In the Lane: March 20, 2008

THE NEW ORLEANS ARENA…WHERE AMAZING HAPPENS

The NBA’s season-long promotional campaign sells a variety of ideas, but the common theme, “WHERE AMAZING HAPPENS”, is now being witnessed on a nightly basis at the New Orleans Arena.

Need some recent examples?

EVIDENCE #1

GAME: Wednesday, March 19th, versus Houston
EVENT: This battle for first place in the southwest division as well as overall in the western conference didn’t need any extra juice after the Rockets historic 22-game winning streak was snapped one night earlier, but Rafer Alston provided it nonetheless. On national television one night earlier Houston’s irascible point guard, in response to criticism about the level of competition Houston faced during its streak, referred to Hornets all star David West as a “star but not a superstar”. Chris Paul and mates took offense to the statement and proceeded to hammer the top team in the conference by 21 points. Former Rocket Bonzi Wells nearly outscored Houston by himself in the second half, scoring 20 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. The win snapped Houston’s “other” big streak of 12-straight road victories. Another sellout crowd at the New Orleans Arena (the 7th in 12 games) spends more than half of the game on its feet.

THEME: “WHERE RESPONDING TO REMARKS HAPPENS”

EVIDENCE #2

GAME: Monday, March 17th, versus Chicago
EVENT: Chris Paul turns certain defeat into improbable victory as he transforms a nine point fourth quarter deficit into a double digit win by scoring 16 of his game high 37 points in the final frame. It was an epic performance for the 22-year-old star as fans, players, coaches, and broadcasters watched in disbelief. It was an MVP-type performance that inspired head coach Byron Scott to predict CP3 for MVP could become CP3 for Hall of Fame.

THEME: “WHERE PUTTING A TEAM ON YOUR SHOULDERS HAPPENS”

EVIDENCE #3

GAME: Friday, March 14th, versus Los Angeles Lakers
EVENT: Chris Paul beats Kobe Bryant in front of the largest crowd of the season (18,199). CP3 puts up 27 points and 17 assists along with four steals besting Kobe (26 and 9 rebounds). While Pau Gasol goes out early with an ankle injury David West and Tyson Chandler aid Paul’s cause with a combined 26 points and 34 rebounds. Fans packed the New Orleans Arena to catch a glimpse of the Lakers icon, see if the Hornets could play with the first place Lakers, and if Paul could continue outplaying another of the NBA’s best players. They stood for much of the night during an intense, playoff-like contest.

THEME: “WHERE CHRIS OVER KOBE HAPPENS”

EVIDENCE #4

GAME: Wednesday, March 12th, versus San Antonio
EVENT: For the second time this season the Hornets blow out the defending champion Spurs. Chris Paul accounts for 60 of the 100 Hornet points (27 points /17 assists) as the visitors are held to just eight points in the fourth quarter. The turning point of the game occurs when Paul and Bruce Bowen become entangled during the scramble for a loose ball and the Spurs physical defender kicks the Hornets star point guard. The throng of 16,000+ fans proceeds with a collective booing of Bowen and any other San Antonio player for close to the rest of the game. It sent chills down my spine…and set the tone for an incredibly vocal series of home games (5 out of 6 games) over a 10 day stretch.

THEME: “WHERE BOOING BOWEN HAPPENS”

There are five Hornets home games remaining before the playoffs begin. Included in that group is a game against Garnett, Allen, Pierce and league-leading Boston (“WHERE THE BIG THREE HAPPENS”), a nationally televised battle featuring Chris Paul against former Hornet Baron Davis and the Golden State Warriors (”WHERE NEW BEATS OLD HAPPENS”), and a final meeting against Jerry Sloan’s Utah Jazz (“WHERE UP TEMPO OVER OLD SCHOOL HAPPENS”).

I’ll go out on a limb and predict that the New Orleans Arena will prep for the playoffs by continuing to be a venue “WHERE DAVID SLAYS GOLIATH HAPPENS”.