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Originally published Monday, May 19, 2008 at 12:00 AM

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NBA Wire Notes | Hornets hope to keep magic going

Jannero Pargo spun through the air on a one-handed dunk attempt, stuffed himself on the front rim and fell backward onto the court while...

NEW ORLEANS — Jannero Pargo spun through the air on a one-handed dunk attempt, stuffed himself on the front rim and fell backward onto the court while his New Orleans Hornets teammates buckled over in laughter.

Tyson Chandler, showing no lingering effects from a foot injury last Tuesday, quickly grabbed a ball and mocked the whole sequence — fall included.

If the young Hornets are nervous about tonight's Game 7 against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs, it didn't show after practice on Sunday.

Chandler joked that having three days off after Thursday's Game 6 loss helped his conditioning because he was able to spend more time with his 2-year-old daughter.

"She may be a little tougher to chase around than Tim Duncan," Chandler said. "She's been a handful out there — no disrespect to Tim Duncan. He knows he's my guy."

No Hornets team has advanced to a conference finals in the 20-year history of the franchise. However, this squad, led by first-year All-Stars Chris Paul and David West, already has led the organization to new heights, including a franchise-record 56 victories in the regular season.

That mark earned the Hornets the second seed in the Western Conference and what seems to be an all-important home advantage in this second-round series. The home team has won every game by double digits. The Hornets have yet to lose in six home playoff games during the first two rounds of the playoffs.

"We knew it was going to be a long series, the type of team we're dealing with," said West, whose sore back didn't stop him from scrimmaging on Sunday and apparently won't keep him out of the lineup on Monday night.

"The reason we fought out games throughout the regular season was to be able to have a Game 7 on your home floor. We've been able to do that, so we've got to take advantage of the opportunity we have."

"You've just got to be very focused, knowing that you can't blink, that you can't let the other team get on a run, get confident on a run," said the Spurs' Manu Ginobili, who made six three-pointers in Game 6. "It's going to be a really tense game with a lot of adrenaline. Fans are going to be going nuts. So it's going to be a very fun game to play."

Note

• More than four months after Andrew Bynum injured his left knee, it's been decided the Los Angeles Lakers center will undergo arthroscopic surgery. An estimated timetable for Bynum's return will be provided following the surgery.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

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