"We want to get this series over with a win on Thursday night," said the Hornets' Chris Paul on the eve of crucial Game 6 at San Antonio's AT&TCenter. Tip off is 8 o'clock and the Spurs are favored by 7.
The Spurs have beaten the Hornets twice in games at San Antonio by a combined 31 points. The Hornets lead the series 3-2 with all of their wins coming in the Arena.
Pivotal Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinal was not particularly kind to the Spurs in the Big Not-So Easy. The Bees overwhelmed the Spurs in the third quarter, won 101-79, and placed themselves one game away from advancing to the West finals, a place they're never been before in their 20-year history.
The home team, in fact, has handily won every game so far, and for the Spurs this is a theme. Dating to last season, they own a 10-game home winning streak in the postseason.
"We know our fans are going to be behind us," said Spurs forward Kurt Thomas. "We've been down before in this series. We have to do what we have to do at home to force Game 7.”
That will be in the Arena where they have lost three games by an average of 19.7 points per game. Every one of the previous five games has seen the winner score 100 or more points, and there is no reason to believe this game won't see a similar outcome
"The bottom line is the better team wins in a seven-game series," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. "I've always said that. Whoever wins this series, it will be because they are the better team."
Last year, on the way to a fourth NBA title, the Spurs never flirted with elimination like they are against the Bees.
David West, who hit 38 points and had 14 rebounds for the Hornets in Game 5, said the wacky home-road splits have been about comfort.
"We're dealing with a rhythm team, a team that has been together for a lot of years," said West. We can't let them get too comfortable. In the games in New Orleans, they were completely uncomfortable."
The Hornets were particularly rude to Tony Parker in their last meeting. Parker had twice torched the Bees in San Antonio. They kept him out of the paint, but he still managed 18 points.
"I've got to do a better job of moving the ball, and at the same time stay aggressive," said Parker.
Hornets center Tyson Chandler will be playing on a bruised left foot. Hornets coach Byron Scott said you have to give Chandler a lot of credit for the way we are playing in this series. "His stats don't show you the job he is doing on guarding Tim Duncan," said the coach.
Perrilloux headed to Jacksonville State
Former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux has told the Birmingham News he has signed with JacksonvilleState.
He visited with JacksonvilleState coach Jack Crowe and others at the school on Tuesday. His only other visit was to Alabama A&M.
Perrilloux met with members of the Gamecocks on Monday night and took a tour of the campus on Tuesday. Part of his tour included a visit with JSU president William A. Meehan.
Perrilloux, who was the nation's top quarterback prospect coming out of East St. John in Reserve, had become the target of a second heated recruiting battle. More than 25 non-Football Bowl Subdivision schools contacted LSU for a release in order to recruit the junior-to-be.
He will be legible without sitting out a year at a Football Championship Subdivision or Division II school.
Gamecocks coach Jack Crowe has said he was only doing his "due diligence" work to find out about off-the-field problems that led to Perrilloux being suspended three times before being dismissed from the team.
JacksonState coach Rick Comegy had also expressed interest in landing Perrilloux.
JSU went through spring drills without a quarterback on scholarship after Crowe dismissed last season's starter, Cedric Johnson, for violating team rules.
Crowe has had success recently with at least three former SEC athletes who left their teams at least in part ecause of disciplnary problems. LeMarcus Rowell and Montae Pitts finished their careers at JSU after leaving Auburn and Darren Williams played one season after leaving MississippiState.
Said Perrilloux: "I finished the term at LSU, and I'm ready for the transition. But I'll always be a Tiger in my heart. I'll miss he fans. I'll miss my teammates and the coaches."
"I learned a lot from coach Les Miles. I want to thank him and LSU for helping me grow up and become a person. Coach Miles did what he had to do with me. I repect him to the fullest. I take full repoonsibility for all my actions while at LSU. Coach Crow reminds me a lot of Coach Miles."
Preakness
Off the typewriter...
If Big Brown reproduces his Kentucky Derby blockbuster on Saturday in the Preakness, he should win by a mile. "Big Brown, on our figures , ran by far the best Derby of all time," said Jerry Brown, owner of Thorograph, a speed charting service widely used by owners, trainers and bettors. "The second best was Barbaro two years ago, but Big Brown ran about four lengths faster than Barbaro. Big Brown has has had only four starts, but he ran them at all at eye-popping speeds. His Beyer speed figures tell the story: 90, 106, 106, 109. Brown thinks that 109 in the Derby is way too low. "The Beyer figures don't take into account how wide a trip the horse runs, " said Brown. "In the Derby, Big Brown was four- and five-wide all the way. He was out in the parking lot. His official winning margin was 4 3/4 length, which was deceivingly small. If you take into consideration ground lost, he won the Derby by 10 lengths...After President Bush gave the commencement speech last year at St. Vincent's College in Latrobe, Pa. (home of Arnold Palmer) the school got Steelers coach Mike Tomlin this year. Said school president Jim Towney: "There were no protesters or picketers outside as there were last year. The Browns fans couldn't find the turnpike."
"We want to get this series over with a win on Thursday night," said the Hornets' Chris Paul on the eve of crucial Game 6 at 
