Tall Order

Last year this time, we were chuckling hubristically about our legends of the tall, the Phoenix Suns, opening at home against the L.A. Lakers. We’d owned those clowns for eons. Right. So we’re not about to take this year’s home-opener opponent, the New Orleans Hornets, lightly. For one thing, the Crescent City cats waxed us four times (out of four) last year, and their jet-fueled point guard, Chris Paul, makes recent two-time MVP Steve Nash look like a character from The Matrix (you know, moving reeeaaalll . . . slllooowww . . .). Still, hope and hubris spring eternal, and if Nash and the rest of our professional fogies can just steal one from New Orleans . . .

Uh, don’t count on it.