reflections
May 14th, 2008 Chandler OK, Hornets Fined For Fire Incident

Tyson Chandler

John Reid of The Times-Picayune has some good news and some semi-discouraging news to report today. The good news is that Hornets center Tyson Chandler claims that he should be alright for Game 6.

Tyson Chandler bruised his left foot in the fourth quarter of Game 5 against the Spurs on Tuesday night after landing awkwardly, but he said he will be available to play Thursday night in Game 6 in San Antonio.

“I landed funny, and I kind of lost feeling in it,” Chandler said. “But I’ll be fine.”

After the Hornets’ 101-79 victory over the Spurs at the New Orleans Arena, Chandler had both feet soaking in a large bucket of ice water. He played 31 minutes and had four points and eight rebounds.

The not-so-great news is that the New Orleans Hornets organization has been hit with a fine for the fire incident that occurred during halftime of Game 1 at New Orleans Arena.

In the Hornets’ opening game of their second-round series at the Arena, residue on the court caused by fire extinguishers forced a 20-minute delay before the start of the second quarter. The delay was caused after the Hornets’ mascot, Super Hugo, jumped through a ring of fire before dunking to entertain the crowd. However, when Arena officials put out the flames from the ring with the extinguishers, a sand-like residue scattered across the court that took 20 minutes to remove.

The Hornets were fined an unspecified amount by the NBA for delaying the game, and Hornets spokesman Harold Kaufman said after the incident that they would research and evaluate all incidents with the intent of making sure the necessary steps are taken to prevent any mishaps from happening again.

“We try to entertain the fans night in and night out,” said Hornets Vice President of Marketing Matt Biggers in response to the team’s decision to continue its elaborate introductions Tuesday night.

Stern said introductions involving high-tech flame torches is something the league should seriously consider reviewing whether it’s really necessary.

Posted By: Dustin Chapman

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