05/02/2008 - 00:33
Round Two Preview
by Andrew Mees
Heading into their second round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, Ty and his teammates are once again being counted out by the experts.
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| Kurt Thomas, now of the Spurs, is going to see a whole lot more of this in Round 2 of the Western Conference playoffs (Getty Images). |
One of the areas many feel the Hornets will have an advantage, however, is at center, where No. 6 will be matched up against Spurs big man Kurt Thomas.
ESPN analyst David Thorpe gave this analysis of the impact he expects Ty to have in this series:
"He's Chris Paul's pick-and-roll partner, who can get almost anything above the rim to slam home. His shot-blocking/contesting may be more important in this series, trying to intimidate and negate the powerful ball screen action from the Spurs. He knows his limitations on offense, so he rarely takes a bad shot. Chandler is always looking to make plays on the offensive glass, so San Antonio has to account for him after its rotations on defense. Just standing next to him isn't enough -- he averaged 4.6 offensive rebounds a game in the five games against Dallas."
It will be crucial for Ty to stay out of foul trouble during this series, and head coach Byron Scott is well aware of how important it will be to keep the big man, who he called the team's "emotional leader," on the floor.
"It's big. It's a key to us being successful in this series. It's crucial that he stays out of foul trouble and crucial that we understand what we're doing on the defensive end. And when Tyson does pick up one or two fouls on Tim, we have to understand that we have to bring double-teams more quickly."
As long as No. 6 can stay out of foul trouble, he should have another huge impact in this second round match-up.
HOW THEY'RE PICKING
In a recent story by the Times-Picayune,Ty said, "I don't know if many players on this team consider themselves underdogs, but for some reason, that's what we've been labeled as".
Despite being the higher seed, the Hornets have once again been cast as the underdog against the defending champion Spurs. Here's a breakdown of how the major websites are picking the series:
ESPN.com: John Hollinger is the only one of ten analysts to pick the Hornets to advance.
ScoutsInc.com: Spurs in six.
CBSsporttsline.com: One out of five analysts have picked the Hornets to advance.
With the experts against the once again, it looks like more stand-out nights from TC will help the Hornets to advance, and prove the analysts wrong once again.
NEXT UP
Tip-off for game one on Saturday night is scheduled for 9:00 PM Central Standard Time. You can catch the game on TNT.
RELATED STORIES
Byron Scott Thursday Practice Q&A (Big Easy Buzz Blog, May 1, 2008)
http://neworleanshornetsblog.blogspot.com/
Hornets Now Bracing For Champ Spurs (The Times-Picayune, May 1, 2008)
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/120962027521347...
Scouts Inc. Scouting Breakdown: Spurs vs. Hornets (ESPN.com, May 2, 2008)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/columns/story?page=ScoutingSp...
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