Playoff Preview: (2) Hornets v. (7) Mavericks (First Round)

[Hornets Advance to Second Round: Round 2 Preview]

Playoff Preview: Hornets Roster

After a season marred by injuries, the New Orleans Hornets returned in 2007-08 with their “Big Three” – Chris Paul, David West, and Peja Stojakovic – healthy and ready to make a bid for the playoffs. The New Orleans Hornets added a big defender in Morris Peterson to provide some outside shooting and veteran savvy to a young New Orleans Hornets roster. Check out the New Orleans Hornets depth chart:

• Point Guard: Chris Paul, Mike James


• Shooting Guard: Morris Peterson, Jannero Pargo


• Small Forward: Peja Stojakovic, Bonzi Wells, Rasual Butler


• Power Forward: Davis West, Julian Wright, Ryan Bowen


• Center: Tyson Chandler, Melvin Ely, Hilton Armstrong, Chris Andersen

Playoff Preview: Hornets Season

After Chris Paul, David West, and Peja Stojakovic missed a combined 117 games last year, the New Orleans Hornets headed into the 2007-08 season with nowhere to go but up. Despite all the injuries, however, the New Orleans Hornets just narrowly missed making the playoffs, trailing the 8th-seeded Golden State Warriors by only three games. This season, the New Orleans Hornets focused on getting (and staying) healthy enough to improve on their 39-43 record and make the playoffs, while helping to rejuvenate the Hurricane-Katrina-stricken city of New Orleans.



The New Orleans Hornets surprised many by staying competitive in the Southwest Division – arguably the toughest division in the league. Not only did the New Orleans Hornets stay in the thick of the playoff race in the Western Conference, the less-experienced Hornets jockeyed with the likes of battle-tested Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Spearheaded by the efforts of Chris Paul (averaging 21.1 PPG, 11.6 APG, and 2.7 SPG), David West (averaging 20.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 1.3 BPG), and Peja Stojakovic (averaging 16.4 PPG, 44 percent three-point shooting, and 93 percent from the free-throw line), the New Orleans Hornets finished with a 56-26 record, while locking up the Southwest Division title (the first in the Hornets’ 20-year franchise history) and the No. 2 seed in the West.

Playoff Preview: Mavericks Roster

With their starting lineup from the previous season depleted by injuries, the Dallas Mavericks saw their dominance in the tough Southwest Division dwindling at the start of the 2007-08 season. At mid-season, the Dallas Mavericks were in the thick of the playoff race in the West but at midseason the Dallas Mavericks looked to make some changes by bringing in veteran point guard Jason Kidd, Malik Allen, and Antoine Wright in a blockbuster of a trade, sending Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, a “retired” Keith Van Horn, two first-round draft picks, and $3 million in cash to boot. Check out the Dallas Mavericks depth chart:

• Point Guard: Jason Kidd, Jose Juan Barea, Tyronn Lue


• Shooting Guard: Jason Terry, Eddie Jones, Antoine Wright


• Small Forward: Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George


• Power Forward: Dirk Nowitzki, Brandon Bass, Malik Allen


• Center: Erick Dampier, Juwann Howard, Jamaal Magloire
  
  

Playoff Preview: Mavericks Season

After winning a league-best 67 games and getting ousted in the first round at the hands of the No. 8 seed Golden State Warriors, the Dallas Mavericks had a chip on their shoulder heading into the 2007-08 season. It has been quite an uphill climb for the demoralized Dallas Mavericks this season, especially with early-season injuries and the Dallas Mavericks’ blockbuster trade for Jason Kidd in exchange for star on the rise, Devin Harris and what seemed like half of the Dallas Mavericks roster. The Dallas Mavericks – sitting at 35-18 at the All-Star break – struggled after the Kidd trade, going 16-13 and finishing at 51-31, good for the 7th seed in the West. It also didn’t help when Dirk Nowitzki went down with a high ankle sprain on March 23 in a game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Playoff Preview: Head-to-Head

Two of Southwest Division foes – the No. 2 and division winner New Orleans Hornets and the No. 7 Dallas Mavericks – will meet in the first round of the playoffs. The standings in the Southwest are somewhat surprising, seeing that the two teams have seemed to switch places in comparison to last season when the New Orleans Hornets were battling for a playoff spot and the Dallas Mavericks locking up the division crown. The Hornets and Mavericks split the four-game season series at two games a piece.

This season, the New Orleans Hornets have seen 2006 Rookie of the Year Chris Paul (CP3) emerge as one of the league’s fastest rising stars. It will be an interesting match up between a young Chris Paul and veteran Jason Kidd. Expect the Dallas Mavericks game plan to be to try and stop Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic’s pick-and-roll attacks. The Dallas Mavericks have struggled to finish games strong, which won’t fare well against an explosive New Orleans Hornets team. Even if the Dallas Mavericks have more playoff experience than the New Orleans Hornets, the edge has to go to the Hornets in this series who have all the makings of a championship team this season.

Playoff Preview: Schedule

With the New Orleans Hornets capturing the Southwest Division crown, New Orleans fans have been packing in New Orleans Arena as of late – selling out 12 of the last 17 regular-season home games. With that in mind, if the No. 2 New Orleans Hornets can capitalize on their growing attendance and home-court advantage, then they could go on to beat the more playoff savvy Dallas Mavericks – who aren’t a good road team at all this year.