls and saw both Westbrook and Ibaka foul out. (LAL up 2-1)

Jazz 96 – Rockets 85: After winning on the road last game, Houston squandered their advantage by losing at home. Gordon Hayward dropped 34 points for the Jazz. (UTA up 2-1)

Raptors 90 – Wizards 69: Toronto made this a competitive series by completely stifling the Wizards. Despite fouling out, Paul Millsap led all scorers with 18 points and Bradley Warner managed to get to the free throw line for 10 shots. (Wizards up 2-1)


Game 4s
Thunder 109 – Lakers 102: This was Kevin Durant’s game as he finished with a +14 plus/minus and 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. (Series tied 2-2)

Rockets 87 – Jazz 85: James Harden went 18-20 from the free throw line and finished with 29 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks as the Rockets won a defensive game. Rudy Gobert had 22 rebounds in the loss. (Series tied 2-2)

Wizards 113 – Raptors 85: After a tight first half, the Wizards outscored Toronto by 27 in the 2^nd half to take a 3-1 series lead. Toronto once again had no answer for LeBron James, while John Wall and Marcin Gortat had solid games. (Wizards up 3-1)

[trekfan]

LeBron wants the ECF. No mercy for Toronto!

[studbucket]

Yeah, I was wrong. I see LeBron closing that one out in 5.

Next up: the big game 4 at the Garden between NYK and CHA.

[studbucket]

The Knicks had a huge win 2 nights ago, and desperately want to win game 4 at home. If they can do so, the series will be tied up at 2-2. If not, they will find themselves down 3-1 and heading back to Charlotte where the Hornets may close out the series. What’s the Knicks strategy for game 4? It’s gotta be the same thing: a solid game from Noel, some good shooting, and great play from Carmelo. They did add 1 new wrinkle: they brought out their throwback uniforms with the alternating blue and orange trim. The uniforms are beautiful and they hope this helps get the crowd roaring.

For Coach J, he wants to see his team dominate defensively. He wants Zo to own the entire game, not let anyone in the post, and turn in one of those vintage 30 point, 15 rebound, and 14 trips to the line performances. We’ll see who steps up, him or Noel/Porzingis.

Recap
It was another nail-biter at Madison Square Garden. In a game that was arguably must-win for the Knicks, they played their hearts out and were led by an unexpected player. But before we spoil the result, here’s the game recap.

The first minute of the game was all about Alonzo Mourning and Nerlens Noel. In the first 59 seconds, this happened:

1. Noel had the ball stolen by Mourning.
2. Noel got back on defense and sent Kendall Gill’s shot into the crowd.
3. Noel came back and scored on Mourning.
4. Mourning made a basket and got fouled.

Noel arguably won the opening minute, but as the game played out, it became clear that this was Alonzo Mourning’s night. However, nobody was thinking that after the Knicks took a 35-25 first quarter lead. Pierre Jackson threw the ball out of bounds several times and his New York counterpart hit back to back threes.

Finding themselves down 10, the Hornets hustled and clawed back to within 2 points, only to let the Knicks get back up by 10 thanks to transition points and some good shooting from Miguel Altit. Coach J needed some energy and better defense, so he subbed on Mamadou Banjo, who had an immediate impact. In 5 minutes of play, he had 6 points and 6 rebounds and the Hornets went into half down by 1.

Larry Johnson really struggled in the first half, as Nerlens Noel held him to 2 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists on 1-8 shooting. However, when asked how to get LJ more involved, Coach J had a surprising answer “I obviously want LJ to get his, but if Nerlens is shutting him down, then lets get our buckets elsewhere. Zo, Kendall, and Jerret are more than capable of winning this game for us.” He wasn’t wrong. Mourning had 19 points and 8 rebounds at half and was very effective.

For New York, Carmelo Anthony was struggling with the constant double teams sent his way, only shooting 2-9, but Miguel Altit had flourished with the extra space and led the Knicks with 12 points.

The fast pace continued throughout the third quarter, and the Hornets had a 90-88 lead heading into the 4^th. However, the Knicks exploded early in the 4^th quarter and found themselves up 104-96 halfway into the quarter, taking advantage of a resting Alonzo Mourning. Once Zo came back into the game, the Hornets came surging back on a 10-2 run and tied the game at 106.

The last few minutes of the game were back and forth, but the Hornets had an unlikely hero. After some poor passes and shots from Pierre Jackson, Coach J decided to keep the hot hand in, and young PG Wes Samuels took advantage. His speed is his best asset, and Joey Fletcher struggled to stay in front of Samuels. Using his speed, he was able to get layups, to the line, and fine some open teammates. Despite his heroics, the Hornets found themselves only up by 1 with 18 seconds left.

Joey Fletcher wasted time at the top of the key and then passed to a relatively open Carmelo Anthony on the wing with just a few seconds left. Carmelo shot the three over Wallace Anrin, but it missed off the back of the rim and the Hornets won 118-117.

Alonzo Mourning led the way with 37 points and 14 rebounds. He was having his way in the paint, finishing the game with an absurd 11 dunks. No other Hornets really had a notable game, although Wes Samuels (12 points, 10 assists) and Mamadou Banjo (14 points, 8 rebounds) had larger-than-expected contributions. Larry Johnson had just 12 points, and Kendall Gill just had 3.

Miguel Altit led the Knicks with 24 points, while Carmelo added 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists but only shot 7-20 (0-4 from three). Joey Fletcher was an efficient 50% from the field and had 16 points and 14 assists.

The series heads back to Charlotte for game 5, where the Hornets look to close it out and advance to the conference finals for the 4^th straight year.

[trekfan]

NAILBITTER. Man, that came down to the very end and a near-miss from Melo. Whew.

[studbucket]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

NAILBITTER. Man, that came down to the very end and a near-miss from Melo. Whew.

Yeah, it was really close. When I see Melo cut to the elbow with Anrin like 8 feet behind him, I thought "oh no" but Melo had been off all night and Anrin at least contested the shot.

That game likely broke the resolve of the Knicks. It's tough to come back from that kind of loss, especially down 3-1.

[studbucket]

Out East, we saw both series wrap up pretty quickly, but things were tense out West.

Charlotte vs New York
Game 5: Charlotte 101 – New York 88: The Hornets got out to an early lead and never quite let go. It was close after 3 quarters, but New York only scored 17 4^th quarter points and Carmelo’s 31 points went to waste. Zo and LJ both had 18 points and double-doubles. Joey Fletcher really struggled in this game, going 0-8 from the field. (CHA wins 4-1)

Game 5s
Thunder 128 – Lakers 102: Kevin Durant shot 50% from the field on his way to 32 pointsand the Thunder had a lead as big as 34 and were never behind after partway through the first. (OKC up 3-2)

Jazz 89 – Rockets 79: The Jazz continue to smother the Rockets and see contributions from Gary Neal (16 points, 31 +/-) and Tommy Camper (12p, 12r, 25 +/-) as a big 4^th quarter breaks the deadlock. (UTA up 3-2)

Wizards 95 – Raptors 75: This was a game until John Wall helped to blow it open in the 4^th quarter. His 19 points and 11 assists led the game, while the Raptors shot 22-67. (WAS wins 4-1)

Game 6s
Thunder 106 – Lakers 95: The Lakers had a good series, but couldn’t overcome a bad game from D’Angelo Russell, Joakim Noah’s injury, and the star power of Westbrook and Durant. (OKC wins 4-2)

Rockets 101 – Jazz 77: Houston forced a game 7 with a second half blowout of the Jazz (who only scored 23 in the 2^nd half). (series tied 3-3)

Game 7s
Jazz 89 – Rockets 78: At home, the Jazz’s defense showed up again and stifled ZJames Harden, holding him to 13 points on 5-14 shooting (1-7 from deep). (UTA wins 4-3)