Jim Reilly

Be Careful What You Wish For
After eliminating Dallas in Round One of NBA Playoffs 2008, the Hornets swarmed the notion that Chris Paul and Company would be easily swatted away by the more playoff-experienced Mavs as efficiently as they deposited Dallas into the off-season.

According to Hornets.com: "Part of the talk after the game centered on the motivation the Mavericks and others had provided to the Hornets. Dallas added fuel to the "no respect" angle before the series even began, when star forward Dirk Nowitzki said he wanted to avoid the Lakers in the first round, meaning he essentially preferred to play the Hornets. Then, when national websites such as ESPN.com unveiled their NBA first-round playoff predictions, it became clear that seventh-seeded Dallas was favored, despite New Orleans’ status as a No. 2 seed."

Newly-minted Coach of the Year Byron Scott gently addressed the issue. "At the beginning of the series, there weren’t a whole lot of people who picked us to win it," Scott said. "Especially to win it in five (games). I’m very proud of the way our guys handled the adversity, as far as people doubting us."

Morris Peterson didn't hold back. "We proved our critics wrong," said Mo-Pete. "Before the series, they [the Mavs] were saying they wanted to play us. I guess they got what they wanted."

On Mavs.com, Dallas Head Coach Avery Johnson was already thinking about next season. "Our offseason has started," said Johnson."We will evaluate everybody and every situation from the coaching staff and the players."