2007–08 New Orleans Hornets season

March 2026 August 2023 New Orleans Hornets 2008 yes 56 26 Southwest 1 2 Byron Scott Jeff Bower George Shinn New Orleans Arena Conference Semifinals(lost to Spurs 3–4) NOH Cox Sports Television KMEZ New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets The 2007–08 New Orleans Hornets season was the sixthAt the time, this season was considered the 20th season in franchise history, being viewed as a relocation from Charlotte. In 2014, after this team was rebranded as the Pelicans, the name and the statistical history of the original team was reclaimed by the present day Charlotte Hornets, who had begun play in 2004 as an expansion team known as the Charlotte Bobcats.Feldman Dan Charlotte Hornets assume historical records from New Pelicans http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/20/charlotte-hornets-assume-historical-records-from-new-pelicans/ NBC Universal season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association. They returned to New Orleans full-time for the first time since 2004–05. The Hornets had the sixth best team offensive rating in the NBA.https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced/?sort=OFF_RATING&dir=-1&Season=2007-08&SeasonType=Regular%20Season Offensive Rating NBA.com April 30, 2021 Although they declined an option to play part of this season at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, as they did for most of the previous two seasons, they did play their first preseason game at the Ford Center on October 9 for a final curtain call. On February 21, 2008 Bobby Jackson was traded to the Houston Rockets along with teammate Adam Haluska for Bonzi Wells and Mike James as part of a three team deal involving Houston and the Memphis Grizzlies. Also, Marcus Vinicius was traded to the Rockets where they traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies to gain the rights to Malick Badiane and Sergei Lishouk. The Hornets finished the regular season with a record of 56–26, good enough for winning the Southwest Division. This title was clinched with their win over the Los Angeles Clippers on April 15, and marks the first division title for the franchise. Their record also ensured the 2nd seed for the Western Conference playoffs. The Hornets closed the season with a 30–11 record at home along with a 26–15 road record. It is the only season in New Orleans franchise history that they have won 50 games in a season. The Hornets' accomplishments in the season earned coach Byron Scott the NBA Coach of the Year award. On April 29 won game 5 of their first round playoff series vs. the 7th seeded Dallas Mavericks, thereby winning the series 4–1. This mark the first time in franchise history that they have won a seven-game playoff series. In his post-season debut, Chris Paul became the first player in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 10 assists in his first two playoff games. On May 19 the Hornets season ended after they were eliminated in game 7 by the defending champions San Antonio Spurs. This was the first and only time a non Texas based franchise would win the Southwest Division, until 14 years later when the Memphis Grizzlies won its first division title in franchise history. The team would not win another playoffs series until the 2017-18 season where they upset the 3rd seeded Portland Trail Blazers with an astonishing sweep. NBA All-Star Game Byron Scott was named the Western Conference Team head coach for the NBA All-Star Game on February 17, 2008. It came after the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Boston Celtics on January 31. He was the first Hornets head coach to ever coach in an NBA All-Star Game in the whole franchise history. Chris Paul and David West were also named reserves for the game. This would be the first All-Star appearance for the both of them. In addition, Peja Stojaković participated in the Three Point Shootout. Key dates prior to the start of the season: The 2007 NBA draft took place in New York City on June 28. The free agency period begins in July. Draft picks New Orleans' selections from the 2007 NBA draft in New York City. Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club team 1 13 Julian Wright Forward United States Kansas 2 43 Adam Haluska Shooting guard United States Iowa Roster New Orleans Hornets 2007–08 1 Chris Andersen C 6 10 228 1978–07–07 Blinn College 12 Hilton Armstrong C 6 11 235 1984–11–11 Connecticut 40 Ryan Bowen SF 6 9 220 1975–11–20 Iowa 45 Rasual Butler SF 6 7 205 1979–05–23 La Salle 6 Tyson Chandler C 7 1 235 1982–10–02 Dominguez HS (CA) 33 Melvin Ely C 6 10 261 1978–05–02 Fresno State 5 Mike James basketball, born 1975 PG 6 2 188 1975–06–23 Duquesne 2 Jannero Pargo SG 6 1 175 1979–10–22 Arkansas 3 Chris Paul PG 6 0 175 1985–05–06 Wake Forest 9 Morris Peterson SG 6 7 220 1977–08–26 Michigan State 16 Peja Stojaković SF 6 10 229 1977–06–09 Serbia 24 Bonzi Wells SG 6 5 210 1976–09–28 Ball State 30 David West basketball PF 6 9 240 1980–08–29 Xavier (Ohio) 32 Julian Wright SF 6 8 225 1987–05–20 Kansas Byron Scott Kenny Gattison Charlie Parker Paul Pressey Darrell Walker Terry Kofler (trainer) (DL) On assignment to D-League affiliate https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NOH/2008.html February 21, 2008 Regular season Season standings NOH NOH Game log October Record: 1–0; home: 1–0; road: 0–0 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record 1 31 October 2007 Kings 20071031 SACNOH 104 90 Hornets NA Chris Paul (22) 16,188 1–0 November Record: 10–6; home: 2–4; road: 8–2 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record 2 2 November 2007 Trail Blazers 20071102 PORNOH 113 93 Hornets NA Chris Paul (19) 9,817 2–0 3 4 November 2007 Hornets 20071104 NOHDEN 93 88 Nuggets NA David West (17) 13,156 3–0 4 6 November 2007 Hornets 20071106 NOHLAL 118 104 Lakers NA Peja Stojaković (36) 18,997 4–0 5 7 November 2007 Hornets 20071107 NOHPOR 90 93 Trail Blazers NA David West (34) 19,980 4–1 6 9 November 2007 Spurs 20071109 SASNOH 85 97 Hornets NA Chris Paul (18) 15,297 4–2 7 11 November 2007 Hornets 20071111 NOHPHI 93 72 76ers NA Two-way tie (16) 10,014 5–2 8 12 November 2007 Hornets 20071112 NOHNJN 84 82 Nets NA Chris Paul (27) 12,832 6–2 9 14 November 2007 76ers 20071114 PHINOH 95 76 Hornets NA Morris Peterson (27) 8,302 7–2 10 16 November 2007 Hornets 20071116 NOHMEM 120 118 Grizzlies 1 David West (40) 13,271 8–2 11 17 November 2007 Hornets 20071117 NOHMIN 100 82 Timberwolves NA Peja Stojaković (22) 15,324 9–2 12 19 November 2007 Magic 20071119 ORLNOH 88 95 Hornets NA Peja Stojaković (21) 11,741 9–3 13 21 November 2007 Pacers 20071121 INDNOH 93 105 Hornets NA David West (23) 11,609 9–4 14 23 November 2007 Hornets 20071123 NOHUTA 71 99 Jazz NA David West (18) 19,911 9–5 15 24 November 2007 Hornets 20071124 NOHLAC 98 89 Clippers NA Peja Stojaković (22) 15,601 10–5 16 26 November 2007 Timberwolves 20071126 MINNOH 94 103 Hornets NA Chris Paul (31) 8,393 10–6 17 30 November 2007 Hornets 20071130 NOHATL 92 86 Hawks NA David West (22) 14,186 11–6 December Record: 10–4; home: 6–2; road: 4–3 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record 18 1 December 2007 Mavericks 20071201 DALNOH 112 108 Hornets 1 Chris Paul (33) 12,223 12–6 19 5 December 2007 Pistons 20071205 DETNOH 76 91 Hornets NA Peja Stojaković (19) 10,312 12–7 20 7 December 2007 Grizzlies 20071207 MEMNOH 118 116 Hornets 1 Chris Paul (43) 10,386 13–7 21 9 December 2007 SuperSonics 20071209 SEANOH 91 88 Hornets NA Chris Paul (29) 10,793 14–7 22 12 December 2007 Hornets 20071212 NOHDEN 99 105 Nuggets NA Chris Paul (30) 13,337 14–8 23 14 December 2007 Hornets 20071214 NOHDAL 80 89 Mavericks NA Chris Paul (21) 20,071 14–9 24 15 December 2007 Suns 20071215 PHXNOH 101 98 Hornets NA Two-way tie (21) 13,705 15–9 25 17 December 2007 Hornets 20071217 NOHPOR 88 96 Trail Blazers NA David West (31) 15,183 15–10 26 19 December 2007 Hornets 20071219 NOHSEA 107 93 SuperSonics NA Morris Peterson (25) 11,968 16–10 27 22 December 2007 Timberwolves 20071222 MINNOH 110 76 Hornets NA David West (22) 11,257 17–10 28 26 December 2007 Hornets 20071226 NOHMEM 116 98 Grizzlies NA Chris Paul (40) 11,189 18–10 29 28 December 2007 Hornets 20071228 NOHCHA 99 85 Bobcats NA David West (20) 18,237 19–10 30 29 December 2007 Cavaliers 20071229 CLENOH 86 76 Hornets NA David West (27) 17,623 20–10 31 31 December 2007 Raptors 20071231 TORNOH 92 97 Hornets NA David West (33) 11,444 20–11 January Record: 12–2; home: 7–2; road: 5–0 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record 32 2 January 2008 Hornets 20080102 NOHLAC 95 81 Clippers NA David West (29) 14,965 21–11 33 4 January 2008 Hornets 20080104 NOHGSW 116 104 Warriors NA Two-way tie (24) 19,596 22–11 34 5 January 2008 Hornets 20080105 NOHPHX 118 113 Suns NA Chris Paul (28) 18,422 23–11 35 9 January 2008 Lakers 20080109 LALNOH 80 109 Hornets NA Chris Paul (32) 15,805 23–12 36 11 January 2008 Heat 20080111 MIANOH 114 88 Hornets NA Bobby Jackson (25) 17,133 24–12 37 13 January 2008 Hornets 20080113 NOHHOU 87 82 Rockets NA David West (26) 13,599 25–12 38 16 January 2008 SuperSonics 20080116 SEANOH 123 92 Hornets NA Peja Stojaković (23) 12,882 26–12 39 18 January 2008 Bobcats 20080118 CHANOH 112 84 Hornets NA David West (28) 14,986 27–12 40 21 January 2008 Bucks 20080121 MILNOH 106 92 Hornets NA Tyson Chandler (20) 14,663 28–12 41 23 January 2008 Trail Blazers 20080123 PORNOH 96 81 Hornets NA Jannero Pargo (24) 16,006 29–12 42 25 January 2008 Clippers 20080125 LACNOH 111 92 Hornets NA Peja Stojaković (26) 16,538 30–12 43 26 January 2008 Hornets 20080126 NOHSAS 102 78 Spurs NA David West (32) 18,797 31–12 44 28 January 2008 Nuggets 20080128 DENNOH 117 93 Hornets NA Chris Paul (23) 16,601 32–12 45 30 January 2008 Warriors 20080130 GSWNOH 103 116 Hornets NA Chris Paul (28) 17,410 32–13 February Record: 7–5; home: 4–2; road: 3–3 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record 46 1 February 2008 Hornets 20080201 NOHSAC 103 112 Kings NA Peja Stojaković (25) 14,245 32–14 47 4 February 2008 Hornets 20080204 NOHUTA 88 110 Jazz NA Jannero Pargo (24) 19,911 32–15 48 6 February 2008 Hornets 20080206 NOHPHX 132 130 Suns 2 Chris Paul (42) 18,422 33–15 49 9 February 2008 Grizzlies 20080209 MEMNOH 112 99 Hornets NA David West (33) 17,431 34–15 50 12 February 2008 Hornets 20080212 NOHCHI 100 86 Bulls NA Two-way tie (27) 21,739 35–15 51 13 February 2008 Hornets 20080213 NOHMIL 111 107 Bucks NA David West (22) 14,317 36–15 52 20 February 2008 Mavericks 20080220 DALNOH 104 93 Hornets NA Chris Paul (31) 16,941 37–15 53 22 February 2008 Rockets 20080222 HOUNOH 80 100 Hornets NA David West (20) 17,814 37–16 54 23 February 2008 Hornets 20080223 NOHSAS 89 98 Spurs NA Chris Paul (27) 18,797 37–17 55 25 February 2008 Wizards 20080225 WASNOH 92 95 Hornets NA Chris Paul (22) 17,289 37–18 56 27 February 2008 Suns 20080227 PHXNOH 120 103 Hornets NA David West (27) 17,988 38–18 57 29 February 2008 Jazz 20080229 UTANOH 110 98 Hornets NA David West (25) 17,949 39–18 March Record: 11–4; home: 7–0; road: 4–4 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record 58 2 March 2008 Hornets 20080302 NOHWAS 84 101 Wizards NA Peja Stojaković (17) 20,173 39–19 59 3 March 2008 Hornets 20080303 NOHNYK 100 88 Knicks NA Chris Paul (27) 18,467 40–19 60 5 March 2008 Hawks 20080305 ATLNOH 116 101 Hornets NA Peja Stojaković (29) 17,430 41–19 61 7 March 2008 Nets 20080307 NJNNOH 107 96 Hornets NA Chris Paul (25) 17,225 42–19 62 8 March 2008 Hornets 20080308 NOHHOU 96 106 Rockets NA Chris Paul (37) 18,279 42–20 63 12 March 2008 Spurs 20080312 SASNOH 100 75 Hornets NA David West (29) 17,419 43–20 64 14 March 2008 Lakers 20080314 LALNOH 108 98 Hornets NA Chris Paul (27) 18,299 44–20 65 16 March 2008 Hornets 20080316 NOHDET 84 105 Pistons NA Peja Stojaković (21) 22,076 44–21 66 17 March 2008 Bulls 20080317 CHINOH 108 97 Hornets NA Chris Paul (37) 17,337 45–21 67 19 March 2008 Rockets 20080319 HOUNOH 90 69 Hornets NA Bonzi Wells (25) 18,056 46–21 68 22 March 2008 Celtics 20080322 BOSNOH 113 106 Hornets NA David West (37) 18,380 47–21 69 25 March 2008 Hornets 20080325 NOHIND 114 106 Pacers NA David West (35) 10,829 48–21 70 26 March 2008 Hornets 20080326 NOHCLE 100 99 Cavaliers NA Peja Stojaković (25) 20,562 49–21 71 28 March 2008 Hornets 20080328 NOHBOS 92 112 Celtics NA Chris Paul (22) 18,624 49–22 72 30 March 2008 Hornets 20080330 NOHTOR 118 111 Raptors NA David West (32) 19,800 50–22 April Record: 6-4; home: 3-1; road: 3–3 # Date Visitor Score Home OT Leading scorer Attendance Record 73 1 April 2008 Hornets 20080401 NOHORL 98 97 Magic NA Two-way tie (19) 17,519 51–22 74 2 April 2008 Hornets 20080402 NOHMIA 106 77 Heat NA David West (22) 19,122 52–22 75 4 April 2008 Knicks 20080404 NYKNOH 118 110 Hornets NA Chris Paul (33) 17,779 53–22 76 6 April 2008 Warriors 20080406 GSWNOH 108 96 Hornets NA Two-way tie (25) 17,909 54–22 77 8 April 2008 Jazz 20080408 UTANOH 66 77 Hornets NA Peja Stojaković (15) 17,365 54–23 78 9 April 2008 Hornets 20080409 NOHMIN 122 90 Timberwolves NA Peja Stojaković (24) 17,265 55–23 79 11 April 2008 Hornets 20080411 NOHLAL 104 107 Lakers NA Peja Stojaković (24) 18,977 55–24 80 12 April 2008 Hornets 20080412 NOHSAC 91 94 Kings NA David West (30) 14,965 55–25 81 15 April 2008 Clippers 20080415 LACNOH 114 92 Hornets NA David West (32) 17,388 56–25 82 16 April 2008 Hornets 20080416 NOHDAL 98 111 Mavericks NA David West (26) 20,473 56–26 Green background indicates win. Red background indicates loss. Playoffs New Orleans Hornets 2008 yes New Orleans Hornets First Round yes yes 3 0 1 1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 1 || April 19 || Dallas || 104–92 || Paul (35) || Chandler (15) || Paul (10) ||New Orleans Arena17,446 || 1–0 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 2 || April 22 || Dallas || 127–103 || Paul (32) || Chandler (11) || Paul (17) ||New Orleans Arena17,855 || 2–0 |- bgcolor="edbebf" | 3 || April 25 || @ Dallas || https://archive.today/20130102231543/http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=280425006 87–97 || Pargo (30) || Chandler (11) || Paul (10) ||American Airlines Center20,839 || 2–1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 4 || April 27 || @ Dallas || 97–84 || West (24) || West (9) || Paul (8) ||American Airlines Center20,644 || 3–1 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 5 || April 29 || Dallas || 99–94 || West (25) || Chandler (14) || Paul (15) ||New Orleans Arena18,260 || 4–1 |- New Orleans Hornets Conference Semifinals yes 3 1 0 3 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 1 || May 3 || San Antonio || 101–82 || West (30) || Chandler (15) || Paul (13) || New Orleans Arena18,040 || 1–0 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 2 || May 5 || San Antonio || 102–84 || Paul (30) || Chandler (11) || Paul (12) || New Orleans Arena17,927 || 2–0 |- bgcolor="edbebf" | 3 || May 8 || @ San Antonio || 99–110 || Paul (35) || West (12) || Paul (9) || AT&T Center18,797 || 2–1 |- bgcolor="edbebf" | 4 || May 11 || @ San Antonio || 80–100 || Paul (23) || Armstrong, Paul (6) || Paul (5) || AT&T Center18,797 || 2–2 |- bgcolor="bbffbb" | 5 || May 13 || San Antonio || 101–79 || West (38) || West (14) || Paul (14) || New Orleans Arena18,246 || 3–2 |- bgcolor="edbebf" | 6 || May 15 || @ San Antonio || 80–99 || Paul (21) || Five-way tie (6) || Paul (8) || AT&T Center18,797 || 3–3 |- bgcolor="edbebf" | 7 || May 19 || San Antonio || 82–91 || West (20) || Chandler (15) || Paul (14) || New Orleans Arena18,235 || 3–4 |- NOR yes 2008 Player statistics Regular season Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Andersen, Chris Chris Andersen 5 0 6.8 .286 .000 .500 1.8 .0 .00 .80 1.2 Armstrong, Hilton Hilton Armstrong 65 3 11.3 .453 .000 .629 2.5 .4 .23 .52 2.7 Bowen, Ryan Ryan Bowen 53 4 12.5 .490 .000 .552 1.9 .5 .60 .21 2.2 Butler, Rasual Rasual Butler 51 8 17.2 .350 .331 .839 2.0 .7 .29 .41 4.9 Chandler, Tyson Tyson Chandler 79 79 35.2 .623 .000 .593 11.7 1.0 .57 1.06 11.8 Ely, Melvin Melvin Ely 52 1 11.9 .472 .000 .552 2.8 .4 .13 .35 3.9 James, Mike Mike James* 54 1 13.3 .348 .320 .813 1.3 1.1 .39 .04 5.0 Pargo, Jannero Jannero Pargo 80 5 18.7 .390 .349 .877 1.6 2.4 .63 .06 8.1 Paul, Chris Chris Paul 80 80 37.6 .488 .369 .851 4.0 11.6 2.71 .05 21.1 Peterson, Morris Morris Peterson 76 76 23.6 .417 .394 .765 2.7 .9 .62 .09 8.0 Stojakovic, Peja Predrag Stojaković 77 77 35.2 .440 .441 .929 4.3 1.2 .74 .13 16.4 Wells, Bonzi Bonzi Wells* 73 7 21.4 .443 .240 .643 4.5 1.3 1.03 .44 9.1 West, David David West 76 76 37.8 .482 .240 .850 8.9 2.3 .82 1.30 20.6 Wright, Julian Julian Wright 57 1 11.2 .533 .417 .635 2.1 .7 .51 .21 3.9 *Total for entire season including previous team(s) Playoffs Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG Armstrong, Hilton Hilton Armstrong 8 0 9.0 .615 .000 .500 2.5 .0 .00 .75 2.6 Bowen, Ryan Ryan Bowen 9 0 4.3 .167 .000 1.000 1.6 .2 .11 .00 .4 Chandler, Tyson Tyson Chandler 11 11 33.5 .617 .000 .643 9.8 .4 .45 1.73 7.5 Ely, Melvin Melvin Ely 6 0 9.2 .308 .000 .750 1.7 .2 .00 .00 2.3 James, Mike Mike James 4 0 7.0 .333 .400 1.000 .3 .3 .50 .00 3.0 Pargo, Jannero Jannero Pargo 11 0 21.7 .390 .351 .650 2.4 2.4 .91 .18 9.5 Paul, Chris Chris Paul 11 11 39.8 .507 .250 .811 4.6 11.0 2.09 .18 24.6 Peterson, Morris Morris Peterson 11 11 23.0 .508 .500 .667 2.7 .6 .45 .27 7.4 Stojakovic, Peja Predrag Stojaković 11 11 37.3 .451 .587 .926 5.5 .5 .55 .09 14.7 Wells, Bonzi Bonzi Wells 11 0 15.0 .393 .000 .000 2.8 .7 .27 .27 4.0 West, David David West 11 11 39.9 .470 1.000 .882 8.5 3.0 1.09 2.00 21.3 Wright, Julian Julian Wright 11 0 11.9 .455 .222 .833 1.6 .5 .91 .09 4.3 Awards and records Awards Byron Scott, NBA Coach of the Year Award Chris Paul, All-NBA First Team Chris Paul, NBA All-Defensive Second Team Records Season The Hornets set franchise records in wins (56) and road wins (26).http://www.nba.com/hornets/news/110308_Bob_Licht_In_the_Lan-287704-2057.html Chris Paul's Impact 2010-02-14 2008-11-03 Bob Light NBA.com https://web.archive.org/web/20100210004701/http://www.nba.com/hornets/news/110308_Bob_Licht_In_the_Lan-287704-2057.html 10 February 2010 live Chris Paul set franchise records in: double-doubles (56) total assists (925) total steals (217) 10 or more assists (59) Playoffs In Game 2 vs. the Mavericks, the Hornets set franchise marks in:http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=280422003 https://web.archive.org/web/20080424112941/http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=280422003 dead April 24, 2008 Paul dissects Mavs' D, dishes out 17 assists as Hornets go up 2-0 2010-02-14 2008-04-22 Associated Press Most points in a quarter: 39 in 1st Most points in a half: 67 in 1st Most points in a game: 127 Most 3-pt FG made (team): 10 Most assists in game: Chris Paul, 17 total points: 127 Chris Paul set a franchise record 17 assists in Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks. Milestones The Hornets won their first-ever division title in franchise history (including the tenure in Charlotte.). Byron Scott became the Hornets first Coach of the Year recipient. Playoffs The Hornets won their first playoff series since moving to New Orleans in 2002. Chris Paul averaged 24 points, 12 assists and 2 steals in the five-game first round series vs the Mavericks, becoming the sixth player and first in 17 years to do so. • Paul first player in history with back-to-back 30-pt, 10-ast, 3-steal games. Also first player in history with 30 points and 10 assists in first two career playoff games. Transactions The Hornets have been involved in the following transactions during the 2007–08 season. Trades February 21, 2007 To New Orleans HornetsMike James and Bonzi Wells To Houston RocketsBobby Jackson, Adam Haluska, and a second round draft pick To Memphis GrizzliesMarcus Vinicius, cash, as well as the draft rights to Sergei Lishchuk and Malick Badiane Free agents Player Former team Melvin Ely San Antonio Spurs Morris Peterson Toronto Raptors Player New team Brandon BassDallas MavericksDevin Brown Cleveland CavaliersDesmond Mason Milwaukee Bucks See also 2007–08 NBA season Notes References Category:New Orleans Hornets seasons New Orleans