05/19/2008 - 16:44
The Stage Is Set
by Andrew Mees
TC and his Hornets will take the court at New Orleans Arena tonight, looking to win the decisive seventh game against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs in their Western Conference semifinal series.
A game of this magnitude requires everybody to be at their best, including you, the fans. With that in mind, here's all the facts and figures you'll need to be prepared for tonight's do or die Game 7.
In the history of the NBA, home teams are 80-19 in seventh games in the postseason. Good news for Ty and the Hornets, who will be at home tonight. The Hornets are also undefeated this postseason at home, and have won 18 of their last 19 games at home overall.
Another statistic that bodes well for TC and his crew is the 22-2 record home teams have compiled in the second round of the playoffs. Home court has been a tremendous advantage so far in this postseason, so No. 6 and the boys will look to feed off the raucous home crowd at the Hive in tonight's game.
It's also no secret that role players play much better in their home environment, so look for big nights from Jannero Pargo, Bonzi Wells, and Peja Stojakovich.
As for No. 6? His 7.5 points, and 12.3 boards a game at home in the playoffs show he'll be ready to go for tonight's game against the Spurs.
The big man is feeling no ill effects from the sprained toe he suffered in Game 5, and will be at full strength for Game 7. Ty told the Associated Press he'll even be in better shape for tonight's matchup, due to an usual training method: chasing his two year-old daughter around.
"She may be a little tougher to chase around than Tim Duncan," Chandler said. "She's been a handful out there -- no disrespect to Tim Duncan. He knows he's my guy."
A big night from TC, and the fuel of the home crowd are the keys to a Hornets victory tonight, in the biggest game of their dream season.
NEXT UP
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM Central Standard Time. You can catch all the action on TNT.
RELATED STORIES
Young Hornets Face Entrenched Spurs For Spot In West Finals (Associated Press, May 19, 2008)
http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/preview?gameId=280519003/
Game 7 Key Questions (Big Easy Buzz Blog, May 19, 2008)
http://neworleanshornetsblog.blogspot.com/
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Spurs
i am a big hornets fan, but we could have won. Jannero Pargo just missed a couple of big shots. But overall it was a great season.