Court Awareness: Thursday Review 2008-12-26 News New Orleans Hornets

Thursday night, the Suns held the Spurs to 41.8 percent shooting. They outrebounded San Antonio by seven. Shaquille O'Neal went nine-for-16 from the foul line, hitting nine of 10 in one stretch.

And it didn't matter.

Bleacher Report

Friday's action

Wade's 28 lift Heat over Bulls
T-wolves down Knicks in MSG
Felton, Bobcats best Nets
Paul leads Hornets past Rockets
Mayo's foul shots help Grizz win
Iverson's shot lifts Pistons
Nuggets squeak by Sixers
Shorthanded Jazz outrun Mavs
O'Neal's 36 lead Raptors past Kings
Celtics fall to lowly Warriors

FOXSports.com analysis

Rosen: Celts, Lakers still have flaws
Kriegel: Pau comes through for Lakers
Rosen: Cavs are championship material
Galinsky: NBA Power Rankings

They did so time and again throughout Christmas Day. Torrid first-quarter shooting gave way to the Spurs' chipping their way back to within six by halftime. Shaquille O'Neal dunks and crunch-time baskets didn't have the back-breaking, dagger-in-the-heart, nail-in-the-coffin effect they would have had on other teams.

That's why it doesn't matter that the Suns have O'Neal in tow to corral Duncan. It doesn't matter that Bruce Bowen's role is reduced or that Robert Horry is gone.

What matters is that inside both those teams' minds, San Antonio will prevail over Phoenix at the end of the day.

Other Notes

Seeing as he was traded to Los Angeles Feb. 1, Pau Gasol should be seen as an early Christmas present for the Lakers. It's still hard to comprehend how little was given up for him, especially in light of his crunch-time heroics over Boston on Christmas Day. Seven straight points by the Spaniard put the game out of reach, snapping the C's 19-game winning streak. Feliz Navidad, Los Angeles.

The Boston Three Party of Garnett, Pierce and Allen were the only Celtics in double-figures. Rajon Rondo (12 assists) and Kendrick Perkins (not a scorer) are somewhat forgiven, but Boston's bench core of Tony Allen, Glen Davis, Eddie House, and Leon Powe combining for 13 points is not acceptable for a championship contender.

The Cavs apparently felt left out of the limelight, and tried to drum up their own drama. Cleveland won 93-89 despite being down seven with 1:33 remaining. James' hands were all over the comeback; he sank three free throws after Caron Butler fouled him shooting a three, then drew a charge on Antawn Jamison, and fed Mo Williams for a three on the next possession

Caron Butler had a funky night: six points on three-for-13 shooting, 10 assists, six rebounds and four turnovers.

Magic fans should have left at halftime to enjoy the rest of their Christmas. Not only did Orlando lead New Orleans by 30 at intermission, they then proceeded to shoot 23 percent in the second half while still winning 88-68 (that's how badly the Hornets played).

The Hornets' high man in the scoring column was David West with 13 points. The Magic's fifth-leading scorer was Mickael Pietrus with 11.

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