Bradley Handwerger / WWLTV.com Sports Reporter
Email: bhandwerger@wwltv.com | Twitter: @wwltvsports
NEW ORLEANS ― Jarrett Jack looked towards his great-grandfather Friday night and saw proof of something good finally happening in the New Orleans Arena after so many tough nights.
“Nobody really believes me that he’s 102 years old,” Jack said. “He’s still walking around. I look over at the end of the game and he’s dancing, having the time of his life.”
Jack’s great grandfather wasn’t alone.
Friday night, the NOrena became the Victory Garden for only the first time since the home opener on Dec. 28 and those in attendance were vocal in their approval.
Afterward, Hornets coach Monty Williams gave his own kind of positive endorsement.
“I can look at the stats sheet and point out a number of things, but when I’m in that locker room and in that huddle and the guys are supporting one another, out there fighting for one another and playing the way they played tonight,” Williams said, “it makes the prospects for our organization look bright.”
While I caution folks to not get ahead of themselves – I’m not alone, per center Emeka Okafor, who said, “We need to use it as momentum, not an exhale moment and kick up our feet,” – Friday’s win is big.
And it’s important.
Important because it had been so long since anyone in the organization had been involved in a win of any kind.
Besides the nine-game skid New Orleans entered with, there’s the whole losing Chris Paul thing.
Then there’s the Eric Gordon thing: first, he has missed 17 of 19 games with a bruised knee.
Then the franchise couldn’t come to an agreement Wednesday night with him on a contract extension, making him a free agent, though restricted, come this offseason.
And then there’s the boondoggle with Chris Kaman, who by Friday night’s game, was not with the team as general manager Dell Demps attempts to find someone to unload his expiring $14 million contract.
Not to mention the bevy of competitive games that have turned into losses so many times this season.
So, yes, getting a win, especially a 26-point win over an Eastern Conference contender, is a big deal.
Okafor called it gratifying while forward Trevor Ariza just believed the team was due.
The key now is to turn this one game into a two-game streak on Sunday at home against Atlanta.
“Atlanta’s a tough team,” Okafor said. “They’re playing very well and us having won this game, it shows, ‘Hey, you guys can do it. You just have to do it again.’ ”
For now, the Hornets can enjoy the win.
This season, more than any recently, those have been hard to come by.
How hard?
“For a second, I almost forgot what it felt like to win,” Ariza said. “But it feels good to win and (Saturday) we’ll try to build on it in practice and come in Sunday ready to play.”
And who knows, come through with another big win and everybody in the Arena could once again be dancing like Jack’s great-grandfather.
