{"id":405675,"date":"2011-04-27T22:51:24","date_gmt":"2011-04-27T22:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/27\/hornets-look-to-stay-alive-vs-lakers-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-04-27T22:51:24","modified_gmt":"2011-04-27T22:51:24","slug":"hornets-look-to-stay-alive-vs-lakers-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/27\/hornets-look-to-stay-alive-vs-lakers-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"Hornets look to stay alive vs. Lakers (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NEW ORLEANS (AP)\u2014Two transcendent playoff performances by Chris Paul<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> made the Hornets\u2019 first-round series with Los Angeles far more interesting than the defending champion Lakers would have preferred.<\/p>\n

The question now is whether the Hornets\u2019 four-time All-Star can summon another big game back in the Big Easy on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

At the very least, Paul welcomes the pressure that comes with a game in which a loss ends the season for his team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is all or nothing for us,\u201d Paul said. \u201cI can\u2019t wait.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Paul has been sensational\u2014with his 33-point, 14 assist performance in Game 1 and his triple-double in Game 4\u2014the Hornets have pulled out a pair of hard fought victories. In the series\u2019 other three games, when Paul has still been exceptional, but short of dominant, the Lakers have won\u2014including twice by double digits.<\/p>\n

Now ahead 3-2 in the series, Los Angeles needs only one more win to dispatch pesky New Orleans. If the Lakers own key statistical categories as thoroughly as they did in their 106-90 Game 5 triumph on Tuesday night, the series isn\u2019t likely to make it back to the West Coast for Game 7.<\/p>\n

The Lakers restored their dominance inside, outrebounding the Hornets 42-25, which included a 15-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. That led to a whopping 22-2 advantage in second-chance points. Los Angeles also outscored the Hornets 42-30 in the paint.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be able to play like that all the time,\u201d Lakers forward Pau Gasol<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cWe needed to play physical and control the boards, and use our bodies. \u2026 Our energy was good, and that\u2019s why we won the way we won.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hornets never looked more outmatched in the series, but if that result shook their confidence, they\u2019re not letting it show.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe great thing about it is now we get to go back to our home court with our fans behind us, and we have to bring the energy,\u201d Paul said. \u201cIt\u2019s the elimination game now. We can\u2019t leave anything out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul has said throughout his career that he never wants to come out and would gladly play 48 minutes if coaches would let him. Such an approach might have served the Hornets well in Game 5.<\/p>\n

The Hornets led by nine when Paul went to the bench to rest in the beginning of the second quarter. The Lakers immediately went on a 10-0 run and the momentum seemed to change for good.<\/p>\n

Hornets coach Monty Williams said Paul\u2019s teammates could have helped him by showing more toughness on defense and fouling hard, the way Lakers star Kobe Bryant<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> did when he thwarted a layup attempt by Emeka Okafor<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> with a forearm across the Hornets center\u2019s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt some point, you have to know how to make a playoff foul,\u201d Williams said. The coach then referred to the lack of resistance Bryant met on his thunderous driving dunk in the second quarter, which seemed to energize his team. \u201cWe have to learn how to not allow him to get that play off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Williams believes the Lakers have been allowed to get away with too much banging inside. He even made a formal protest to the NBA about it after Game 3.<\/p>\n

Lakers coach Phil Jackson didn\u2019t seem quite sure what to make of his team being portrayed as the one that hits hardest.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was pretty interesting. We\u2019re not usually known for that,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWe\u2019re known as being soft, but sometimes desperation can activate\u201d toughness.<\/p>\n

Jackson added that he fully expected the Hornets to respond to their coach\u2019s call for more aggression.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe game will be feisty, no doubt about it,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cThe team that beats the other team to loose balls is going to win the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryant, meanwhile, continues to receive treatment for an injury to his left ankle and foot that occurred late in the Hornets Game 4 win. Of course, the Hornets realized by the second quarter of Game 5 that they better not count on the injury slowing the Lakers\u2019 superstar down. Although he played less than 29 minutes in Game 5, he was 8 of 13 shooting for 19 points and showed little lack of explosion on a pair of soaring one-handed jams.<\/p>\n

Jackson said Bryant was sore on Wednesday, but added that he did not expect to limit Bryant\u2019s playing time at all on Thursday night.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a game in which we go all-out to win,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cIf it\u2019s 40 minutes, we will\u201d play Bryant that long.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Visit link:
\nHornets look to stay alive vs. Lakers (AP)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW ORLEANS (AP)\u2014Two transcendent playoff performances by Chris Paul (notes) made the Hornets\u2019 first-round series with Los Angeles far more interesting than the defending champion Lakers would have preferred. The question now is whether the Hornets\u2019 four-time All-Star can summon another big game back in the Big Easy on Thursday night<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":405676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-405675","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-local-news"},"yoast_head":"\nHornets look to stay alive vs. Lakers (AP) - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/27\/hornets-look-to-stay-alive-vs-lakers-ap\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Hornets look to stay alive vs. Lakers (AP) - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"NEW ORLEANS (AP)\u2014Two transcendent playoff performances by Chris Paul (notes) made the Hornets\u2019 first-round series with Los Angeles far more interesting than the defending champion Lakers would have preferred. 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