Posted on Sat, Apr. 19, 2008
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Hornets ready for Mavericks
Dallas has more playoff experience
By BRETT MARTEL
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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NEW ORLEANS --
A little smirk crept across Tyson Chandler's face.The subject was the Dallas Mavericks' comments this week that they were pleased to be facing the New Orleans Hornets in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, rather than the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers.
"They wanted us. They got us now, and good for them," said Chandler, the Hornets' feisty, 7-foot-1 center. "Sometimes you've got to give people what they want."
New Orleans won a franchise-record 56 games during the season, earning the second seed in the powerful Western Conference. It will be at home when this first-round series opens tonight.
The Hornets' banner year wasn't quite enough, however, to elevate them to the status of fearsome title contenders. Until they replicate their recent success in the playoffs, they represent little more than a nice story about a young and exciting basketball team that gave people in a rebuilding city reason to smile.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, may have mortgaged their future for an opportunity to win it all now when they traded away former top pick Devin Harris in a multiplayer deal for veteran guard Jason Kidd.
Dallas may have been in danger of missing the playoffs a few weeks ago, but the Mavs finished with 51 wins and beat the Hornets by double digits in both teams' season finale on Wednesday night.
"In the playoffs, everything starts over, and whoever is going to play the best basketball now is going to win," Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki said. "We're excited and looking forward to a great playoff run."
The Hornets haven't been playing their best basketball lately, losing four of their last six games. They need to turn that around immediately, and not just because the team that wins the opening game of a first-round NBA playoff series advances nearly 83 percent of the time.
The Hornets also must maintain home-court advantage, because they struggle in Dallas, where they haven't won since November 1999.
The teams split four games this season, the home team winning each time.
"We want to play the percentages, definitely. That's why we want to protect home court," Hornets swingman Bonzi Wells said. "We've got four games at home, they've got three, so if you do the math, we'll win the series. Hopefully that scenario comes about."
Then there's the matter of playoff experience. Dallas has a ton of it; New Orleans, not nearly as much.
The Mavericks were in the NBA finals two seasons ago and will want redemption for their first-round upset loss to Golden State last season.
