Time to see what the Hornets are really made of

[gold_leader64]

NO is 21-11 on the road, and there was a time earlier on in the season where they were playing better away from home, so I don't think away games have that much effect on this team.

[BRINGTHEPAIN]

@ Indiana
@ Cleveland (back2back)
@ Boston
@ Toronto
@ Orlando
@ Miami (b2b)
NY Knicks
Golden State
Utah
@ Minnesota (b2b)
@ LA Lakers
@ Sacramento (b2b)
LA Clippers
@ Dallas (b2b)

14 games left, 10 on the road, 8 of these teams are over .500

How do you think they will fair? Will they end the season as a top 3 team in the West?

Those teams are all really easy except for @Boston, they'll win nearly all of them.

[Young_Star11]

@ Indiana - WON
@ Cleveland (back2back) - L
@ Boston - L
@ Toronto - 50/50
@ Orlando - 50/50
@ Miami (b2b) - W
NY Knicks - W
Golden State - W
Utah - W
@ Minnesota (b2b) - W
@ LA Lakers - L
@ Sacramento (b2b) - 50/50
LA Clippers - W
@ Dallas (b2b) - 50/50

Worst case 7-7
Best case 11-3

[That Nicka]

good for you. btw, you don't hold the top seed right now, so i guess you have already lost it!

Lakers havent lost anything... Lakers have played 2 more games than the Hornets... 1 win ahead and 1 loss behind, virtual tie

btw, the lakers will have a tough time winning against the warriors. just like every other team. don't underestimate them. that ref gave you the game.

Ref gave us the game? ok you must have missed when they called a lane violation on the first on two free throws down the stretch... and again weren't we playing without TWO starters? we had no business being in that game in the first place especially on their home court...

Anyone with a big man that can be milked in the post can beat that team in a series..

and both your big men are hurt. so don't be so cocky. it'll take them a while to adjust.

Gasol will be back tomorrow or Friday.. Bynum during the first week of April.. Thats plenty of time for Phil

[BRINGTHEPAIN]

NOH are the favorite to finish top seed in the West at this point, and they seem to match up very well with their Western rivals. But in the playoffs the most experienced of the Western contenders are Spurs and Suns, so I would call those 2 teams favorites to win it all. Because obviously the top 5 in the West are all playing at the same level according to their win/loss records, so it will come down to whoever is the most experienced.

[NO-KG-AI]

Every week we have discussion about how the Hornets should fall off now, or this test will be the one that proves we are legit.

Can't people accept that we are a pretty damn good team?

[dockingsched]

lol at a laker fan.

relax. that number 1 seed is for you to lose. go ahead and play the warriors in the first round. good luck with that one!

btw, the lakers will have a tough time winning against the warriors. just like every other team. don't underestimate them. that ref gave you the game.

unlike most teams worried them, the lakers have always played the warriors well, pretty much dominating them. the lakers taking the warriors down to the wire without the two players that will absolutely destroy the warriors is just a peak into how well the lakers play them.

what do warriors fans think?
http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=773956

In order of preference for me personally

.....
7) Los Angeles = LEAST preferred (Don Nelson is Phil Jackson's B*TCH)

ANybody but Utah or LA

so I guess we might have to make a run for the 7th seed. If LA gets 1

The West is so ridiculously competitive that any playoff series could go to a hot team. Still, my choice of preferred playoff opponents:

#7 - Lakers, especially if Gasol and Bynum are both healthy and at full strength. No way in hell we have a chance in this one. Winning one game at home is about the best I can see. We can put Jackson on Kobe and Andris on Gasol, but that leaves Baron, Monta, and Al/Pietrus guarding Fisher, Odom, and Bynum. Just a bad, bad matchup for us.

[A.J.]

i say they go 7-7

[dockingsched]

they'll lose to boston, utah, and the lakers. thats it.

[CITYOFANGELSX3]

I respect NO, theyre doing there thing and I think they'll be a tough challenge vs who ever they play in the playoffs. I think this tough schedule will probably make them finish at 3rd.

[RobertGlory]

Every week we have discussion about how the Hornets should fall off now, or this test will be the one that proves we are legit.

Can't people accept that we are a pretty damn good team?

i understand your point but i like the weekly tests and proving ourselves.

it gets me pumped that i'm going to the games that the people at hawks-bucks or pacers-clippers games wish they could be at

[schneiderjazz]

Every week we have discussion about how the Hornets should fall off now, or this test will be the one that proves we are legit.

Can't people accept that we are a pretty damn good team?

Damn it. I'm a Jazz fan and I've been waiting all season for the Hornets to start losing and "fall back to their place", so I could say that Deron is better than CP3 and so on. I'm honestly convinced it will not happen. They're really that good and if everyone stays healthy, I think they have a legit shot at the title this year. Oh, and IMO CP3 is the MVP hands down. If it was Nash or Kidd putting up his stats and sitting at the top of the Western conference with a team that everyone thought would be fighting for a playoffs spot, it wouldn't even be debatable. The thing is the league will give it to Kobe, because he should already have won one by now.

[NO-KG-AI]

^^ That's literally the highest praise we could get from anyone on this site.

[RobertGlory]

oh yeah

i'm not gonna put any wins in the bag until they happen

miami is the one we need to watch out for. last game of a 6 game road trip and the second half of a back to back, in an arena that will provide no energy against a team that i wouldn't blame the hornets if they laughed at their lineup because i would too.

cleveland, boston, toronto, and orlando should be good games though

[Texas Longhorns]

I think we (Houston) will win the Division title. We have the easiest schedule team percentage-wise, so I think we can get it. For the Hornets, I think they can win at least 9 games from this. Wish the Hornets good luck, started great with the first win at Indiana.

[mistatwo mayn]

See what the Hornets are made of?????

For crying out loud, they probably have the softest sched out of the playoff teams in the West!

They're solid. They'll knock the dust off of San Antonio...(not sure how they do against LA)....

Only knock on them has been their depth. Paul is young enough to run around for 100 minutes a game. Won't catch up with them till later.

[erudite23]

I personally think that they will finish 8-6 and wind up as the #5 seed in a matchup with the Jazz.

But I'm HOPING that they can find a way to hang onto the #1 seed, that SA can stay at #3, and that Houston can fend of Phoenix for #5. If that happened, the Jazz could play Houston and then NO, which would probably be the best case scenario. To me, the two toughest outs (at least for my team) will be SA and LA, for obvious reasons. So I'm hoping they go 13-1. (;))

I think its more than a little funny to see people just handing them road W's, though. This is probably their hardest single road trip for the year, if I'm not mistaken, and they have 4 quality squads out East they will have to play:

1) Cleveland. LeBron by himself is enough to worry about, but they've don't pretty well since the trade, and LBJ is starting to gear up for the playoffs. I really like Cleveland's chances here, especially since it will be a b2b.

2) Boston. Enough said right here, and Boston will likely be making its last tinkering before the playoffs. The one worry is how Sam I Am has changed the chemistry of the offense. Way too much dribbling in the games I've seen of him, though he does bring a few things to the table they needed.

3) Toronto. Ok, so they took a huge nosedive without Bosh, but let's remember that he's back, and their play has picked up a bit since. They still aren't playing as well as they were earlier in the year (which was much better than they ever got credit for), but they aren't going to be a gimme, either. Not by a long shot.

4) Orlando. Now, I know that Nelson and Turk just went down tonight, so that could have an effect. Still, I'm assuming they'll be fully healthy. If so, this is another tough one, though Orlando hasn't been nearly as good at home as a team with their record and talent usually is.


They could lose all 4 without much of a problem.

Then they have toughies @ LA, with Gasol and maybe even Bynum back. More than likely another loss.

Another one with Utah--my squad--who have beaten up on them pretty good each of the last two years. Both games in Utah were lopsided victories for us. While the game in NO featured a 23-0 run in the 1st quarter...followed by 3 quarters of the Jazz outplaying them (I'm not saying, I'm just sayin'). Certainly could be a loss, especially when you take into account the fact that the Jazz are a pretty damn good road team against good teams--go figure--though they are pretty bad against bad ones. Jazz have beaten Orlando, Boston, Detroit, Phoenix and Denver on the road.

No, I'm seeing at least 4 losses, as many as 7, with a most likely number of 6. 8-6 it is.

[Angry Jimmy]

Well, they're 2-0 now on this 6 game Eastern Conference road trip.

Going into the trip I thought a 4-2 record would be a good trip.

With games left against Boston, Toronto, Orlando, and Miami, I see 4-2 for the trip still being a strong possibility.

Then it's home for New York, Golden State, and Utah.

They've been playing really well at home lately, so I would expect them to go 2-1 in those 3 games.

Then a 3 game swing at Minnesota, LA Lakers, and Sacramento.

Again, that should be a 2-1 trip.

Then it's back home for 1 against the Clippers, should be a win, and a final road game at Dallas, which is a toss up at this point, but I give the edge to New Orleans.

So I have them at 10-4 for the final 14, and that would put them at 57-25 which will most likely be good for the 2nd seed, and can be no worse than 5th seed with HCA over the 4th seed Jazz.

So over the final 14 I have them 10-4