The OKC Hornets have now lost 6 games in a row. Extremely disappointing, but hey, we're back to .500 where we started. How many games do you think they'll lose in a row, before winning the next one?

I don't know. Part of what comforts me is that other teams (Memphis, LA Clippers, etc) went through slumps just before the All-Star break -- and have come out of them. I think actually sinking out of the final 8 spot in the Western Conference playoff picture might motivate them.

You wonder what happened to them. I think the All-Star break did disrupt the flow, but even then they were barely winning games. I think it's about the chemistry of the team. When the Hornets charged in January and February with Kirk Snyder as guard, the starters gelled. They also had two reserves (Claxton and Butler) who were part of the core. People came to know their role in the team. When they added the four others, (except maybe for Aaron Williams), these roles became fuzzier. Playing time became much more competitive.

In the reports you have players talking about other having their own agendas.That's what's happening -- Chris Paul needs to back up all the attention he got at the break, Kirk Snyder wants keep his starting job, Linton Johnson wants to contribute, Mason wants to prove his worth, etc. If Scott is going to play all these players, he needs to redefine roles and get them on the same page and thinking as a team again. That's my very basic armchair analysis.

You have to remember, this team did very poorly in the past year (18??) . This season has been remarkable.. what's even more remarkable is the support that OKC has given all the while believing they weren't a mature (very good) team.

We've been pleasantly surprised.. last night was heartbreaking though.. we were down only by 4 points in the the 4th - the crowd was ballistic, on their feet, screaming at the top of their(our) lungs... just willing the team to win..

but they didn't ... it was so sad.. I don't care, I still will go to every game and support this team regardless..

There is a an article regarding last night's game complimenting our crowd in OKC, I'll see if I can find it..

"Nets Players
Richard Jefferson (on stopping the Hornets to under 40% shooting most of the game)

“Well they’re a fast break team and in the past when we were a fast break we knew it was very tough to play in a half-court offense so we just tried to focus on getting back on defense and not allowing any turnovers so that they don’t get an easy bucket.”

(on the fourth quarter route by the Hornets) “We felt under control. They are a fast break team and we knew that they were going to hit some momentum shots. They have a great crowd here. It was an unbelievable atmosphere and their crowd was going to keep them in the game and for us it was like, ‘Ok calm down. Lets get to where we need to be.’ We just were able to take some shots and get to the free throw line which worked out for us in the end.”

Now is when the team needs us more than ever.. I have tickets to the next 5 games, win or lose, I'll be there screaming my head off and losing my voice.

I love this team.

I think the team simply needs to regroup. They can't hang their heads now. We need to get back in the rhythm. Wouldn't a win against SA sure help that.

OK. Today is 3/14/06. Including tonight, there are 37 days left in the regular season schedule. Only totally compulsive obsessive AND hopeful Hornets fans might be interested in this otherwise (to the unenlightened) silly post, but anything can still happen!

I figure if the Horents have any chance to make the playoffs, they will have to beat out 3 of 4 of the following: the Lakers, the Kings, the Jazz, and/or the Rockets. I've not included the Clippers or Memphis since they appear to be shoe-ins. Realistically, I think, 5 teams still have a plausible shot at the 7th & 8th place playoff positions, including the above teams and the Hornets.

For those of you who are similarly inclined to be obsessive, I've put together a chart for each of these 5 teams for their remaining games this season, showing each team's record as of yesterday morning. Only Houston played last night, and their record is presently 29-35. So, while the hope survives, maybe you'd like to print the graphic below (right-click on it and in the menu only print the graphic), if you want to keep track, day-by-day.

It also helps to give some perspective ... we think our schedule is tough, but what of the other 4 teams in this wanna-be group?

LA Lakers: They play at Sacramento, New Jersey, Cleveland, Denver and Phoenix (the "away" games that I'd suppose would be tough for them). They host Sacramento, the Horents (2x), San Antonio, Houston, Clippers and Phoenix.

Sacramento Kings: They play at Indiana, Lakers, Utah, Dallas, San Antonio, Clippers and Denver, and host the Lakers, Washington, Clippers, Houston, Phoenix and the Hornets.

Utah Jazz: They play at Miami, Memphis, Denver, Clippers, Hornets (2x), Dallas and San Antonio (2x), and host Phoenix, Washington, Sacramento, Houston, and Denver.

Houston Rockets: They play at Dallas, Hornets, Lakers, Sacramento, and Denver, and they host New Jersey, Dallas, San Antonio (2x), Clippers, Cleveland, Washington, and Memphis.

Looking at it from this perspective, and given that lots of things can happen, maybe we still have a shot at a playoff spot.

Again, if you want to print the image below, it's probably best to right-click on it and just print the image. You'll need your print margins to be the smallest possible on the left and right. After you print it, you can keep it up-to-date tally manually, starting from each team's record as of this morning, located at the top, which is through completion of the games on 3/12/06. As I said, Houston is now 29-35, losing last night to the Nets.

http://www.dougloudenback.com/hornets/playoffs.gif

GO HORNETS!

Thanks for the chart Doug, and thanks for all the other hard work. Your a great help with keeping current with the team. Yeah, I almost lost my voice Sunday night, I really thought we were going to pull it off in the 4th. We'll keep the faith and continue worrying about getting playoff tickets.