The New Orleans Hornets have had two consecutive successful seasons, but the need for changes is evident following their five-game dismissal by the Nuggets.

"We've got to get healthy, but outside of that, we've really got to bring some guys in here that can take the load off Chris," said David West. "He's a great player that's going to put up great numbers. But he has to know that on some nights he can be able to rely on a second, third and fourth guy to carry the load. There were times this season where I felt we were outgunned and overmatched."

"I still feel like we're a couple of pieces away from being a contender," said Tyson Chandler, who said he wants to return next season. "If they do decide to keep the pieces, they cannot do the same thing as last year -- let players go before trying to mix and match. You have to add on to what works. If we had Jannero Pargo along with James Posey and other pieces, it would have made a difference."

Carmelo Anthony has finally won a playoff series after Denver eliminated the New Orleans Hornets with a 107-86 win on Wednesday night, the Associated Press is reporting.

After five straight first-round flameouts, Anthony - who had 34 points - led the Nuggets to their first playoff series win since 1994. They'll face the Dallas Mavericks in the second round.

"That monkey is awful heavy sometimes," Nuggets coach George Karl said. "I'm just really happy for 'Melo."

After Chris Paul broke down Denver's defense in a Game 3 win, the Nuggets wanted the point guard to feel like a quarterback handling the blitz in Game 4.

Their defensive approach worked as the Nuggets defeated the Hornets 121-63, matching a playoff record for win margin.

Paul also suffered through one of the worst games of his young career, as he was held to four points and forced to commit six turnovers.

"We compared him to a football (player)," Denver coach George Karl said. "We want Chris Paul to feel like he's being blitzed. We want him to feel like there's a linebacker coming from the left side and there's a couple coming from up the middle. In Game 3, we thought he was quarterbacking the game, and we were letting him throw where he wanted to throw or do what he wanted to do."

Paul acknowledged the new defensive look from Denver.

"It's no secret," Paul said. "They try to keep the ball out of my hands as much as possible. We've been trying to make adjustments to it for just about every game. We'll look at the film and see what we can do differently."

Denver defeated the Hornets by a final score of 121-63 on Monday in Game 4, which tied the record for largest blowout in NBA playoff history.

The Minneapolis Lakers defeated the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 in March of 1956.

Hornets coach Byron Scott believes that his team is finally adjusting to playoff basketball against the surprisingly-physical Nuggets.

"It's playoff basketball, and each game is probably going to be more physical," Scott said. "I think our guys are starting to get used to it. I think the first game, we were a little surprised."

"Denver has never been known as a physical basketball team. They have been a finesse, up-and-down team for a number of years. They changed their philosophy with Chauncey (Billups) coming over."

Billups said after Game 3, which New Orleans won to make the series 2-1 in favor of Denver, that the Nuggets figured the Hornets would increase their intensity.

"They were a little more aggressive, but we anticipated that," Billups said.

The Hornets have no choice other than to play point guard Chris Paul a majority of the minutes of their remaining games against the Nuggets.

He played 46 minutes in the team's victory on Saturday, moving New Orleans to within a win of tying the series at two games apiece.

"It's the playoffs. There's nothing to save and Chris is such a passionate player, he wants to be out there," Hornets center Tyson Chandler said Sunday. "It's like you almost have to peal him off the court. He does a good job of letting coaches know when he's really gassed so he can get a breather and get back out there."

Paul played 34 minutes in Game 1, and 38 minutes in Game 2.

Denver realizes that New Orleans has to lean heavily on Paul in order to win.

"We feel like he has to play that many minutes for them to have a shot," said Chauncey Billups. "His responsibility for his team is probably more than anybody's in the league. We have to try to take advantage of him on the other end of the court, make him defend and try to wear him down a little bit."

Hornets forward James Posey had an MRI on his injured right knee on Sunday, but isn't expected to miss Monday night's Game 4 against the Nuggets.

"I don't yet," New Orleans coach Byron Scott said of Posey's status. "I know he was getting an MRI. We just hope we got some good news. That's a tough blow for us obviously if he's hurt and can't play. We'll have to wait and see later on what happens."

Posey sprained the knee early in Saturday's 95-93 win over Denver, but returned after some treatment.

The Hornets held on against the Nuggets to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole, but the Spurs and Jazz stumbled on their way to 1-3 deficits against the Mavericks and Lakers, respectively.

- New Orleans 95, Denver 93

Team FIC Differential: Hornets -1.8, Nuggets +1.8

Despite a furious rally by the Nuggets (2-1) in the final moments, the Hornets (1-2) hold on for a much-needed win on Saturday afternoon at New Orleans Arena. Chris Paul starred with 32 points and 12 assists, David West posted 19 points and 9 rebounds, and Rasual Butler scored 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting in the victory. New Orleans held Denver to 40% shooting, and used a slight advantage at the foul line at home. Carmelo Anthony had 25 points and 8 rebounds, Kenyon Martin tallied 12 points and 10 boards, and Chauncey Billups added 16 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Chris Paul, New Orleans ? 23.9

Carmelo Anthony, Denver ? 13.8

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 13.5

Rasual Butler, New Orleans ? 13.0

- Dallas 99, San Antonio 90

Team FIC Differential: Mavericks +18.9, Spurs -18.9

The Mavericks (3-1) used a big edge in the third quarter to push the Spurs (1-3) to the brink of elimination at American Airlines Arena. Josh Howard had a team-high 28 points on 7-for-14 shooting, Dirk Nowitzki tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds, and Jason Kidd stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 7 boards and 7 assists in the win. Dallas hit just 38% of their shots from the field, but outrebounded San Antonio by 14 and went 33-for-39 from the foul line. Tony Parker starred with 43 points on 18-for-29 shooting, Tim Duncan posted 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and the Spurs got just 22 points from the remainder of their roster. Parker and Duncan shot 59.5%, but their teammates made just 21.4% of their attempts.

Game FIC Scores

Tony Parker, San Antonio ? 25.5

Jason Kidd, Dallas ? 20.8

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 20.5

Josh Howard, Dallas ? 13.1

- Miami 107, Atlanta 78

Team FIC Differential: Heat +57.5, Hawks -57.5

The road woes of the Hawks (1-2) continued in a Game 3 loss to the Heat (2-1) on Saturday evening. Dwyane Wade had 29 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds, Jermaine O?Neal posted 22 points and 10 boards, and Udonis Haslem turned in 12 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Miami hit 46% of their shots, while limiting Atlanta to 36% on the night. The Heat also won the rebounding battle by 13, and went 19-for-19 from the foul line. Mike Bibby had 13 points on 5-for-13 shooting, Josh Smith tallied 13 points and 8 rebounds, and Al Horford chipped in 13 points and 7 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Dwyane Wade, Miami ? 26.6

Udonis Haslem, Miami ? 18.5

Al Horford, Atlanta ? 13.3

Josh Smith, Atlanta ? 6.1

- L.A. Lakers 108, Utah 94

Team FIC Differential: Lakers +7.0, Jazz -7.0

The Lakers (3-1) used a 24-point advantage over the second and third quarters to defeat the Jazz (1-3) at Energy Solutions Arena. Kobe Bryant led with 38 points and 6 rebounds, Pau Gasol tallied 13 points and 10 boards, and Lamar Odom put up 10 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists in the win. Los Angeles shot 51% from the field, while outrebounding Utah by seven. Deron Williams had 23 points and 13 assists, Carlos Boozer posted 23 points and 16 boards, and Andrei Kirilenko scored 15 points on 7-for-14 shooting the loss, which pushed the Jazz to within one defeat of elimination.

Game FIC Scores

Carlos Boozer, Utah ? 23.5

Deron Williams, Utah ? 23.1

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles ? 21.6

Lamar Odom, Los Angeles ? 19.4

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Hornets forward James Posey sprained his right knee in the first quarter against the Nuggets on Saturday.

He limped off the floor, but eventually returned in New Orleans' 95-93 victory over Denver.

Posey finished the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds in eighteen minutes of action.

Nuggets coach George Karl expects to face a very angry Hornets team in the first round of the playoffs.

"I think they have some really good veterans who have had mediocre years who are going to take the playoffs pretty seriously to kind of recoup their season," Karl said of New Orleans.

Denver will host New Orleans in the series, which begins Sunday night.

"I think you're going to see a very angry, together team," Karl said, "even though they might not have had the ability to do that in the regular season because of injuries and circumstances."