03/14/2008 - 09:57
We're Focused, Man
by Tyson Chandler

Beating San Antonio was definitely huge for us, because it's been tough for us after the All-Star break. First of all, we had a tougher schedule. And then teams are playing for a lot more now that it's coming down the home stretch. Every game is important and every game is almost like a playoff game.

Ty and the Hornets locked up the Spurs (Getty Images).

So, it was huge for us to get the win on our home floor against the Spurs, especially by the margin of victory that we got it at. I think we just really locked in on what we wanted to accomplish defensively. When we're at our best is when we're really locked in to what the coaches are telling us, and we go out there and execute it.

And I think the Spurs are one of those teams where you know how good they are, so you're more focused and you're more locked in, and it's more of a fear thing. Because you know that team can eat you up and blow you out. So, you come in more prepared, more focused and more intense. And that's why I think we were able to run off a little bit.

Getting David West back is huge, because he really stretches the floor for us. Our offense kinda works like a machine, and while we're out there, he brings something to the table. So to have him back, it really boosts our offense.

Last time, the Lakers ran us off of on our home floor. We beat them once in L.A. and then they ran us off our floor. So, I think we're definitely gonna come in focused and ready to go tonight. Today at shootaround, everybody just seemed like they were real in tune to what we're gonna try to accomplish out there. And I think everybody's ready for a little payback.

The atmosphere at our home games has definitely changed. I think All-Star brought a little recognition to New Orleans, for people to be more aware of what we're accomplishing. We've played some big games and the crowd has definitely showed up. Against the Spurs, the crowd saw some things that they didn't like, and they let everybody know that they didn't appreciate what was going on.

THE BIRDMAN
I knew of Chris Andersen just from playing against him, but I didn't know him that well as a person. It's a tough situation for him. I really feel for him, because he's coming back into a situation where we've really established ourselves as a team, and we're making this playoff run. I'm pretty sure he had high hopes of coming back, and you know he's been out for two years and he's been biting at the bit to get back on the court. I'm pretty sure he felt like he was gonna come in and play, and be able to hop into the rotation, but it's not seeming that way.

So, I feel for him a lot, because he made a mistake (we all make mistakes) and he was punished for it. I'm just really hoping that it turns around for him.

We haven't had any conversations as a team about it. We heard he was coming back, the organization had a press conference, and that was that. He just started practicing with us. There was really nothing addressed with the team. So, it's a little awkward. We've been at home and everybody does their own thing, and we've yet to have that team function to break him in a little bit. I just hope that awkwardness dies down, because I really like him as a person.

THE WIRE
I'm disappointed in the finale. This definitely can't be the last Wire. It definitely has to go on, because there were too many things that were left untied for me. Like Marlo going back on the street, like Carcetti. And they never showed what happened with Randy.

No. 6 to HBO: "Bring back The Wire!"

It never seemed like a real ending to me. It seemed like there was another season. Maybe because I love The Wire so much, I just want more. I love the story if that was three episodes from the end. You know what I mean? I didn't like the end.

And then my little poor man, Dukie. That just crushed me when I saw him doing heroin.

I had a friend whose mother was a junkie. His grandmother gave him a Sega one year, and when he came home, all of his stuff was gone, because his mom had got to it and sold it. Basically, he knew that he would have to hide his things.

We all played Sega around the neighborhood, and we all had different games. We would each get like one game for Christmas, so we would just rotate. But if we were walking down the street with his Sega, a video game or something like that, my mom would have to stand outside of the house and we would have to run from my house to his house, so we didn't run across any junkies and get jacked. The Sega was too big to put in a bag or something. There were a lot of junkies where I lived and if they saw something, they would snatch it from you and go sell it.

To see Bubbles fight through it and start his life back with his family was definitely a positive, so I was happy with that. But a lot of the stuff was just left untied. And pretty much, the locker room though the same thing. When I came to practice, Chris was like, "Man, there's gotta be more! That can't be it."

I just don't understand how it came to such a halt, like all of a sudden it was the last season. We should complain to HBO, definitely.

Right now, I'm like Scottie Pippen when he pointed at the MJ shoe, like "Come back."

The Wire shined a lot of light on what's going on. All of this stuff really happens. Like the politics, the police not having any money to do their jobs, the newspaper printing the wrong stuff, the drug trade. It's amazing to me because it so reminds me of how I grew up.

We all identify with it, because a lot of athletes came from single-parent homes and from the inner cities. So, we've all kinda been through the same situations. And so when you look at it, it's just crazy. Because I still get calls from my homeboys who get harassed by cops and got beatdowns just because of where they live at.

My mom and my family made sure to always talk to me, because they understood what was going on around me and they understood the neighborhood we lived in. So they made sure to always talk to me all the time about drugs, about people who were dealing, people who were running around and shooting people.

There were times where I was approached by people in the game, but my buddy's cousin basically ran the 'hood. If something was about to go down, they would tell us to go home. If there was gonna be a shootout, they made sure we were as far away as possible.

• Add new comment