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Tonight the Portland Trail Blazers(27-18) take on the New Orleans Hornets(23-20) at the Rose Garden. In preparation for the game I talked to Sarah, aka TickTock6 of the consistently awesome HornetsHype.com about the Blazers, the Hornets and what to look for in tonight's game.
You can find my answers to Sarah's questions at Hornets Hype.
Sophia: I think the Blazers will struggle trying to keep up with the Hornets if the pace is even a little more than what the Blazers are used to. Aside from this, what will be the most efficient plan of attack for the Hornets tonight in order to get a win?
Sarah: The Blazers and the Hornets used to be two teams that people assumed played a fast pace because they were young and up-and-coming, but in reality were among the slowest in the league last year. Has this changed? Well, the Hornets starting lineup is still slow. But they've added a zippy bench including Darren Collison, Marcus Thornton, and Julian Wright who get out and run. They've also been outperforming other teams' benches, which is a new look for Hornets fans who got used to a vast well of suck when Chris Paul was out of the game. I would like to see a fast start, a few plays run to get Emeka Okafor and Peja Stojakovic involved early, and the team to really try to hit the offensive boards. I would also like this game to NOT be played in New Orleans, where, inexplicably, the last two years straight Chris Paul has gone down with a major injury against the Blazers and they've gone on to fall apart. Oh, it's in Portland? Good.
Sophia: This has been an upside down, disappointing, exciting and ultimately unpredictable first half of the season season for both the Blazers and the Hornets. Can you talk about some of the positive things that have happened?
Sarah: The most positive thing is named Marcus Thornton. He's the Hornets surprise second rounder who's developing into an absolutely fearless spark plug off the bench. Recently he's been getting crunch time minutes and taking some of Devin Brown's minutes with the starters, leading fans to wonder if a switch to the starting lineup is in his near future. I cannot stress enough how much I love watching this kid play. Positive thing 1A is Darren Collison. He's super fast and has given the bench a new look. Finally, the Hornets have probably been in (and won) more close games than I daresay any team in the league. They've only blown the opposing team out twice. It's a heart attack to watch but it also means these guys are getting to be ice cold in crunch time.
Sophia: I like watching West and LA when the teams play. What match-up will you enjoy the most?
Sarah: The easy answer to this question used to be Tyson Chandler and Joel Przybilla, who used to get in a fight every time the teams played in Portland. Now, I don't know. Also, we might not see West and LA tonight if West's tweaked ankle (from Friday at Minnesota) is deemed not ready. He should play, though, because he was walking on it and I haven't heard that it's that serious.
Sophia: January has been a great month for the Hornets , after a pretty rocky start, what is the team doing differently now?
Sarah: They're playing the rookies, who Byron Scott refused to even dress. They're playing a little faster pace, especially off the bench. They're keeping games close, and winning them. They're actually winning on the road. (I think it was mid-December before they got their second road win, but now they have seven.)
Sophia: The Hornets are one of my favorite teams beside the Blazers in the league, my son idolizes Chris Paul. I feel like the Hornets are pretty endearing, do you have any idea why that is? (don't count San Antonio fans)
Sarah: They're a feisty, fun, good-looking bunch, and they have Chris Paul... who WOULDN'T like them? ;-) I should note here that I am actually a huge Brandon Roy fan and I used to like the Blazers before they became Public Enemy #3 (I have a list of teams that need to lose so the Hornets can move into the playoffs, and the Blazers are on it... sorry, Blazers!)
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