http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/109955241757240.xml A ROUGH START Sharp-shooting Mavericks send Hornets to defeat in their season opener Thursday, November 04, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer For weeks, Hornets coach Byron Scott waited to guide his players in a game that was bigger than a preseason tune-up. Scott finally got that opportunity in his regular-season debut against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, but it was a game that he likely does not want to remember. The Mavericks exposed an assortment of Hornets' weaknesses to rout his team 106-91 in front of a standing-room-only crowd of 17,682 at New Orleans Arena. It was the Hornets' first game as a Western Conference member, and unlike the preseason, Scott played his starters extended minutes and used most of the plays in his offense. Scott also instructed starting point guard Baron Davis to push the ball quickly, but the Mavericks pushed it faster. They also shot better (53.8 percent to 41), and their reserves were more effective (45 points to 32). The Hornets lost an opener for the first time since the lockout -shortened 1998-99 season. It also was the Mavericks' 10th straight victory against the Hornets since the 1999-2000 season. If most of the teams in the Western Conference are able to match the Mavericks' offensive production against the Hornets, it could be a long season. The Hornets were beaten often in transition and were repeatedly late at challenging the Mavericks' perimeter shooters. "All the things that we have been working on the last four or five days, I don't know if it's just the excitement of opening night, just seemed to go out the window," Scott said. "Our guys' lack of concentration, I thought, was very evident and obvious to us. All the things that we talked about on tape and worked on, it just seemed that a bunch of our guys had never seen it before. That was disappointing." Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki made most of his shots from the baseline, shooting 50 percent, and guard Michael Finley was equally effective from the perimeter, going 8-of-13. They both scored 19 points, and forward Jerry Stackhouse came off the bench to match their total. Backup point guard Jason Terry made 6-of-12 for 18 points. Six Mavericks scored in double figures. After Nowitzki made a 3-pointer to give the Mavericks a 19-17 lead, they didn't trail again. They led by 21 points in the fourth quarter. "Our communication and transition defense was not very good," forward P.J. Brown said. "I have to blame the loss on our defense." Despite playing Tuesday night against the Sacramento Kings, a game they won 107-98, the Mavericks outran the Hornets for a 17-8 edge in fast-break points. The Mavericks started the third quarter the same way they finished the second -- making most of their shots. A 9-2 run at the start of the third quarter gave Dallas a 62-47 lead. The Hornets' offensive problems were as glaring as their defensive woes. Davis scored a game-high 25 points, but it took him until the third quarter to get going. He made his first shot from the field four minutes into the first quarter, but didn't make his next shot until eight minutes remained in the third. He pushed hard into the lane, but missed layups. He was left open on the perimeter, but could not hit jumpers. During a stretch in the second quarter, he missed seven straight shots. He closed the first half shooting 1-of-9 from the field. But he overcame those problems to score 13 points in the third quarter. Before the first quarter had ended, the Hornets were fighting to get out of a deep hole. The Mavericks closed the quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 27-19 lead. Trying desperately to get something going, Scott kept his starters on the bench. Rookie guard J.R. Smith seized the opportunity, scoring six points in seven minutes. But he didn't score again after his 16-foot jumper closed the deficit to 30-28. Once Scott returned to his starters, the Hornets went reeling again. "I just think having a game under our belt helped us tonight," Mavericks coach Don Nelson said. "In my years of coaching, I've never seen my team come in to another place in a home opener and win this easy." Scott hopes he won't have to experience anything like it again. . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or at (504) 826-3405. 老尼的話聽起來真刺耳..... @____@ --

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