Wow. The Hornets actually beat the Rockets last night, 106-94. I remember the last time they beat a team with a winning record. The TV was black and white and I wasn't watching for lack of being born yet. Those were the days.

I kinda wish the Hornets would stop teasing me, flirting with the Playoffs this far into the season. Listen guys, either you're going to make the postseason or you're not. Stop messing with my emotions here and either lose out or win out. If the rollercoaster goes on much longer I'll have to turn to food for comfort, and then my fingers get too fat for the keyboard and my sentences start to lkiouik l;ijkjed tghoixs. It has been foretold.

The notes start here…

• Linkage: box | recap | video
• The Hornets got off to a slow start in this one, falling into a double-digit hole midway through the first quarter. They trailed 52-44 at halftime but clawed back into it with a 31-21 third quarter. Our guys led just 97-94 with two minutes left, but buckets by four different Hornets added up to a 9-0 run which sealed the deal.
• Another great game for Chris Paul. He was hitting from all angles in this one. He got going early with a couple of triples, and finished with a career-high four makes from downtown. The sniping opened up the lanes and Chris was happy to attack, knocking down a bunch of floaters and other such unblockables. He ended up with 28 points on 10-15 shooting, adding 5 dimes and 5 boards just for kicks.

• Great job by Tyson Chandler on both end of the floor. He limited Yao Ming to 16 points and 7 rebounds, mostly without the help of double-teams. Yao missed 10 of his final 12 shots, and scored just six points after halftime. I'm not sure how the hell Tyson managed to play Yao that well, yet finish with only two fouls in 37 minutes. TC finished with 14 points (6-of-11 FGs), 10 rebounds and three blocks. It's crazy how those kind of numbers are ho-hum for him nowadays.
• Also doing funky stuff were guys like David West (23 points) and Desmond Mason (19 points). Devin Brown played 23 minutes but missed all four of his shots for nil points. Linton Johnson didn't play. Again.
• A couple of interesting observations from the Houston Chronicle today. First, the Rockets have managed a total of five blocks in their three meetings with the Hornets this season. Second, the Hornets and the Suns are the only two teams the Rockets have not beaten this season. Good company.
• From the Official's Live at the Hive report:

  Talk about an unfamiliar sight at Hornets games this season – Mason actually fired a handful of jumpers Sunday, more than he’s attempted in any single game. According to the NBA’s 2006-07 shot-chart data, entering the Houston game Mason had made only two shots from outside 15 feet all season, only attempting nine shots from that distance.

• Tracy McGrady showed no signs of nausea, going off for 31 points to lead Houston. That's a bummer. Devin Brown has really been getting his ass whupped the last two games.
• Some harsh words for the Rockets over on this Houston Chronicle blog:

  They were weak on defense, soft on the boards and played like they had only made a 12-minute committment to the night. They could have taught marshmallows, pillows and babies' bottoms about being soft. They could have taught Tom DeLay about being arrogant and presumptuous. The Rockets are a team that doesn't have the mentality of a hammer or the slightest idea how to drop it.

  Yeah! You suck, Rockets. 18 games over .500? Whatever.

• The standings, as is their tendency, have changed a bit in the last couple days. The Warriors lost to the Lakers last night (Kobe "only" had 43, btw), so we're now within a half game of them. More importantly, the eighth-place Clippers remain a full two games ahead of us.

Next up for the Hornets is what you could call a tricky little stretch. The Mavericks are in town tomorrow, and you'll remember we haven't beaten them since the last millennium. On Wednesday, the Hornets are in San Antonio to play the Spurs, a team who you might recall have beaten us three times already this season, by an average of 24.7 points.

Yes, it's the back-to-back from hell. I guess the only way it could be worse is if both games were on the road, and maybe if the road was guarded by a fire-breathing dragon of some description. Word on the internet streets is that Peja Stojakovic will be held out of both these games, but we might have him back for the Knicks on Saturday. Bobby Jackson is due to resume practicing today, so he might play this week.

Done.

[Edited to add: Funky notes from Hornets-Lakers over at SLAMonline.com. Go read!]