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And so begins the back-to-back from hell
The Hornets play the Mavericks in Oklahoma City tonight, and the Spurs in San Antonio tomorrow. As mentioned yesterday, the Hornets have had a wee bit o' trouble beating these teams in recent years. And be "wee bit," I do of course mean "shit-load."
The Mavs in particular have been a massive thorn in our ass. As John Reid reminds us in today's Times-Picayune, "the Hornets have lost 20 consecutive games against the Mavericks, the longest active streak among the four major professional sports leagues in North America."
Fantastic. More comforting news and notes for your enjoyment…
- As noted in several reports this morning, this game could be a preview of a first-round Playoff series. If the Hornets somehow sneak in to the postseason, the Mavs will be waiting. And you don't want to go into a series with a 21-game losing streak against your opponent.
- Last time the Hornets beat the Mavs, lots of things were happening.
- Interesting quote from Desmond Mason in today's Oklahoman:
"If anybody says it's no point in making the playoffs, they're losing their mind. You want to be in the playoffs, regardless of who you're playing. Especially when you look at our team and what we did last year and what our goal was this year. You want to be in the playoffs. So for anybody to say that, they have no concept of basketball.”
Hmm, I wonder if he's been reading certain message boards?
- Dallas, as you may know, have been busy winning a lot. They recently won 17 straight, lost two, and have since built up a six-game winning streak. If my calculator is correct, that means they've won 23 of their last 25. They're 58-11 on the season, meaning they can only afford to lose one more game in this here regular season if they want to reach the magical 70.
- Dallas last played on Sunday in Atlanta, almost blowing a 23-point lead before winning 104-97. Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard each scored 28, while Jason Terry poured in 27 of his own. Them and their crazy balanced offense.
- It may come as no surprise to you that the Mavs beat the Hornets last time they met, back on December 30th in Dallas. Final score was 94-80. Refresh. Lets hope Byron at least empties the bench if this one turns into a blowout. Fuck it, get Marcus back from Tulsa, get him out there in the fourth quarter.
Speaking of Vinicius, he had 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting for the 66ers last Friday, but followed that up with a 5-point outing on Saturday. His game-by-game stats are here.
Right, I'm outta here. Tip is at 7 Central. Who's feeling lucky?