05/05/2008 - 14:55
All Ty in Game 1
by Andrew Mees

On a night where every Hornet was outstanding, no one stood out more than No. 6.

Behind Ty's 10 points, 15 boards (six offensive) and three blocks, the Hornets rolled to a 101-82 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

The big man came roaring out of the gates in the first quarter, scoring the opening basket of the game on a put-back and grabbing seven boards in the initial four minutes of play. His incredible energy and intensity enabled the Hornets to establish an inside presence early, and let the Spurs know there would be no easy rebounds as long as No. 6 was crashing the boards.

While Ty had a great night on the glass (and got his trademark alley-oop from Chris Paul), his most important work of the night came on the defensive end.

TC combined with Melvin Ely to hold Spurs forward Tim Duncan to a mere five points on 1-9 shooting, by far the worst performance of the Spurs forward's postseason career.

Hornets247.com provided the most memorable praise for Ty's big night:

"Also fantastic was Tyson Chandler. He came out with more energy than the sun in the first quarter, grabbing seven rebounds before four minutes had dropped off the clock. He did a great job all game playing Tim Duncan into the help defense, and even held his own on those rare occasions when he was left to stop Timmy one-on-one. His help D was great, too. Tyson always seemed to be in there to clog the lane when Manu came through, and I saw him diving out to challenge those corner threes more than once. He finished his night's work with 10 points, 15 boards and 3 blocks. Oh, and perhaps the biggest thing: He only picked up two fouls."

HACK-A-CHANDLER BACKFIRES ON SPURS
Spurs coach Greg Popovich tried to implore a strategy commonly known as "hack-a-Shaq" against Ty in Game 1. Commonly used on Suns center Shaquille O'Neal (hence the nickname), a bench player is put into the game with the specific intention of fouling a poor foul shooter away from the play, putting him on the free-throw line and capitalizing on his poor free throw shooting to limit his team's scoring.

With 23 seconds left in the first half, the Spurs fouled Ty away from the play, putting him on the line and hoping for the same results they got when using the strategy in their first round series against Shaq and the Suns.

Anticipating his opposition might use this game plan, Ty had worked on his free throws for over an hour after practice on Friday. He calmly stepped to the line and drained both, putting the Hornets down by only four going into the break. Popovich will certainly think twice before using that strategy again in Game 2.

TY PRAISES HORNETS FAITHFUL
In a story written for USA Today, TC was interviewed about the unbelievable support the city of New Orleans and the Hornets fans have given the team over the course of this dream season. Here's what the big man had to say:

"Before, you couldn't find a Hornets item or poster or anything. Now I'm seeing 'Go Hornets' signs on cars and things like that. I'm used to seeing 'Go Saints.'"

He also talked about the amazing crowds that have been on hand for the Hornets' four home playoff games.

"From the beginning of the year to now, it's like night and day," Chandler said of the atmosphere in the building. "I don't know if anybody could have predicted this. It's definitely a great feeling. It's the way playoff basketball should be."

NEXT UP
Game 2 is scheduled for Monday night. Tip-off is at 8:30 Central Standard Time. You can catch all the action on TNT.

RELATED STORIES
The Hornets Beat Spurs; Lead Series 1-0 (Hornets 247.com, May 4, 2008)
http://www.hornets247.com/
Hornets Putting the Buzz Back in New Orleans (USAToday.com, May 1, 2008)
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2008-05-01-hornets-buzz_N....
West, Hornets Sting Spurs in Game 1 (Associated Press, May 4, 2008)
http://www.nba.com/games/20080503/SASNOH/recap.html/

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