Hornets win first playoff series in N.O.

With confetti falling from the rafters, Hornets star guard Chris Paul was wrapped in the warm embrace of his teammates as they celebrated the team's signature moment since moving to New Orleans in 2002 -- a playoff series victory.

The Hornets -- who just three years ago only won 18 games -- eliminated the Dallas Mavericks in five games 99-94 on Tuesday night in front of a sellout crowd of 18,260 at the New Orleans Arena.

"It's been a long ride," Hornets forward David West said. "The last few years, we felt like we've taken steps to get better. We've had guys come in that fit right in. We were able to take steps forward."

The Hornets never trailed Tuesday night, and Paul was sensational as a playmaker, rebounder and scorer. He finished with a triple double -- 24 points, 15 assists and 11 rebounds.

"Congratulations to a young Nate Archibald (in Paul)," Mavericks Coach Avery Johnson said. "He is a special player, relentless. He is strong. He is intelligent. He has a bright future. He and his coach have great chemistry."

Paul got the ball often to West, who scored 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting. Center Tyson Chandler scored 10 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Jannero Pargo came off the bench and scored 17.

Paul was assertive from the start, pushing the tempo to keep the Mavericks on their heels. At one point he made a crossover dribble against guard Jason Terry that sent him moving in the opposite direction before flipping a pass to Julian Wright.

For the series, Paul averaged 24.6 points, 12 assists, 2.0 steals and 5.6 rebounds.

"I said I didn't want to go to Dallas (for a possible Game 6)," Paul said. "We're not popping champagne, but we're happy. Everything that we have done is all about this city. It's about rebuilding the city of New Orleans. The fans have been here for us. They are the reason that we're playing so well. We are going to fight always no matter what the environment is like, especially on the road."

Before the game, Hornets Coach Byron Scott received a standing ovation when he was presented the Red Auerbach Trophy as the NBA's Coach of the Year. Now, Scott will begin preparations to play the San Antonio Spurs in a second-round series that will start in New Orleans on Saturday.

"That was probably the toughest game we played," Scott said. "Dallas has no quit in them. They kept coming and coming. But we did what we had to do at home tonight."

In four of the five games against the Mavericks, the Hornets were a step quicker, more assertive and better defenders. Even with their season on the line, the Mavericks did not make their most assertive push until the final 1:18.

They trimmed a 17-point deficit to 97-94 with 33.2 seconds remaining. But any hope the Mavericks had of extending the series ended after forward Peja Stojakovic made two free throws with 5.7 seconds to give the Hornets a five-point lead.

"Right now, I think we're all disappointed," said Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, who struggled at times to make jump shots and finished with 22 points in 48 minutes. "I think we're a little better than what we showed in these games. You don't want to say stuff when you're emotional and disappointed. But we didn't play well enough to win this series. I don't want to take anything away from New Orleans. They've got what you need to be a good team."

Whether Scott needed bench scoring from Pargo or defensive stops by Chandler, his players delivered.

Pargo repeatedly made long-range shots, even with Mavericks draped over him. He ended the series averaging 14.6 points, after scoring a team-high 30 in Game 3.

"We wanted the opportunity to close this thing out," Pargo said. "I just wanted to help in any way I could."

Pargo made his presence felt in the second quarter, hitting his first four shots and scoring nine points.

Unable to stop that kind of execution caused Mavs guard Jerry Stackhouse to lose his composure. In the fourth quarter, Stackhouse punched the ball out of Paul's hands after play had stopped and received his second technical foul, an automatic ejection.

The Hornets never stopped playing aggressively. After the Mavericks tied the score at 32 in the second quarter, the Hornets closed out the final eight minutes on a 22-7 run to lead 54-39 at halftime. In the third quarter, New Orleans led by 11.

"We came into the postseason expecting to win," West said. "We put it on ourselves to win this series. We felt all along that we had enough to do that. A lot of people may be surprised on how this thing turned out, but we're not too surprised. We look forward to moving on."

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