Hornets calm, ready for Game 7 and Spurs

No Hornets team has ever reached the conference finals in their 20-year history.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — 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 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 Sunday and apparently won’t keep him out of the lineup tonight.

“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.”