That New Orleans (53-22) will be part of the Western playoffs for the first time since switching conferences four years ago is a mild surprise considering it was 39-43 last season with essentially the same core roster returning.

That the Hornets have the best record in a conference that already features six 50-win teams is one of the NBA's biggest eye-openers in recent memory.

"It's a great feeling," guard Chris Paul said after New Orleans clinched a postseason berth with a 118-110 victory over New York on Friday. "It's my third year in the league and I've never been to the playoffs, but we finally did it. Now the hard work begins."

If the Hornets get one of the top two seeds in the West, they could very possibly open the postseason against Golden State (46-30), which is in a tight battle with Dallas and Denver for the conference's final two playoff spots.

Paul, who had 33 points and 15 assists Friday, has been the catalyst behind the Hornets' impressive play, leading the league with 11.5 assists per game.

He's taken his game to another level since March 3, averaging 24.1 points and 13.4 assists while the Hornets have gone 14-3.

Paul's 4.62 assist-to-turnover ratio is the highest in the NBA among players who have averaged at least 35 minutes per game since the statistic was first kept in 1977-78.

"When you have great teammates around you and a great coaching staff, it makes it easy on me," Paul said.

David West has been the Hornets' second-best player in 2007-08, and like Paul, he made his first All-Star team this season. In nine games since returning from an ankle injury, West is averaging 24.2 points.

Golden State also has one of the NBA's best point guards in Baron Davis, who played the first five-plus years of his career with the Hornets' organization. Davis leads the Warriors with 21.9 points and 7.6 assists per game.

He and Paul have gone head-to-head twice this season, with both players delivering impressive offensive performances. Davis is averaging 24.5 points and 8.5 assists in the two meetings, while Paul has averaged 26.0 points and 12.5 assists.

Each team won on the other's home court.

Golden State is the highest-scoring team in the NBA, averaging 110.6 points. But after going 37 consecutive games scoring at least 100, the Warriors failed to reach triple digits twice this week in blowout losses at San Antonio and Dallas.

They got back on track on Friday, routing Memphis 117-86 behind 21 points and 17 rebounds from center Andris Biedrins.

"This was a really important game," Biedrins said. "We still have a good chance to make the playoffs. We didn't put our heads down after those two losses. We'll just keep fighting."

Biedrins averages only 10.1 points, but he's been fantastic against New Orleans. Not only has he averaged 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds, he's made 88.9 percent of his field-goal attempts.

Guard Monta Ellis has emerged as a star this season for the Warriors, averaging 19.9 points, but he's scored just 9.5 per game against the Hornets.

New Orleans has won 10 straight at home, but has dropped its last two there against Golden State.