Hornets inbound the ball with less than a minute to play(1st quarter) and let the ball roll up the court. It keeps rolling and nears midcourt when suddenly out of the left side of your picture Rafer Alston comes diving in after the ball and (if not for an extra bounce away from him) would have had possession of it. The Hornets maintain possession, but miss their shot with the rebound going to Shane Battier. Battier tightly holds the ball and swings his elbows a couple times telling the Hornets "This is our game!" That simple stretch showed the kind of fire the team has been playing with recently. Edit: Had my quarters mixed up
I remember that. Rafer didn't come up with the ball, but that type of energy is infectious. I love his competitiveness.
I haven't watched the game yet. But I like what you have said. This reminds me of the years of Clutch City.
We finally have a great if not sound rotation (Bobby Jackson should only help our second unit with another penetrator), and everyone is playing with heart. Just watch the bench, the guys who have been pushed so far down the rotation that they maybe get 1 min of playing time every 10 games are the ones standing and pumping up the rest of the team as if they were fans themselves. That's basketball.
I always thought why the hell do defenders just let them roll the ball up court like that? I've been waiting for somebody to try and steal the ball and Rafer finally made an attempt. Usually, the defender will just let it roll up the court when it looks like a very easy steal.
lol do you guys remember the other hornets game? when he actually let it rolled and i believe it was cp3 who hit the winner? all i have to say is, thank god he didnt make the same mistake twice.
unbelievable action I am seeing in the first quarter. the T-Mac dunk, Scola's toughness, Rafer is showing poise. this was an amazing game. thanks for sharing
I love Rafer's leadership. He has that hardened, never break, never back down, never quit fighter's mentality in him and it looks like his teammates are really picking up on it. His ability to persevere through tough times and willingness to initiate aggression against other teams speaks volumes. In the most recent game against Golden State, most people looked at how Yao decided to be the aggressor in that game. I think Rafer was the one who actually set the tone -- getting into it with Baron Davis early and making it known that they came to play (IIRC, he ended up outplaying B Diddy that night too). Last night was another example. The postgame quotes by the Hornets, especially Byron Scott, spoke volumes - talking about how they got punched in the mouth and couldn't respond. Lots of people have clamored for the need for a "bulldog" type player on this team for a long time, to add that element of toughness and grit -- I think Rafer might be that guy.
I thought Angkor Wat said why the hell do "defenders" just let them roll the ball up court like that instead of why the offensive team let the ball roll.
That was the first time I saw the defense actually have a chance at it. Most of the time, the defense is content to set up their halfcourt D and the point guard defender picks his man up between the 3 line and halfcourt. They usually dont gamble because its not that likely to result in a steal, and it could take the defense out of position.
man after i saw that i started cracking up, this game was just so intense too bad i could only watch till half time
