Spurs/Hornets Round Two Predictions

by: Jimmy Boyd

Both the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets made easy work of their first round opponents, much easier work than any expert could have expected. The Spurs beat a loaded Suns team, which had owned them in the regular season, in five games, and a young Hornets squad played well beyond its years in beating the Mavs in 5 games to prompt the firing of Avery Johnson. Now, the two top teams in the NBA Southwest division will face off for a chance to play in the Western Conference Finals – a familiar place for the Spurs and very new territory for the Hornets. Jimmy Boyd gives you his two cents worth on the series in his Spurs/Hornets round two NBA playoff predictions.

Boyd's Argument:

The Hornets will once again be faced with a veteran team, but this veteran squad has not only been there and done that; it has been there and done that multiple times. But like in round one, the Hornets will have home court advantage on their side, something I will argue is a must if you want a chance to beat the Spurs. What we saw in round one was Chris Paul prove that he was worth every bit of the hype, single handedly dismantling the Dallas defense. Jason Kidd was brought into Dallas to win the point guard battle every night, but Chris Paul made him look like a has-been. But the question, now, is if Paul can be as effective against the speedy Tony Parker and a top-notch San Antonio Spurs defense fresh off a series in which it was a thorn in the side of All-Star guard Steve Nash. Nash had only three assists in the game 5 elimination game and had three costly fouth quarter turnovers. There aren't many defenses which can do that to Nash, but the Spurs are certainly one of them. But I'll make the argument that Chris Paul is playing better basketball than Steve Nash right now, and he is a much more effective defensive player than Nash so he will be a bigger handful for the Spurs.

These teams spilt their four regular season matchups, each winning one at home and one on the road, but the Spurs have proved to us time and time again that it does not do any good to look at the regular season as they are a rare team which can turn up the heat when called to do so. One major disadvantage the Hornets will have is its depth. It's lack of depth was supposed to have been a problem in round one against Dallas, but I think it really will be against the Spurs which wears teams down with their suffocating defense worse than anyone in the league.

Prediction:
Spurs in 6

The Hornets have home court, but I like the Spurs in six games. They are very focused right now and they just handled a deeper, more talented Suns team in five games. The Hornets are confident, but it won't take long for the Spurs to rip that from them. Paul will not be nearly as effective against the best team defense in basketball and against the quickest player in the NBA, Tony Parker.

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