The New Orleans Hornets gathered in front of their bench, wearing ball caps and T-shirts commemorating the first division championship in the franchise’s 20-year history.
While the latest sellout crowd roared its approval, they stayed on the court for almost a half-hour to celebrate the moment.
David West scored 32 points and Chris Paul had 12 during a decisive run in the third quarter as the Hornets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 114-92 on Tuesday night. New Orleans will have the No. 2 seed in the playoffs in the rugged Western Conference after the Los Angeles Lakers won later Tuesday night.
Three seasons after going 18-64, the Hornets clinched the rugged Southwest division, which has four 50-win teams.
“A lot of people had us not even getting in the playoffs,” New Orleans center Tyson Chandler said. “I don’t think any of us believed that. We all believed that we’re one of the better teams in the conference. If you win this division it says a lot about the team because this is the best division in basketball.”
