When I arrived in New Orleans, the Saints were undefeated. They went on to win the Super Bowl. Now, the Hornets are 5 and 0 against some of the toughest teams in the league. Tonight, they beat the Miami Heat, a team made entirely of all-stars, 4 of whom have Olympic medals.
Like with the Saints who were so recently the “Aint’s,” the Hornets were awful last season, ranked 37th, I think, pre-season. Now, they have a new coach no one thought too much of (who looks terrific in a suit) and the same guys are kicking some basketball ass in upset after upset. The team they beat tonight usually leads in every game by around 20 points. Tonight, the Heat was tied 2 -2, then they never tied or led again until the last minutes of the game – right before they lost. Even if the Heat had won, they wouldn’t have been able to feel victorious.
I’ve never sat and watched a basketball game on TV for pleasure, not even when guys I knew from college played, but after the incredibly fun and magical night I had watching the Hornets stun the Nuggets last week, I watched the last few minutes of the 3rd quarter and got hooked. I cheered the team in my living room.
Maybe you haven’t payed attention to this new and vastly improved team, but I promise you a good time if you do. And if you live in the area, tickets are as low as $10, so that it’s about the same price as a trip to the movies.
And we have to have the prettiest dancers in the league, our family-friendly booty-shakers, the Honeybees.
http://www.nba.com/hornets/dance/