New Orleans Hornets: Patience, not Practice, Makes Perfect

Hurried shots, rushing open looks, not taking the time to find the open man, allowing opponents to get easy points in transition, failing to close open lanes, over-committing on pick and rolls. So much for playoff experience.

If there is just one thing that Avery Johnson must teach his Dallas Mavericks, it’s patience – something their inexperienced opponents, the New Orleans Hornets, have plenty of.

The Hornets are so patient. They control the tempo. Chris Paul is so patient. You don’t rack up 17 assists by not looking for the open man. Paul and his teammates realize that 24 seconds is a long time.

Even their fast breaks are a result of patience. They close down open lanes. They have the discipline to not over-commit on pick and rolls. Patience and discipline go hand-in-hand. You can’t have one without the other.

Their patience and discipline on defense has forced the Mavericks into hurrying their shots, which has led to fast break transition points for the Hornets - a lot of them.

Since the inexperienced but patient Hornets have frustrated the experienced Mavericks to no end, Avery Johnson would be wise to forego his usual practice session or at least hold it after a team meditation session.

Sit all the Mavericks in a circle and have them close their eyes and count their breaths from 1 to 24. Afterwards, with his eyes still closed, Jason Kidd can envision Chris Paul bringing the ball up and chant, "I can guard him."

Dirk Nowitzki can envision Tyson Chandler with his hands on Nowitzki’s face and chant, "Peace, my brother. Om-mani-padme-om."

Avery Johnson and the rest of the Mavericks can conclude the session by singing, "The House of the Rising Sun."

Is there a Zen master in the house? Oh, that’s right. He’s in Los Angeles.