by Sam Winston

The Hornets beat top Western Conference foe the Phoenix Suns in double OT on a last second shot by Peja. Even though the Hornets have owned the Suns this year it won’t get any easier playing them considering they just signed Shaq.

Also giving love to the Hornets and the city in general is Sports Illustrated writer Jack McCallum.

“When David Stern announced, in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, that All-Star weekend would remain in New Orleans, I thought it was the wrong decision. And I have no doubt that, after this year’s bacchanalia (Feb. 15-17) has concluded, there will be myriad complaints about cabs (not nearly enough), drunks in the street (far too many), indifferent retail service, long hotel check-in lines, confounding one-way streets in the French Quarter, traffic jams on the interstates, and, for all I know, the chicken and andouille gumbo at Emeril’s, which is, incidentally, quite beyond reproach.

But I am glad that Stern stuck with the Big Easy. It was the right call, no matter what inconveniences are encountered during the three-day orgy of dunks and daiquiris.

Predictably, this feeling has something to do with the surprising play of the New Orleans Hornets”. - SI.com

Unlike most national pundits who have already given up, McCallum is advocating for the All-Star game to jump-start the Hornets’ lagging attendance figures. I’m not too optimistic about the All-Star game having much of an impact locally in terms of future attendance but we’ll see.