[外電] Hornets' bad defense leaves Scott in a huff
原文出自 nola.com
http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1098426593295040.xml
Hornets' bad defense leaves Scott in a huff
New Orleans blows an 11-point third-quarter lead, fall to Magic
Friday, October 22, 2004
By John Reid
Staff writer
BILOXI, MISS. -- It may be the preseason, but Hornets coach
Byron Scott expects to see progress each game. On Thursday
night, he didn't see enough of it, particularly on defense.
That put him in a bad mood after watching the Hornets blow
an 11-point third-quarter lead and lose 92-91 to the Orlando
Magic in front of a crowd of 6,121 at the Mississippi Coast
Coliseum.
The Hornets were consistently beaten on over-the-top passes
that the Magic finished with dunks. Magic shooting guard
Cuttino Mobley repeatedly was left open on the perimeter
and scored 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
With 21.2 seconds remaining, Magic forward Tony Battie hit
the winning shot from 15 feet, as the Hornets were too slow
coming over to challenge.
The Magic made 53.8 percent of its shots in the second half,
going 11-of-15 in the third quarter.
"The last couple of games we established some things, and
tonight I felt we took a big step backwards," Scott said.
"It's all the same things -- transition defense, individual
defense and team defense. When you allow them to shoot 50
percent, you're not going to win many games. We have to do
the little things better."
It wasn't a good game for Hornets veteran point guard Darrell
Armstrong, either. He sat alone in the locker room about 40
minutes before the game just like he did during Game 7 of
the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat last May.
Nothing was on the line this time except that Armstrong always
gets up for the Magic, his former team, which did not offer a
contract when he become a free agent before the 2003-04 season.
On Thursday, Armstrong missed 11 of 13 shots, including six
3-point attempts. He was trying to duplicate what he did
Tuesday when he made five of seven 3-pointers in scoring 17
points, matching Jamaal Magloire for team high.
Armstrong was the first reserve Scott put in the game against
the Magic, but he pressed to make something happen early and
struggled to make shots.
He missed his first three shots from behind the 3-point line.
After Armstrong made his first shot, a jumper, he missed his
next four attempts and ended the first half missing six of
seven shots.
"You've got to give them credit: They ran back at us in the
second half," Armstrong said. "A lot of the shots that I missed
went in and out."
In the third quarter, Armstrong made his presence felt, mainly
by his defensive play. He picked off two passes intended for
guard Steve Francis. He also drew a charging foul on Mobley at
the end of the quarter.
Armstrong spent most of the second half chasing Magic rookie
Jameer Nelson. One of Nelson's best plays came early in the
fourth quarter when he drove past Armstrong for a dunk.
Armstrong said he has nothing against the Magic other than
always wanting to win against them. Only three Magic players
remain on the roster when Armstrong was there.
"I love playing against them," Armstrong said. "I was upset
with them last year, but I don't hate their organization. Like
I said, they gave me a great opportunity. But I don't like to
lose against them. This is my first loss against them. I'm now
6-1."
Magloire looked superb again for the third consecutive preseason
game. He made seven of 10 shots and scored a team-high 16 points.
Early in the game, Magloire took advantage of his experience
edge to spin around several times and beat rookie Dwight Howard,
the No. 1 pick in last June's draft. But Howard showed promise,
making six of 10 shots for 15 points.
Magic forward Grant Hill, who missed all of last season recovering
from surgery on his left ankle, moved well throughout the game.
He played 30 minutes and scored six points.
Forward Lee Nailon started for the second consecutive game in place
of George Lynch, who did not make the trip because of back spasms.
Nailon made an impact early, hitting three of his first four shots
as the Magic left him open on the perimeter. He finished with 12
points, and point guard Baron Davis scored 14.
. . . . . . .
John Reid can be reached at jreid@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3405.
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