Moments after the New Orleans Hornets put San Antonio away 102-84 in Game 2 of its Western Conference semifinal, Jannero Pargo, Tyson Chandler and Mike James celebrated with a dance in the locker room.

Giddy about going up 2-0? Sure.

Normal for a team that averages 24 years old? Absolutely, and it’s the same way this team has been throughout this record-setting season.

Photo by Alex Brandon / The Associated Press

New Orleans guard Chris Paul (3) celebrates with teammates Hilton Armstrong, left, Morris Peterson and Tyson Chandler, right, after Game 2 Monday. The Hornets won 102-84.

“It has always been consistent throughout the year,” Chandler said. “It’s a fun bunch – a lot of laughter in the locker room, a lot of jokes, a lot of pranks being played. That’s how we keep ourselves loose. We’re a tight-knit group and we keep everything in the locker room.

“When we hit the, it’s exactly the same.”

And it’s a big reason why New Orleans is two games away from sweeping past the defending NBA champions and into the Western Conference finals. It’s a big reason New Orleans set a franchise-record for wins in a season with 56. And it’s a big reason why the club picked up its first postseason series win in its tenure in New Orleans.

One play more than any other defines the closeness of this team, and it happens almost nightly for the Hornets.

A Hornet will grab a rebound and get the ball to point guard Chris Paul, who will dart down the floor. Lagging behind but never out of the mind of Paul is Chandler, who will make his way towards the basket.

When the defense converges on Paul, Chandler makes his break. By the time the opponent realizes what has happened, the ball already is out of Paul’s hands and into Chandler’s, who emphatically throws the ball through the rim, eliciting a raucous roar from Hornets’ fans and sighs from the opponent.

This season, Paul and Chandler led the NBA in alley oops with 106, nearly 60 more than the next closest tandem in the league.

“We see each other. We make eye contact,” Chandler said earlier this season. “A lot of time, he knows exactly where I’m going. And I know where he’s going.”

But it’s not just those two who define the lack of ego on the team. The way they sell out on defense and move the ball on offense is telling.

David Martin / Associated Press

Hornets forward David West, right, hugs Tyson Chandler after the Hornets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 99-94 to win the first-round series of the NBA basketball playoffs Tuesday, April 29, 2008, in New Orleans.

The way they collectively praise each other no matter the situation is even more telling.

“It’s a lot different from other teams,” Morris Peterson said. “Nobody cares about scoring. Guys understand their roles. That’s what this game is about. It’s about playing together. When you win, everybody is successful.”

Including Paul and David West, who both are averaging 40 minutes per playoff game, nine players are averaging at least 10 minutes a game.

Yet, it’s the zaniness and closeness of the players that keeps them loose. At a recent practice, rookie Julian Wright began throwing the ball high off a wall in the Alario Center, attempting to bank it into the basket.

Nearly 45 minutes later, Wright had most of the team attempting the shot, laughs cascading off the practice arena’s walls.

It’s off the court, too, where the players grow their chemistry. Paul turned 23 Tuesday and, instead of a big party at a local bar with celebrities and hangers-on, some of the team hung out with the point guard and played games.

The relationships off the court are a big part of the success, Paul said.

“That makes a difference when we’re on the court,” he said. “We play hard for each other and we don’t want to see the season end. We joke around and have a great relationship not only with the players, but the coaching staff.”