Most NBA coaches would love the chance to get their key players some rest in the final games before the playoffs.
Not Byron Scott. He wants to see them on the floor.
The New Orleans coach hasn’t been able to send his preferred starting five out together for some time because of injuries, and acknowledges that’s a concern with the playoffs only two weeks away.
“I haven’t seen them together in a while. It’s been a long time since our starting five has been together and that’s the scary part,” Scott said. “But the one thing that I do feel pretty comfortable about is the fact that they have been together last year most of the season, so they have a pretty good idea about each other. We have a pretty good idea about them as a group.
“So timing, that might be an issue. Conditioning might be an issue, so you would like to have those guys all together.”
ince the middle of March because of swollen tendons in his left ankle and was recently placed in a walking boot to immobilize it. Peja Stojakovic, the Hornets’ best outside shooter, hasn’t played since March 2 because of back spasms.
The Hornets have managed to keep winning behind All-Stars Chris Paul and David West, winning three straight headed into their game Friday at Golden State to pull within a game of first place in the Southwest Division.
“Even though we have injuries, guys are stepping up,” Paul said Wednesday after a 104-98 victory over the Clippers. “The guys that are playing those minutes now will have confidence coming off the bench.”
The starting five was the strength of the Hornets team that won a franchise-best 56 games last season and earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. Paul was equally adept at setting up Chandler for alley-oop dunks on the pick-and-roll or finding Stojakovic for 3-pointers.
Scott believes that continuity will still be there when all of them are back. He just hopes they can fine-tune things before the games really start to matter.
go into the playoffs on a high note. That’s going to be I think pretty important.”
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GOOD GUYS: Ray Allen can become a two-time winner this season even if the Boston Celtics don’t repeat as NBA champions.
Allen has a chance to pick up a second NBA Sportsmanship Award as one of six players – one from each division – nominated by a seven-member panel of former players.
Along with Allen, the Atlantic Division selection, the panel chose Denver’s Chauncey Billups (Northwest), Washington’s Antawn Jamison (Southeast), Detroit’s Antonio McDyess (Central), San Antonio’s Michael Finley (Southwest) and Golden State’s Ronny Turiaf (Pacific).
The Joe Dumars Trophy, voted on by NBA players, honors a player who best reflects the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. The Detroit Hall of Famer won the first sportsmanship award in 1996.
Allen won in 2002-03 while playing for Seattle and is bidding to become the second two-time winner. Grant Hill won in 2005 and again last season.
The panel was made up of Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Kenny Smith, Mike Bantom, John Crotty, Eddie Johnson and Tom “Satch” Sanders.
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HOPES FOR HOME: They are second-class citizens in their own city to a college team, and the Memphis Grizzlies seem to understand that.
lding when they never seem to win there?
“We have to bring them back. We know it’s tough and it’s not easy to support a team that is just starting right now, but we need them,” center Marc Gasol said.
“When you go see the playoff teams, the seats are full and that helps the team a lot at the end of the game. If we had big crowds, it’s going to pay off. To win in front of all your people gives you an extra motivation. It’s definitely a great feeling to have.”
The Grizzlies’ 112-107 victory over Washington on Wednesday was their first at home since the All-Star break. They were on the road most of March and had dropped six straight in Memphis since beating New Orleans on Feb. 9.
The win didn’t get much notice at home. An announced crowd of just 10,013 showed up at the FedEx Forum, where the Grizzlies’ average attendance of 12,595 through 37 games ranked 29th in the league, ahead of only Sacramento.
Nor did the victory draw much news in the Memphis basketball community, which was still reeling from John Calipari’s decision to leave for Kentucky after leading the Tigers to the NCAA championship game last season and the regional semifinals this year.
verall.
“We’ve got to think about the home-court advantage. It definitely starts here,” forward Rudy Gay said. “Every team that plays well starts at home. It’s something you have to build on. I think sooner or later people will understand that we are trying to strive in the right direction.”
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DON’T FORGET US!: The MVP race seems certain to come down to LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.
But for those voters who wish to look beyond those three candidates, Orlando and New Orleans believe they have a guy for you.
Both teams sent e-mails this week touting the achievements of their All-Stars, the Dwight Howard of the Magic and Chris Paul of the Hornets.
The Magic mostly pushed Howard for Defensive Player of the Year, and he seems to be the top choice for that award, leading the NBA in rebounds and blocked shots. But they noted that he could average 20 points and 14 rebounds while shooting 55 percent from the field for the second straight season, and only Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have done that in multiple seasons.
chance to become the first to lead in those categories while also ranking in the top 10 in scoring.
Through the last week of March, the point guard topped all Western Conference players with four player of the week awards.
MVP votes are due back to the league office on April 16, the day after the regular season ends.
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