Hornets Season Ends

The Hornets season came to an end Thursday night after they lost Game 6 to the L.A. Lakers 98-80. Chris Paul was held to a playoff low of 10 points. He was only 4 of 9 from the field. He had 11 assists, but an uncharacteristic 5 turnovers. The Lakers did a fantastic job of taking him out of his game. Here is more from Brian Kamentesky of espn.com/losangeles, followed by more blogging from Scott.

All series long, Paul has been called the head of the snake. Take it off, and the whole thing dies. Thursday, the Lakers not only decapitated the slithery reptile, but turned the skin into a boots and barbecued the meat. L.A. was very strong inside, pressuring nearly everything near the bucket (six blocks), forced most of New Orleans' possessions deep into the clock, and successfully executed their plan to keep the Hornets operating away from the paint and at mid-range.
Lakers beat Hornets, shut down Paul

I've talked about size quite a bit in this series. Now let's talk about depth. In Game 2 Kobe Bryant only had 11 points. Fellow all-star Pau Gasol only had 8. And the Lakers won by 9. When Chris Paul does not perform at a high level, the Hornets lose by 18. Chris Paul's poor performance, couple with the size and depth of the Lakers, ended the Hornets season Thursday night. I'll have a blog in the next week or so to reflect on the 2010-2011 season in its entirety. A season that fans and the team should be proud of. But today, if you're a Hornet fan, or player, it has to sting.