New Orleans Pelicans: 5 moments in team history that deserve a documentary
By Eliot Clough
2. The 2007-2008 Hornets
The one team that won more than 50 games in the last twelve years you might ask? Bingo.
Returning for the first full season since 2004-2005 and the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, the then New Orleans Hornets came home with hopes high, riding on the back of third-year guard and rising star, Chris Paul.
Paul wasn’t alone, though. Toss in the previously mentioned West and Stojakovic plus Tyson Chandler and Morris Peterson and this team was the second-best in the Western Conference, winning the Southwest Division for the first time in team history.
The thing is, Chandler, who was the cornerstone of the Hornets defense, was almost traded before the season even began. While West and Paul can hold their own defensively, this true, proven rim-protector was one of the pieces holding this team together.
As the team’s owner at the time, George Shinn, had been involved in some less-than-reputable business dealings, he was not prepared to cover each and every player’s salary in New Orleans — or at least he didn’t want to. Motivated by the remaining two years and 24.6 million dollars left on Chandler’s contract, Shinn had agreed to a deal that would ship the veteran to the newly-established Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox.
In a strangely lucky turn of events, Chandler failed the pre-trade physical. With an injury to his big toe at the time, the deal for the now-Rocket was rescinded. Chandler was still a Hornet.
With the core still intact and the team well-prepared to move forward despite poor front-office leadership, the Hornets tore through their opponents in the regular season, finishing with a record of 56-26, 30 of those wins coming on their home floor.
Paul set then franchise records in double-doubles, total assists, total steals and games with 10 or more assists. He also went on to be All-NBA First team and NBA All-Defensive First Team. Byron Scott won 2007-2008 NBA Coach of the Year.
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So what happened? Why didn’t this team win the NBA Finals?
The San Antonio Spurs.
In classic fashion, the Hornets looked to have had the series locked with a 3-2 lead and home-court advantage. But, after flopping game six in San Antonio, 99-80, the Hornets gave the reigning NBA champion Spurs hope and momentum — a scary combination for a Greg Popovich and Tim Duncan-led team.
New Orleans came out hot in the first, trailing San Antonio by just three going into the second quarter. The Spurs would go on several runs in the second, though, entering half-time with a nine-point lead.
That’s when things went south.
In the third quarter, the Hornets didn’t make consecutive buckets a single time, scoring just 14 points in the entirety of the third. That nine-point lead was now 15. But, hope remained — the Spurs had offensive struggles of their own, scoring just 20 points in the quarter. It could have been worse.
After trading a few baskets to begin the fourth, the Hornets turned their play up to another level. Or should I say, Jannero Pargo turned his play up to another level. The shooting guard who averaged just 18.7 minutes and 8.1 points per game during the regular season erupted for 16 points in the quarter alone. The thing is, he didn’t do it when it mattered most.
With the score sitting at 83-80 in the Spurs advantage, New Orleans grabbed a defensive rebound and surged up-court for what would be a wide-open three-pointer for the hot hand, Pargo. Standing in the corner as the crowd in the Smoothie King Center waited to explode, the six-year vet received a pass from Paul, prepared to launch the pivotal shot.
He missed off the front rim. Spurs rebound, Tony Parker mid-range jump-shot. Series over.
Just like that, the best basketball team in New Orleans history was eliminated from the NBA playoffs.
“The Hornets are an unbelievably tough team in every way you could imagine, and they had a fantastic year,” Popovich said following the contest. “I don’t think there’s any doubt their time will come.”
If only he was right.
Injuries and poor decision making by the front office would leave the Hornets/Pelicans without much hope in the following years cascading from their high hopes to despair in just a few seasons.