New Orleans Hornets Playoff Preview

The Hornets have turned the tables on the NBA odds makers in 2008 but can New Orleans reach the finals after being pitted against the Mavericks in the first round?

The New Orleans Hornets made a stunning turnaround this season. After missing the playoffs and finishing 39-43 a year ago, New Orleans blossomed into one of the top contenders in the wild west this year after going 56-26 to grab the No. 2 seed. The Hornets didn’t draw an easy first-round opponent though, as they face the experienced Dallas Mavericks in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs.

Leading the Hornets to the top of the Northwest Division was point guard Chris Paul. Widely considered to be the top point guard in the league, Paul had a monster season for New Orleans while leading the team scoring with 21.1 points per game and assists with 11.6 helpers per game. Paul can also run the floor with the best of them and in any other season he would likely be a runaway winner of the MVP award.

Paul can’t do it alone though, and he doesn’t have to in New Orleans with plenty of help from David West, Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler. West raised his overall game again this season, averaging 20.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per outing, while combining with Paul to give New Orleans a lethal combo. Stojakovic stayed relatively healthy for the first time in three years and showed he’s still dangerous from beyond the arc. If Stojakovic gets hot from three-point range in the postseason, the Hornets will be able to score with authority from anywhere on the floor. Rounding out the Hornets’ firepower is Tyson Chandler. Chandler scored a career-high 11.8 points per game this season, while continuing to rule to glass with 11.8 rebounds per game as well.

The Mavericks may also want to keep an eye on Bonzi Wells, whom New Orleans acquired at the trade deadline. Wells has a history or taking his game to the next level in the postseason and he could be a sparkplug off the bench for the Hornets.

Even after their regular season success the Hornets are still quite an underdog on most NBA playoff basketball betting lines. Anyone looking for some real value in basketball playoff odds should take a close look at New Orleans. The Hornets were an impressive 34-18 versus the rest of the Western Conference, which was second-best in the West, and if they can keep that up in the postseason they will continue to surprise.