05/12/2008 - 11:08
All Square
by Andrew Mees

It took until the halfway point of the second round, but TC and the Hornets finally had an off night in the postseason.

No. 6 battles the Spurs' Manu Ginobli in Game 4 (Getty Images).

The big man tallied two points and four boards (two offensive) in the Hornets' most frustrating game of the playoffs, a 100-80 blowout loss to the San Antonio Spurs. 

Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals did not go well for No. 6 and his squad in any respect. Ty struggled to get into the flow offensively, not attempting a shot on the offensive end. His two points came when he once again showed Spurs coach Greg Popovich that fouling him intentionally to capitalize on his free-throw shooting will not work, as he calmly drained both from the stripe.

Tyson was forced to the bench in the third quarter after picking up his fifth foul, enabling Spurs forward Tim Duncan to capitalize on his absence.

The Hornets missed Ty's rebounding and shot-blocking presence the most, as they allowed Spurs guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to slash to the basket and get easy layups that would have been nonexistent had TC been roaming the paint.

A game like this is one Ty and the Hornets can take many valuable lessons from as they go back to the drawing board before Game 5.

HOME COOKING
Ty and the Hornets will return to New Orleans Arena for their pivotal Game 5 matchup with the defending champion Spurs.

It's truly been "home sweet home" during the postseason, as the Hornets are undefeated in their five playoff contests at the Hive.

Tyson has also played outstanding basketball on his home floor, averaging nine points and just over 13 boards over the five home playoff games.

The Hornets will need another stand-out performance from No. 6 if they hope to take a 3-2 series lead back to San Antonio for game six.

NEXT UP
Game 5 is set for Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 PM Central Standard Time. You can catch all the action on TNT.

RELATED STORIES
Spurs Dominate Game 4 From Start To Finish, Even Series (Associated Press, May 12, 2008)
http://www.nba.com/games/20080511/NOHSAS/recap.html/
Defenseless (The Times-Picayune, May 12, 2008)
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-3/121056964686260...

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