Game On: Rockets @ Hornets (Aka Joe vs The Basket)

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Published: April 19, 2012

After a year of writing and chatting and interviewing and transcribing and sitting on my hands so I don’t jump up and scream “GEAUX HORNETS!”, I can finally take a load off and watch a game as a fan. Not only that, but I’m going to be participating in the Walk On’s Skills Challenge, giving one and all a chance to laugh at me in person.

Oh, and there’s a basketball game, too.

As someone who is an expert on my basketball game, let me tell you that the three point shot could get ugly. I’ve done someone similar to this before, and the results were less than stellar. I went 0-5 from behind the arc, hitting the rim maybe once. My passing was atrocious. The only nice thing I can say about my basketball game is that I realize my limitations and really only try to have an impact on the defensive end, and I can handle the ball pretty well.

That spells trouble for me in the skillS (note the S) challenge. This is what happened last time I tried this. Note the constant laughing in the background.

 

In order to get you to root for me, I’m committing any prize money I win to a post-game beer fund at Walk On’s. If you come and say hi, I’ll make sure a cold one gets sent your way.

Wait, this is a post about professional basketball? My bad!

The Hornets remain a game ahead of Sacramento in the race to the bottom, with Cleveland just a game and a half behind. Benson’s Boys continue to control their own destiny in terms of the three-seed in the lottery drawing, but even a single win could potentially allow both Cleveland and Sacramento to split combinations with us.

Read what Jason has to say about our lottery odds.

The Rockets come into tonight’s game tied for ninth place out West and half a game back of the eighth seeded Utah Jazz. You remember the Jazz, right? They’re that team that abandoned town, stole our name, and then tried to ruin the Hornets tankjob a few nights ago by letting us own them in the fourth quarter. Yeah, those Jazz.

Houston lost four straight to knock them from 6th in the playoff race to the outside looking in, largely in part to poor defensive play. If there was ever a squad to get back on track against, the Bobcats are it. Don’t worry though, the Hornets aren’t far behind!

I find it hard to believe that the Hornets won’t play Eric Gordon in the final home game of the year. I can see Ariza sitting again, but if Gordon is out there and the rest of the guys are playing well, the Hornets have a chance. Well, if Dyson plays like he did last night, they may have more than just a chance. As Mason noted earlier on twitter, Dyson was the NBA’s most efficient scorer with 20+ points last night, tallying them on just SEVEN shot attempts.

As Ryan said of his performance, “Nice.”

I’d expect to see a fair bit of Dyson tonight, as Monty will undoubtedly look to see if he can continue that kind of play. Let’s get real—if that’s the kind of player he is, we’d be dumb not to give him a hard second look this summer.

Speaking of Hornets that will probably see a good bit of time, Daryl Watkins was the team’s leading rebounder last night, setting a career high with 13 in just 29 minutes. If the Hornets brought Watkins on to lead the tank, they made a poor decision. Dude played really well last night.

Anyway, it’s the last home game of the year and the first x,000 fans get a crawfish bobblehead or something. You know you need one of those, so get down the Arena early and make sure you go home with something pretty.

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