The OFFICIAL - Post your most memorable memories of the 2002-2003 Hornets Season

With the season over, I thought it might be a good idea to post some of your most memorable positive memories of the past season.

I'll start with 10 (you don't have to have 10 or limit it to 10, I'm just doing my top 10)


10. Hornets 1st game - it seems strange that the NBA's return to New Orleans after 23 years would be my 10th entry, but it was. Playing and beating the Utah Jazz was a nice way to provide closure (beating them again on 12/12 helped also) but it wasn't the most memorable event of the season. A nice start and a great memory, just not my top.

9. DW's put back to beat Philly on 10/18. Sure it was early in the season and we had only lost 2 games at that time, but that game was about as exciting as they came. Close, hard fought and a thrilling ending.

8. Sweeping the MJ Wizards in the NoRena. Sure MJ wasn't the same superstar that played in Chicago, but beating him twice on our own court was memorable.

7. Mash is selected to the All Star team. Sure he wasn't voted in, but he was still chosen to the team and became the first New Orleans Hornet All Star.

6. PJ scores the Hornets first regular season points and Tractor scores the last. What a way to start and end the regular season. A local favorite scores our first 2 points with a little foul line jumper and fan favorite Tractor Traylor closes out the season with an unexpected 3-pointer.

5. Hornets 8 game winning streak after the All Star break. It was during this stretch that the team began to come together and play up to their expectations, ignoring the distractions and just winning games. Sure they would lose some more games down the stretch, but this 8 game stretch through late February and into early March is probably what propelled them into the playoffs.

4. Mash scores 50 and the game winner to beat the Griz in overtime on 2/21. What a game. Sure the Griz are not a great team, but they did become competitive during the season. This was a great back and forth shoot out of a game that left me exhausted just listening to the radio feed over the net in Cleveland.

3. Mash beats Detroit on a last second shot. Well, he might not have scored 50, but Mash again won a game on the last shot. In the second of back-to-back games, Mash gets the ball and puts it in for the win.

2. Hornets close the season with a 5 game winning streak. This streak was meant to send a message, and it did. Three of the 5 teams were playoff teams and the Hornets record against playoff bound teams was horrid. These games were won decisively and sent us into the playoffs on a positive note.

1. Hornets make the playoffs. I know this may sound strange, since the playoffs didn't exactly go as planned, much less hoped, but New Orleans hasn't exactly had the fortune of experiencing much post season play. Sure the series against Philly ended with Philly winning in 6, but it was an exciting experience and the arena rocked like it never had during the season. There were so many unknowns, but the playoffs cemented New Orleans' relationship with the Hornets. It may hurt to know that our playoff run ended so early, but we only have bigger and better games to look forward to in upcoming seasons. Making the playoffs gave New Orleans the opportunity to show the rest of the NBA that we succeeeded as a city in supporting the Hornets.

That's my list, what's yours?

You picked so many of the good ones, but I'll try to come up with a few more...

1. Silas' dance in Detroit after Mashburn hit the winning shot. Hey Paul, shut up and dance!!!:D

2. Tractor's put back at the final second versus Seattle on that long west coast road trip.

3. Thrashing the Lakers at the Staples Center.

4. Beating the Kings at home.

5. Magloire's outlet pass to Paul Silas after a thunderous rebound.:p

6. The incredible 17-7 start.

7. Eleven consecutive home wins to start the season.

8. Mild mannered PJ Brown standing up to the likes of Charles Oakley. Oakley is lucky players stepped in and stopped the butt whippin PJ was about to put on him!!!:D

9. The pleasant development of Jerome Moiso.

10. The maturation of Jamaal Magloire. He was the most improved player from the beginning of the season until the end. Had he not stepped up, the Hornets would not have hand any contribution from the C position this year. I don't think we would have made the playoffs. JMag had a "difference making" season.

11. A healthy Mashburn.

12. BD's fire, desire and leadership in the playoffs. Will he mature? Will he realize the potential that everyone talks of?

13. David Wesley's warrior mentality was a pleasure to watch. DW was one of the players who stepped up during the losing streak and decided that it wasn't acceptable. He stepped in as a leader when Baron was down and the team needed an attitude adjustment on and off the floor.

Thats it for now...

Getting to meet the Honey Bees. :D

I think the 11 win home run was very exciting and really helped to get the ball rolling.

Oh yeah, how could I forget all of the fun we had at the Gerry V radio shows!!! It was great to get to know Gerry and meet Bob Bass, Mashburn, PJ, Tractor, Baron, Steve Martin and DW on location. Wesley appeared a lot on V's show when he was at the City Club. It's easy to become a DW fan when you watch him play, but impossible not to be a DW fan after meeting him. He is a class act.

I also had a chance to meet Elden, Paul Silas, Brian Hill, Jerome Moiso, Terry Koffler, Haston, Drew and George Shinn as well. Every last person I met with the Hornets seemed like a very good person. It's a pleasure to have them in our fine city.

Finding out that there were other people looking for a place to go to talk New Orleans and NBA relocation. Before this site, I have never really posted on any boards or anything like this (but did find out about this site from the old CLT board) . . . so just to have this site to keep in touch with the team and city is great thing.

Making the playoffs. Even though we were almost a lock to make the playoffs this year, it was exciting to have our team get there.

Keeping BD and proving me completely wrong. I said he was too slow, played lazy D, and made bad choices on the floor. BD proved me very wrong in my summer posts and I couldn't be happier.

The games I was able to attend. With the best being our losing effort at home against the Mavs and our winning effort on the road against the Clippers. There was just something about seeing this team live, after only watching them on TV and cheering from a distance.

The Jazz home opener. Waiting around to see which jerseys the teams would wear, if we would win, and would it feel right cheering against the Jazz in NO.

Waiting to see "the big changes" for the unis. Hey, did they ever happen? hahaha And waiting for the merchandise to come out, remember how long that took?

Getting to debate basketball again, after all the city bashing and relocation talk went away.

Seeing my brother and Dad get into NBA basketball again.

And just getting this team. Before the relocation, I hated the Hornets . . . the colors, cartoon logo, the headbands, unis, and everything. Now that they are in NO, none of that bothers me so much. I really love this team, and couldn't be happier with the franchise we got.

And once again, just have my hometown get back into the NBA again . . . this has been a great year.

1. having the HORNETS in a great city like New Orleans makes me really happy, mekes me even happier when i come to visit your city, for sure more party than in Charlotte :)

2. home opener against the Jazz...was a great way to start the new era!!!

3. home win against the Wolves, HORNETS were already down by 11 at the beginning of the 4th, but HORNETS rallied behind CA to extend the home winning streak to 5 games!!!

4.heartbreaker against the 76ers, thank you DW :)

5. sadly the first game of his career BD missed, HORNETS at Boston 1/12!!!

6. HORNETS beat the Lakers in front of Nicholson and company!!!

7. Tractor's tip-in against the Sonics!!!

8. HORNETS came back from a 31 point second half deficit just to lose by 4 at the Pyramid!!!

9. Mash scoring 50 against the Grizz!!!

10. Mash hitting another game winner at the Palace one day after lighting it up for 50!!!

11. beating Wizards, Grizz, Pistons, Heat, Nuggets, Suns and Clippers and Cavs to make it their longest winning streak of the season!!!

12. BD returning after 20 missed games, he scored 20 points in 24 minutes against the Pacers (HORNETS won by 10)

13. ending the season on a 5 game winning streak against Cavs, Pistons, 76ers, Nets and Hawks...

14. 6 game series against the 76ers...way more to come next season...!!!

15. MASH's first full 82 games season!!!

16. sadly ending on a low note by letting Silas walk, makes it another great FA who can't be re-signed by Shinn...!!!

I LOVE THIS TEAM!!!

GO HORNETS!!!

My most memorable memory of the Hornets season was when I was getting ready for the draft wondering who would be the first NO Hornet drafted... Would it be Stoudemire? Would it be Kareem Rush? Would it be Bostjan Nachbar?

And then I see on the news that we traded away our 1st rounder to the Wizards in exchange for Courtney Alexander. Cancel the trip to the draft party... Watch Rush fall to 20-something before he's picked and then see the Lakers trade 2 #1s to the team who picked him.

You just knew it was going to be a special year:(