Minor Observations on Hornets-Spurs

I only caught the second half of game 5 of Hornets-Spurs last night, but being a member of Section F and occasional contributor, I'd weigh in and take some pressure off of Adam. Here are some minor things I noticed:

1) David West wants it more. West just looked like he was trying harder than anyone on the court, and especially anyone on the Spurs, last night. He was forcing his way into the low post (Fabricio Oberto, any time you want to use your body, go ahead) and just willing shots into the basket. The Spurs looked passive, and the Hornets, and especially West, were the aggressors.

2) The Spurs need to stop whining. This has been mentioned a lot on this blog by Adam, but usually their constant complaining seems to benefit them, and they get some calls. However, it is clear that last year's Tim Duncan-Joey Crawford fiasco has not endeared the Spurs to Crawford. Now, it seems like they expend more effort trying to win with their mouths than their bodies. Shut up and play, boys.

3) This Hornets team is limited by a weakness on the wings. Peja Stojakovic played well the first two games of the series, but he is clearly past his prime, and would be more of a shooter off of the bench for a championship-level team. He is also slow on defense. And while Mo Pete hit four threes last night, I still think he stinks. His D isn't great, and his skill (shooting) just duplicates Peja's. They need an athlete who can cover opponents' top wing players. Ultimately, they should have signed Ime Udoka in the offseason, or start giving Julian Wright more of a chance. I shudder to think of who would guard Kobe in the next round, if that is how this matchup plays out.

4) Chris Paul is awesome. Everyone has already discussed this, so I don't need to say much, but it needs to be mentioned. David West is good, and Chandler is solid, but beyond that, this team is extremely shallow talent-wise. Paul does more with less than anyone else in the league. His body control and ability to set himself in the air and get a controlled shot off is incredible. He is carrying this team, and makes it look easy. His spectacular play seems to make up for all the Hornets' other weaknessess.