Getting to the point: Wesley vs. Snow
By Fred Carter
Special to ESPN.com
No. 5 76ers (49-33) vs. No. 4 Hornets (49-33)
 NBA 2Night analyst Fred Carter knows all about the importance of guard play in the Association. When he was playing back in the early 1970s and earning his nickname "Mad Dog," Carter was an energetic guard who put up impressive numbers in scoring and assists while with the Baltimore Bullets and Philadelphia 76ers.
Throughout the 2000 playoffs, Mad Dog will share his thoughts on the starting point guards for all 16 playoff teams in our exclusive "Getting to the Point" feature.
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| Wesley |
DAVID WESLEY
Team: Hornets
Seasons: 7
Ppg: 13.7 | Apg: 5.7 | Rpg: 2.8
When he's on: David Wesley can shoot the ball. You need point guards who can shoot because the ball will always come back to them as the shot clock is winding down. Wesley also has an ability to get in the lane and create a shot for himself, and he has proven this in the past.
When he's off: Wesley has poor shot selection. Often, his shots start missing when the game is too tight. In addition, he can run into trouble when he is looking more for his offensive game rather than distributing to his teammates.
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| Snow |
ERIC SNOW
Team: 76ers
Seasons: 5
Ppg: 7.9 | Apg: 7.6 | Rpg: 3.2
When he's on: Eric Snow's game is very simple. Everybody has been slinging darts at him, complaining about his game and calling him a backup point guard. But he keeps going out and doing the same job every night. Defensively, he is sound. Offensively, he doesn't turn the ball over or make mistakes. He gets the assists, delivers the ball around the floor to Allen Iverson, and makes the 17-footer. He will have to make the open shot.
When he's off: He is failing to hit the open shot. If Snow is missing shots while Iverson is double-teamed, the Sixers will go home early. He must make the shot or Larry Brown will put Aaron McKie in the game.
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What to expect: Against Snow and Philadelphia, the Hornets need Wesley to make shots, play under control and distribute the basketball, because they have a lot of good offensive players in Charlotte. The offense can't start with him; it should end up with him.
Snow has an interesing matchup with David Wesley, who is more of an offensive-minded point guard. If Wesley looks to make the 3-pointer, that will keep Snow closer at home with Wesley. Snow likes to cheat around the floor and steal balls. If Wesley can make shots, that will keep Snow from providing defensive help. He also might even be forced to guard Eddie Jones. That could create some tremendous matchup problems for Philadelphia.
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