Big Shot or Cheap shot

Even at 37, Robert Horry is still known at playoff time as Big Shot Rob.
Except in certain cities.
Phoenix is naturally No. 1 on that list. Horry will always be known in the desert as Cheap Shot Rob, thanks to his infamous hip-check of Steve Nash in Game 4 of the Spurs' memorable second-round series with the Suns last spring.
As for New Orleans ...
We won't know for sure until Monday's Game 7, but it seems safe to suggest that Horry can expect an unfriendly welcome from Hornets fans after Thursday night's fourth quarter, when the unsuspecting David West slammed right into Horry's back screen and absorbed a hard hit to his previously tender back.
Dirty play? Horry is likely to hear that accusation plenty over the next few days, since he had to know West has been playing through a back injury and since he didn't exactly shy away from the contact.
Yet Horry couldn't have known that West was going to leap for Manu Ginobili's entry pass, which appeared to be what caused West to smack so hard into Horry behind him.
That might explain why the loudest protest voiced by the Hornets so far -- from Chris Paul -- was not specifically about the contact.
Paul was mostly (and rightly) angered that pockets of Spurs fans let loose with a few chants of "Horry, Horry, Horry" after West was knocked to the floor and had to be helped to the locker room.
"Our man gets hurt and they start chanting [for] Horry," Paul said in disbelief.
Horry's intentions were easier to question when he sent Nash hurtling into the scorer's table last May, since he certainly seemed to be looking to initiate contact in a game that was basically over. The moment will likewise live in playoff infamy because of the reactions of Suns forwards Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw, who were suspended for the pivotal Game 5 in that series after briefly leaving the Suns' bench.
And Horry, remember, was suspended for two playoff games for his role in the Nash clash. It seems unlikely that the league office would even consider issuing a penalty in this case.
That said ...
This tangle with West came with the Spurs leading by 21 points in the fourth ... and the impact could be somewhat similar if the All-Star forward doesn't heal in time to be the Game 7 force that the Hornets expect after West's three big performances in New Orleans' home games.