TUSooner
4/14/2006, 09:55 AM
Copied and pasted for your convenience:
Hornets' OKC experience better than expected
'Oklahoma City' jerseys to be worn tonight
Friday, April 14, 2006
By John Reid
Staff writer
OKLAHOMA CITY -- When the decision was made in September that the Hornets would play 35 of their 41 home games in Oklahoma City, backup point guard Speedy Claxton wasn't thrilled with the prospect. He thought it would be the equivalent of playing an 82-game road schedule.
Team officials and the NBA agreed to make the Sooner State the Hornets' temporary home after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area Aug. 29 and damaged New Orleans Arena.
Now, with the regular season almost complete, Claxton and his teammates have grown to like their temporary home because of the large crowds that consistently have packed the Ford Center for every game. The Hornets will return next season to play a 35-game schedule at the Ford Center; six games will be played in New Orleans. In 2007-08, they return to New Orleans to play a full 41-game schedule.
Tonight, the Hornets play their final regular-season home game against the Utah Jazz at the Ford Center. For the Hornets, seeded 10th in the Western Conference playoff race, to avoid elimination from postseason contention, they have to win three of their final four games -- including victories over the Jazz, seeded ninth, and Sacramento Kings, who are eighth. The Hornets play the Kings on the road Sunday.
Another sellout crowd is expected tonight, which would be the Hornets' 18th at the Ford Center. After 40 games, the Hornets rank 11th in the league in attendance with an average of 18,143 per game.
"The crowds here have been great, and everything has been much better than I thought it would be," Claxton said.
To thank fans in Oklahoma City for their support, the Hornets will wear specially designed jerseys for tonight's game that will feature "Oklahoma City" on the front and include a "NOLA" patch on their right shoulder to represent New Orleans.
For all home games this season, the team has worn white jerseys with "Hornets" stretched across the front, with an "OKC" patch over the right shoulder.
After the game, the Hornets plan to auction off the jerseys to raise money for its "Hoops for Homes" program in New Orleans.
"This is to say 'thank you' to a town that has welcomed and given us a temporary home in time of our greatest need," Hornets president Paul Mott said Thursday.
The Hornets had sellout crowds for two of the three games played at the Arena in March. They played the Phoenix Suns at LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge on Dec. 16 and Jan. 13, and they played the Kings at the University of Oklahoma's Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
The Hornets were the first team to play home games at four sites since the 1974-75 Boston Celtics played games in Providence, R.I., Springfield, Mass., and Hartford Conn., and Boston Garden to reach out to fans in the New England region.
"I just never imagine it would go as good as it's gone," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "At first I was under the impression, like Speedy, that basically what the NBA has done has put us on the road for 82 games. But in hindsight as you look back, this has been a tremendous home-court advantage. These fans have been unbelievable.
"The 34 games we've played here have definitely been a home-court advantage. I thought it would take us a lot longer to adjust. But we were all here together and only had each other to lean on, and that helped us develop the type of chemistry we have on this basketball team."
The Hornets are 21-13 in Oklahoma City, including victories against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
"This crowd was awesome, probably one of the top-five arenas in the NBA by far," Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James said after Monday's 103-101 victory at the Ford Center.
"If they don't get to the playoffs this year, they should be real excited about next year, because it's a great atmosphere here."
In October, when the Hornets first arrived in Oklahoma City, they took buses daily to training camp so the players wouldn't get lost finding their way to the Sawyer Center practice facility in Bethany, Okla., which is located just outside of Oklahoma City.
When Scott held his first practice at the Ford Center, he scheduled it an hour earlier to give players extra time to find the venue.
But once the games started, the Hornets took a special liking to the fan support.
"I remember our first preseason game seemed like a regular-season game because they were loud and just cheering with a lot of energy and excitement," forward P.J. Brown said. "Just from that game, I knew this was going to be a nice experience."
Forward Rasual Butler made the quickest adjustment to living in Oklahoma City. He has an aunt who lives in the area.
"It was never really like playing a road game here, because you feel comfortable with the fans," Butler said. "We're professional athletes, and no matter what the environment is, you are paid to do a job.
" Knowing that this was a college-type town and they've always supported OSU (Oklahoma State) and OU, they were pretty much thirsty for a professional franchise of some nature. With us coming here, I thought we would get that type of support, but I didn't think they would be this loud."
Hornets' OKC experience better than expected
'Oklahoma City' jerseys to be worn tonight
Friday, April 14, 2006
By John Reid
Staff writer
OKLAHOMA CITY -- When the decision was made in September that the Hornets would play 35 of their 41 home games in Oklahoma City, backup point guard Speedy Claxton wasn't thrilled with the prospect. He thought it would be the equivalent of playing an 82-game road schedule.
Team officials and the NBA agreed to make the Sooner State the Hornets' temporary home after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area Aug. 29 and damaged New Orleans Arena.
Now, with the regular season almost complete, Claxton and his teammates have grown to like their temporary home because of the large crowds that consistently have packed the Ford Center for every game. The Hornets will return next season to play a 35-game schedule at the Ford Center; six games will be played in New Orleans. In 2007-08, they return to New Orleans to play a full 41-game schedule.
Tonight, the Hornets play their final regular-season home game against the Utah Jazz at the Ford Center. For the Hornets, seeded 10th in the Western Conference playoff race, to avoid elimination from postseason contention, they have to win three of their final four games -- including victories over the Jazz, seeded ninth, and Sacramento Kings, who are eighth. The Hornets play the Kings on the road Sunday.
Another sellout crowd is expected tonight, which would be the Hornets' 18th at the Ford Center. After 40 games, the Hornets rank 11th in the league in attendance with an average of 18,143 per game.
"The crowds here have been great, and everything has been much better than I thought it would be," Claxton said.
To thank fans in Oklahoma City for their support, the Hornets will wear specially designed jerseys for tonight's game that will feature "Oklahoma City" on the front and include a "NOLA" patch on their right shoulder to represent New Orleans.
For all home games this season, the team has worn white jerseys with "Hornets" stretched across the front, with an "OKC" patch over the right shoulder.
After the game, the Hornets plan to auction off the jerseys to raise money for its "Hoops for Homes" program in New Orleans.
"This is to say 'thank you' to a town that has welcomed and given us a temporary home in time of our greatest need," Hornets president Paul Mott said Thursday.
The Hornets had sellout crowds for two of the three games played at the Arena in March. They played the Phoenix Suns at LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge on Dec. 16 and Jan. 13, and they played the Kings at the University of Oklahoma's Lloyd Noble Center in Norman.
The Hornets were the first team to play home games at four sites since the 1974-75 Boston Celtics played games in Providence, R.I., Springfield, Mass., and Hartford Conn., and Boston Garden to reach out to fans in the New England region.
"I just never imagine it would go as good as it's gone," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "At first I was under the impression, like Speedy, that basically what the NBA has done has put us on the road for 82 games. But in hindsight as you look back, this has been a tremendous home-court advantage. These fans have been unbelievable.
"The 34 games we've played here have definitely been a home-court advantage. I thought it would take us a lot longer to adjust. But we were all here together and only had each other to lean on, and that helped us develop the type of chemistry we have on this basketball team."
The Hornets are 21-13 in Oklahoma City, including victories against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
"This crowd was awesome, probably one of the top-five arenas in the NBA by far," Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James said after Monday's 103-101 victory at the Ford Center.
"If they don't get to the playoffs this year, they should be real excited about next year, because it's a great atmosphere here."
In October, when the Hornets first arrived in Oklahoma City, they took buses daily to training camp so the players wouldn't get lost finding their way to the Sawyer Center practice facility in Bethany, Okla., which is located just outside of Oklahoma City.
When Scott held his first practice at the Ford Center, he scheduled it an hour earlier to give players extra time to find the venue.
But once the games started, the Hornets took a special liking to the fan support.
"I remember our first preseason game seemed like a regular-season game because they were loud and just cheering with a lot of energy and excitement," forward P.J. Brown said. "Just from that game, I knew this was going to be a nice experience."
Forward Rasual Butler made the quickest adjustment to living in Oklahoma City. He has an aunt who lives in the area.
"It was never really like playing a road game here, because you feel comfortable with the fans," Butler said. "We're professional athletes, and no matter what the environment is, you are paid to do a job.
" Knowing that this was a college-type town and they've always supported OSU (Oklahoma State) and OU, they were pretty much thirsty for a professional franchise of some nature. With us coming here, I thought we would get that type of support, but I didn't think they would be this loud."