NEW ORLEANS — For the Hornets, this season was filled with injuries, confusion and unmet goals.
But for all the aching of Peja Stojakovic’s back and the rescinded trade of Tyson Chandler and the fourth-place finish in the Southwest Division for the favored Hornets, the mood surrounding the team was, somehow, good at Thursday’s practice. Perhaps that’s because the team is together and healthy for the first time since March 2, and its 49-33 regular season is moot.
The Hornets now are in the playoffs. They begin their best-of-seven, opening-round series Sunday at Denver, and nothing else matters.
“Now it’s a new season,” all-star point guard Chris Paul said. “We start Sunday, and it’s 0-0. It’s a clean slate. Everything that has taken place this season will all go out the window. We have a chance to right that ship now.”
That the Hornets lost their regular-season finale 105-98 to the San Antonio Spurs could turn into a positive, because it left seventh-seeded New Orleans pitted against the Nuggets, the No. 2 seed, a team the Hornets appear to at least be equally equipped to handle.
However, the teams appear to be heading in opposite directions. Denver has thrived since the trade for point guard Chauncey Billups on its way to winning the Northwest Division. New Orleans has staggered at the end of the season, thanks in large part to a series of injuries to the starting lineup.
“We mirror each other when you look at the matchups,” said Chandler, who missed all four regular-season games between the teams. “We are very similar teams. They have a very deep team. They throw guys at you. I’m not sure how Coach (George Karl) is going to run their playoff roster, but they have a lot of guys on that roster who we are going to have to match their energy.”
They know it’ll be tough holding down Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Chris Andersen and Billups. However, the Hornets contend their lineup can be equally as potent now that Stojakovic and Chandler are back.
“Luckily, we will have everyone healthy for this game,” Paul said. “It’s kind of different because we really haven’t played them with Tyson all season long. So that should be different.”
Nakia Hogan: 504-826-3405 or nhogan@timespicayune.com
