Hornets Pull Away, Thrash Spurs Again
Posted on: Tuesday, 6 May 2008, 06:00 CDT
By Chris Colston
NEW ORLEANS -- In this battle between the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and the Western Conference's newest powerhouse, the New Orleans Hornets, one thing is becoming clear.
The rest of the league will be reckoning with Chris Paul for a very long time. The point guard, who turns 23 today, scored 30 points and had 12 assists as the Hornets beat the Spurs 102-84 to take a 2-0 lead in this conference semifinal series. Game 3 is Thursday in San Antonio (9:30p.m. ET, ESPN).
"Early birthday present," Paul said of his offensive effort.
The Hornets won the first two games by a combined 37points.
With 3:10 remaining, after Paul hit a driving layup to give the Hornets a 19-point lead, the fans chanted, "M-V-P!"
"Man, words can't describe it," Paul said. "These are some of the best moments of my life."
Said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich: "He's an MVP candidate. MVP candidates have an effect on the game, big time."
Besides his scoring, Paul directed his teammates to their proper spots, hit the open man and consistently broke down the Spurs defense.
"My teammates and my coach told me to be aggressive," Paul said. "I knew when I got into the lane I had to shoot the ball to keep them honest."
The Hornets again kept Tim Duncan under wraps. The center led the Spurs with 18 points, but he's averaging 11.5 points in this series after averaging 24.8 points and 13.8 rebounds in the first round.
San Antonio led 43-42 at halftime. But Paul, guard Morris Peterson and forward Peja Stojakovic caught fire, making a variety of jumpers and drives. Paul's three-pointer with 5:19 left gave the Hornets a 63-53 lead, sending the sellout crowd of 17,927 -- the Hornets' 11th sellout in a row -- into delirium.
San Antonio has not trailed 2-0 in a playoff series since 2001, when it was swept by the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference finals.
Source: USA TODAY
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