5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Hornets at Spurs, Game 4

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Hornets-Spurs Western Conference Semifinals Game 4 this afternoon.

1. Manu Happy Returns: Manu Ginobili returned to playoff form in Game 4, lighting up the Hornets for 31 points and 6 assists in Game 3. What's better, for the Spurs, is that he finally seemed to attack the rim after being held to the perimeter in New Orleans. Instead of his customary drive from the key, he instead used the wing more, driving in for albeit contested layups, and got back on defense instead of crying for the foul. Well, less so, anyway. He was downright brilliant offensively, though, nailing 3 three pointers and helping to open previously clogged lanes. He needs to repeat that performance tomorrow night against the Hornets for San Antonio to tie this thing up.

2. The Ineffective One Man Show: Chris Paul was a lot of things in Game 3. The words "amazing," "irradiant," and "transcendent" were just a few I read and heard about his performance. One word that did not describe Paul after that game, though, was "winner." The Spurs took a defending-Kobe-Bryant-like approach to Paul, choosing to let the All-Star point guard have his way, as long as his teammates were held in check. And for one game at least, the strategy proved effective. The issue will become whether they can keep the support players for New Orleans in check after a terrible Game 3 in which the Hornets were still within range until late in the fourth quarter. The Spurs also have to make sure Paul doesn't go too far. You can give the dog some slack to run around as long as he doesn't start choking you with it.

3. Bench Colder: There's been a lot of talk about how the Hornets bench failed in Game 3. Of course, they still outscored San Antonio's 18-16. But the Hornets need to to get an overall contribution that's solid in order to win. Somewhere between last year's dominating run by the Spurs featuring all sorts of pivotal players and this year, the Spurs became a three man squad. They are essentially the big three, with a few key shots from Finley and (out of nowhere) Bowen. The Hornets have seemed like the better team for large parts in this series, in large part to the overall contributions from their team. If the Hornets want to head back to New Orleans with a 3-1 lead, they need to get Jannero Pargo and Julian Wright jumpstarted.

4. Homecourt Advantage Ability To Flop: Hornets fans: "Manu and Parker flop on every play!" Spurs fans: "Chris Paul flops on every play!" The rest of us: "Wah-wah wah, wah-wah, wah, wah." This series has easily been the best of the playoffs, but it would be even better if both teams quit flying through the air with the greatest of ease. Just play, fellas. But since that's too much to ask in the modern NBA without action from the league office (you hear me, Mr. Stern?), we should probably address the difference. The Hornets have gotten away with a lot more if you decide that every flop deserves a call, but the tide definitely turned in the second half of Game 4. The best case scenario would be for the refs to keep their whistles in their pockets, but it's not likely to happen. Expect a lot of touch calls on the Hornets tonight.

5. Underrated Superstar: Tony Parker had more assists than Chris Paul in Game 3. He also had 31 points. That's kind of a lot. He's not being given credit because he's still not as much of a vital propulsion force as Paul is for the Hornets. I know Spurs fans don't like that, but when they ask why he's not being lavished over, it's not because Parker plays for the Spurs, it's because he's not as influential. The system benefits players in San Antonio, as opposed to the players benefiting the system in New Orleans. However, Parker has been sensational and he'll probably continue his underrated brilliance tonight.