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The New Orleans Hornets currently sit seventh in the Western Conference and feature a lineup mixed with key players who possess solid postseason experience and others in the main rotation who’ve never played beyond the lights of the regular season.

Emeka Okafor is one those key cogs that has yet to appear in a single playoff game. It’s clear achieving a postseason berth is a huge goal for the 28 year old starting center – if not an obsession.

"I want to make it so bad," Okafor told HOOPSWORLD with passion on his desire to play in the postseason. "It’s right there and I haven’t made it man. Since I’ve been in the NBA, the playoffs are like a fairytale to me."

On the collegiate level UCONN was perennially in the mix as an elite team and won the 2004 National Championship behind Okafor who led the NCAA in blocked shots and won the National Defensive Player of the Year award (NABC). 

But when success comes early and often the general attitude is to take those accomplishments for granted.

A point in which Okafor readily agreed when asked.

"When I was in college we were in the [NCAA] tournament every single year," Okafor added. "I was like I couldn’t imagine not being in a tournament situation. You kind of take winning for granted."

At the professional level the story has indeed taken a much different path than his illustrious college career.  Winning on a consistent basis has constantly eluded the grasp of Okafor.

Since being drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004 with the No. 2 overall pick, the former UCONN product has yet to play on a team who’s finished the regular season with a .500 record.

However when Okafor first entered the NBA, he felt the winning ways he’d become accustomed to in college would continue in abundance.

"Yeah," Okafor responded when asked if he felt playoff success would come quicker. "The pros are a different level. I was on an expansion team for the first years so my circumstances are a little bit different. It’s just nice to be in playoff position finally."

The Bobcats compiled a 144-266 (35 percent win rate) record during Okafor’s five year tenure in the Queen City. He was traded in the summer of 2009 to the Hornets in exchange for center Tyson Chandler.

The fact the Bobcats were so active at this year’s trade deadline, dealing long time players Gerald Wallace and Nazr Mohammed, didn’t come as much of a surprise to Okafor.  The moves essentially ushered in a presumably long term rebuilding period for the franchise which Okafor was expecting to occur eventually. 

"With a new organization you know there’s going to be turnover," Okafor told HOOPSWORLD about the situation in Charlotte. "You know things are going to change and you know it’s just a matter of how they change. Even from the five years that I was there every year things changed little by little by little."

"Now I don’t think there’s anyone that’s originally there anymore," Okafor continued. "All the players are gone, coaches are gone and a lot of the front office. Everything has changed. "

They say you have to lose to learn how to win and Okafor is finally in a legitimate position to secure the playoff berth he craves, but in order to achieve that distinction the Hornets must perform well facing all playoff caliber opposition down the stretch. It’s also imperative the team has a fully healthy Okafor anchoring the interior defense.  

Okafor missed ten games last month with a strained left hip and since his return his point and rebound production has trailed off significantly. It’s apparent that he returned before the injury was fully healed due to the importance of each game in the playoff race.

"I’m about 100 percent now," Okafor confirmed to HOOPSWORLD. "I think things have worked themselves out. Now it’s just about getting back into my flow in these [final] games having to win them, getting right and having that playoff mentality."

Although the team is only a seventh seed if the playoffs started today, the Hornets have proved throughout the season they’re capable of beating anyone on any given night.

So Okafor believes the franchise can make some noise in the postseason regardless of who they play in the first round.

"When you get into the playoffs anything can happen so that’s all I can say," Okafor added with smile.     

David West: We’re A Tough Playoff Matchup

Okafor isn’t alone in his playoff obsession. In fact it’s almost impossible to talk to anyone within the Hornets organization that doesn’t eventually mention the team’s late season push to clinch a playoff spot.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Two-time All-Star power forward David West  isn’t ready to declare the Hornets title contenders just yet but feels that whatever team the club faces in the first round of the playoffs will be in a for a tough fight trying to advance.

"I don’t know," West responded to HOOPSWORLD on whether the Hornets can contend for a title. "Our realistic goal is to make the playoffs. We know that there are some really good elite teams but we feel if we have an opportunity to get into the playoffs we’ll be a tough matchup for a lot of teams."

The Hornets last 11 games of the season are all against teams with playoff ambitions themselves. From Utah (twice), Phoenix (twice), Los Angeles (Lakers), Portland, Memphis (twice), Indiana, Houston and Dallas.

A losing streak at this point could be damaging with only three games separating the Western Conference’s five through eight seeds. 

"Obviously we have to try and pick up wins," West said to HOOPSWORLD. "We’re just going to try and win every game we play. If we’re winning games and preparing ourselves to play at a high level it won’t be on anyone else whether or not we make the playoffs."

"We don’t want to get in that position where we need teams losing [to clinch]," West continued.  "We want to be able to control what we can control."

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