03/05/2009 - 07:14
Spotlight on Tyson, Hornets
by Devon Jeffreys

With articles popping up all over the place about Tyson's return and how it's led the Hornets back into the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture, it's the perfect time for Ty to shine with the bright lights upon him.

Tonight the resurgent Hornets, with the Big Easy at center, will take the spotlight when they host the Dallas Mavericks as the opening half of TNT's Thursday night doubleheader.

The Mavs and Hornets have faced off just once this season after a gripping Western Conference semifinal matchup last April. The last time The Mavericks came to New Orleans, the game ended with a celebration the likes of which New Orleans has never seen outside of Mardi Gras. At the forefront was Tyson, a big reason for the Hornets' series win.

In last season's playoff series, No. 6 thrived at the Hive, averaging 10 points per game and 13.3 rebounds per contest in three home games. The Big Easy recorded double doubles in each game including the clincher in which No. 6 has 14 boards and 10 points.

Recently, Tyson's teammate David West spoke about The Big Easy's impact in the playoffs last year, as quoted in the Times-Picayune:

“As well as C.P. played in the playoffs and as well as I did individually in the playoffs, Tyson was the reason we were able to get by Dallas. If you notice in that series, they put Dirk (Nowitzki) on Tyson.”

In their only meeting this season, TC had a very similar performance, grabbing 14 boards and posting 10 points. A strong fourth quarter allowed the Hornets to secure the 104-97 victory in Dallas. Of their 23 remaining games, including tonight, the Hornets play three with Dallas through the home stretch.

Against Dallas, Tyson will once again go head to head with Mavs center Erick Dampier. A brief preview of the matchup between Dampier and No. 6, provided by Hornets247:

“Dampier is still a good offensive rebounder because of his bulk. Outside of that he's severely declined over the past couple years, and he won't be able to do much to keep Chandler from running all around him.”

Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. PST and the action can be seen coast-to-coast on TNT.

A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
Though he's not featured — or even mentioned, for that matter — in the article, the accompanying picture to a recent New York Times story about free throws shows a familiar face. That's right, It's TC.

According to the caption, the picture shows No. 6 taking a free throw against the San Antonio Spurs. No reason is given for the picture selection. Maybe it's Ty's picturesque form at the line.

To see the photo and read the story, click here.

RELATED STORIES
Time to mainstream the Mavericks (Hornets247, March 5, 2009)
http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2009/03/05/time-to-mainstream-the-maveric...
For free throws, 50 years of practice is no help (New York Times, March 3, 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/sports/basketball/04freethrow.html?pag...