Appropriate versus Inappropriate

Time for another edition of...what's that? We've never done this one before? Well then...time for the FIRST EVER edition of the new multiple choice game show: Appropriate versus Inappropriate (from the makers of 'Good Idea, Bad Idea')

Tell us which of the following cutouts are "inappropriate":

A)

B)

C)

D)

E) All of the above

F) None of the above

If you answered "C" then you're correct. A rape trial is not funny. But making fun of a guy's infidelity with his wife? TOTALLY acceptable. There's the challenge all you Utah Jazz fans: find a way to make jokes about Kobe's wife's MASSIVE 'Forgive Me' ring. (Hat Tip to Deadspin for that photo)

As for option "D" ... Eva Longoria is far game, provided it's handled in a sensible manner, like so. The guy simply pasted her head on top of a Honeybee cutout. No big deal. It's amusing. (Hat tip to Hornets247.com for that photo)

Hornets win, so why am I concerned?

Ralph Malbrough over at WWLTV.com is concerned about the injured Hornets...

Forecast: Are Hornets in trouble despite the win?

Not to put a damper on the Hornets' Game 5 romp, but our local basketball team is in trouble if David West and Tyson Chandler have serious injuries.

It’s that simple.

West scored 24 points and kept the Hornets close during a first half where San Antonio was raining in threes and New Orleans was ice cold shooting.

The Hornets were very fortunate to trail by only three at the half.

Chris Paul then took control in the third quarter as the Hornets outscored the Spurs 28-11. The Spurs never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

So after a replay of the first two games, the Hornets answered the question of whether they can handle playoff pressure.

Now two of their main weapons will have to answer the question of health going into Game 6.
Both West and Chandler say they’ll be fine for Game 6 but in a post-game interview, Chandler acknowledged he won’t be able to walk on his injured foot tonight.

I’m no doctor but that can’t be good.

The Hornets need Chandler’s defense on Tim Duncan and his offensive rebounding if they are going to win this series.

If either Melvin Ely or Hilton Armstrong play a prominent role in the final two games -- be afraid; be very afraid.

David West did continue to play great even after injuring his back in the second quarter so the outlook for him seems better.

Let’s hope so because the Spurs have absolutely no answer for him.

Gregg Popovich admitted as much in his post-game press conference and looked almost sick talking about West’s 38 point explosion.

So you think you can be an NBA head coach? How should Byron Scott handle the injuries to West and Chandler?

What if Tyson Chandler and David West struggle with their injuries? Does he pull them early and give them rest for a Game 7?

Not easy choices. Good luck with that, Byron.

Don’t think all is doom and gloom in Hornetville.

Chris Paul and company get a pressure free shot to close out the world champions.

Yes, it’s on the road and the Hornets are banged up but eventually a game in this series will come down to the final minutes.

It might as well be Thursday night.

Besides, while Chris Paul has been nothing short of spectacular, he needs a buzzer beating shot to win a close game to silence the few doubters left.

That would be great except something about this series says, “Classic Game 7.”

I can’t exactly tell you why but something tells me Chris Paul and Tim Duncan will have a duel to the death come next Monday night.

But what do I know?

I thought the Spurs would win Game 5.

Ralph Malbrough is a Hornets fan living in Houston. He can be reached at ralphmalbrough@hotmail.com

Ah, Kim Kardashian, you lovable scamp!

After reading about the Spurs pulling a Jason Voorhees, I really needed to have a good laugh. Luckily for me, SI's 'Hot Clicks' blog linked to some Kim Kardashian photos. Why's that funny? Because she took some racy pics to make a calendar for her boyfriend, Saints running back Reggie Bush. Even funnier? Her mom decided to sell the calendar. Funnier still? Reggie (allegedly got pissed) and Kimmy had to buy all the calendars back.

Look, I've got a friend who once took pictures of himself posing as movie heroes (Indiana Jones, The Punisher, etc.) and used them to make a calendar for his then-fiancee. It is NEVER a good idea to make a calendar of yourself for anyone at any time.

Oh yeah, hat tip goes to Co-Ed Magazine for posting some of the pics. Reggie, I'd be more upset that your gal posed for Playboy than by these pics.

But hey, what do I know, I'm just a dude in an apartment...

New Orleans, say hello playoff basketball

I could join in with the chorus of doom and gloom about the Hornets crap like performance against the Spurs in game four but why bother?

What's done is done.

The cool thing is now New Orleans gets to experience nail biting, high intense, win or else basketball.

Welcome to game 5.

I'm not worried about Chris Paul..he'll be fine.

David West is another matter.

The Spurs Fabricio Oberto is in David's head and as Charles Barkley said in TNT's post game. "David needs to knock him hard early then forget about it and just play."

The Chuckster has this series pegged perfectly.

He said the key is Peja. And he's right.

Peja needs to get 20 on Tuesday or the Hornets season may end in a four game train wreck.

But no need to be negative...let's all embrace the hugeness of Tuesday night...

'Frenchie' needs to feel 'The Pain'

It's simple really...the Hornets need to contain Mr. Desperate Houswife. I'm not saying hurt the man, but rough him up a bit.

What do analysts call it? A professional foul? Hey that'll do.

The Hornets get another chance to put the hammer lock on the Spurs, but getting a win in this game four will be a lot harder than against Mavericks.

In game three against the Mavs, CP3 and David West stunk and we knew that wouldn't happen again.

San Antonio is different. First, they hold the title so they won't go quietly and second, Tim Duncan hasn't been dominate yet...that's a problem.

My gut says Spurs play great tonight and coast to a win..setting up a Super-Sized game 5 in New Orleans...and the Hornets will officially feel playoff heat for the first time.

Saints rookie mini-camp has been quiet, uneventful...GOOD!

Top picks doing well. Nobody's passed out from the heat and humidity. Defensive players are flying to the ball. Nobody's been in jail or seen out late partying or had to be cut after 15 minutes because he couldn't handle a professional workout...

Yep, this is EXACTLY the kinda boring, "he's looking like he could be a solid contributor for our team," said the coach, stories that I want to read as a fan around this time Read more.

And because the article in the Picayune mentioned Jeremy Shockey, allow me to reiterate something to Coach Sean Payton: DO NOT TRADE FOR THE GUY! I'm not interested in a potential malcontent coming onto the squad. He's not really worth it...

Chris Paul is Your Most Valuable 'Person'

CP3 is gonna write the name 'Brian' on his shoes for Monday night's game against the Spurs to honor an eight-year-old fan whose dying--and unfulfilled--wish was to watch a Hornets game. Read more.

Kick them when they are down

When is the best time to kick a man? When he's flat on his back, of course. It's so much easier.

The Hornets will attempt to show America that the inevitable is upon us: Kobe vs CP3 for the right to beat Detroit for the NBA Title.

Everyone will expect the Spurs to come out and give the Hornets a beat down but, we haven't seen Chris Paul do one thing in these playoffs yet: and that's drop the buzzer beating dagger.

My Prediction is Peja hits a corner three after Paul drives the lane.

R.I.P the Spurs and their dull, boring, lifeless basketball dynasty.

Yeah, they were great, but goddamn it was boring and America didn't give a shit.

Oh and for the love of God to all the New Orleans media: Could you ask just one decent question at the post-game interviews? Yes, I'm fucking talking to you, Ed Daniels. If you don't, Popovich might strangle the life out of you.

Jose Lima on the Hornets: "BEE-lieve It!"

If you're any one of the other 29 teams in the league, here's the scariest thing you could read today from a blogger (and not just ANY blogger. AOL Sports' Tom Ziller): Chris Paul Has No Ceiling. What's so scary about that? He wrote posted it online at 7 a.m. Monday morning, more than 12 hours BEFORE Chris Paul obliterated the Spurs in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals.

Frankly, there is not enough verbage for me to fully describe what occurred in the New Orleans Arena Monday night. Not only with regard to CP3's performance, but on the team's performance as a whole: Peja Stojakovic made it rain from behind the arc, hitting 5-of-7 for most of his 25 points (he also had six rebounds) ... and even though he scored a mere 10 points in the game (six of which came on free throws), David 'the 17 Foot Assassin' West combined with Tyson 'God of War' Chandler for 21 total rebounds, just three less than the five San Antonio starters COMBINED.

And how 'bout the man of the hour? 'Mega Man' himself, CP3. I wrote on Sunday that the Hornets would need more production from the point guard position. I expected the wunderkind to have himself a nice game, but damn! 30 points and 12 assists.

The Hornets are seemingly on a whole other plain of thought here, because when the team needs somebody to step up, it's happened for them in these playoffs. When Chris Paul stopped being the man in the Dallas series, D-West made it his objective run all up in Dirk's pillbox and torch the German like it was from the first 25 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan." Chris Paul showed up in Game 5 to help close the show along with Peja.

In Game 1 against the Spurs, Tyson Chandler and David West made damn sure Tim Duncan had little to no effect on the game. When D-West slipped in performance, Peja stepped up and started draining three pointer and started to take a run at Martin Gramatica for the title of 'Best/Most Amusing Foreign-Born Athlete in the City of New Orleans.'

As thrilled as I am, though, I must temper my nipple popping excitement over the Hornets because these are STILL the defending NBA Champions and I have a sneaky suspicion that the refs will be far more 'pro-Spurs' in Games 3 and 4. I don't want to start thinking of any 'anti-Kobe' invective until AFTER the Hornets win that fourth game against Duncan and company, at which point I'll put the 'anti-Duncan' invective in the closet.

Forecast: Hornets can expect to see the Spurs' absolute best tonight

WWLTV.com contributing writer Ralph Malbrough posted his thoughts on tonight's Game 2 Western Conference semi-final match-up between the Hornets and Spurs:

In the NBA, what defines a champion? They all have great players and a great coach, but the dynasties have something else.

The ability to bounce back after awful playoff games, for instance. Michael Jordan’s Bulls did it repeatedly to the New York Knicks in the 90s. Tonight, we’ll learn if the aging champion still has a strong enough right hand to knock the young Hornets to the floor. I cannot wait to find out the answer.

After San Antonio’s Tim Duncan was awful in game one on Saturday, expect the exact opposite tonight. Sure, the Hornets defense had a lot to do with Duncan’s five point dud of a game, but let’s not get carried away. Duncan is going to the Hall of Fame and Byron Scott didn’t conjure up a secret the rest of the NBA hasn’t thought of in the decade the Spurs have dominated.

So the Spurs will come out angry and looking to set the world back in proper order. That means San Antonio on the throne and the Hornets left to doubt themselves.

Just because the Spurs went to Phoenix and laid the smack down to the Suns in game three of that series doesn’t mean it will happen against the Hornets.

No Champion gets to hold the title indefinitely. Nothing in sports lasts forever.

While the Spurs still have the will, they may no longer possess the way.

Kurt Thomas, Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry are so old Matlock makes jokes about their age.

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are both over thirty. Teams with two major stars over thirty don’t win titles, according to ESPN's John Hollinger.

Let’s hope the Spurs' run is over and no one realizes it just yet.

Byron Scott’s plan to combat Tim Duncan is a solid one: as long as Tyson Chandler can stay out of foul trouble. And I’m not sure even the genius that is Gregg Popovich can conjure up a way to stop David West.

I had been thinking the Spurs would win in seven games but maybe I’m just falling into ‘media group think.’

Most of the media thinks the Spurs will win in a really good series in either six or seven games. The reason: they’re the Spurs.

It’s as good a reason as any because they do have four championships, but maybe the Hornets are the right team to take down the champs.

Why? No playoff baggage.

The Suns had been beaten by the Spurs twice before in the playoffs and really never believed they could beat them. The Hornets have no such doubts and while this is their first playoff trip and they lack experience, they also have no failures. A clean slate and no pressure.

Oh and Chris Paul is becoming a superstar now. Not during the Olympics or the 2009 season, but right now. It’s almost comical to listen to the talking heads talk about Paul.

They all admit he’s great and will be a superstar and then they add, “but I think the Spurs experience will win out.”

Do they refuse to believe their eyes? More likely they just stick to what they know and that is the Spurs winning. 0-2 is a gigantic hole to climb out of. The Spurs know it.

So tonight the champ will come out swinging and the Hornets have yet another chance to silence the doubters.

Ralph Malbrough is a Hornets fan living in Houston. He can be reached at ralphmlbrough@hotmail.com

Say it with me now: "Wah!"

I can't add anything else to what was a phenomenal game for the Hornets last night. Chris Paul was not at his best. CP3 scored nine of his 17 points in the fourth quarter and Jannero Pargo had a sub-Pargo night as well (21 minutes, two points). They made their presence known with assists and a couple good steals, but overall, the team will need more of the point guard position in order to close out the Spurs.

I'd like to thank Timmy Duncan for going 1-of-9 and scoring only five points in the game. Really; top notch, dude.

Ryan Perrilloux, we hardly knew ye...Actually, we FINALLY have had enough of ye...

Nothing like a six sentence statement from head football coach (and absolute blabber-mouth) Les Miles on the dismissal of QB Ryan Perrilloux.

All the off-field shenanigans finally caught up with the young kid, who had a promising future ahead of him as the starting QB of a defending national championship squad. Instead, he chose to piss it all away with whatever incident broke the camel's back, or in this case, the patience of the head coach.

With Perrilloux seemingly destined for transfer-glory, LSU's 2008 roster now has five quarterbacks on it. Five?!? Has Les Miles stolen a play out of Jon Gruden's book? Those five QBs are: Jordan Jefferson (Freshman), T.C. McCartney (Freshman), Rodney Scioneaux (Sophomore), Jarrett Lee (Freshman) and Andrew Hatch (Junior). Not a hell of a whole lot on the experienced side, that's for sure...But I'm damn proud that Miles took a stand and made the point--for all to see--that this is his team and he will not be afraid to run somebody off for defying team policy.

Of course, I wonder how long the radio blowhards and the rest of the "intelligencia" in Baton Rouge decide to crush Les Miles for the decision after LSU racks up three or more losses in 2008-09?

I think Les Miles and company deserve a mulligan heading into this season; you lose your defensive coordinator AND your starting quarterback, I think the public needs to be ready to cut some slack for the man. Of course, it's college football, so the fans will likely be hanging Les Miles in effigy by week four...