Can't believe it, Jamal Mashburn is playing tonight, talk about playing through pain from espn With his team facing elimination in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, a hurting Jamal Mashburn was in the starting lineup for the Hornets on Wednesday night. Mashburn, the Hornets' leading scorer during the regular season, injured his right middle finger in Game 2 against the 76ers. New Orleans doctors stand by their original projection of 3-4 weeks before Mashburn could be ready, but, with the season on the line, Mashburn taped up the finger and pronounced himself fit to play. The Hornets trail Philadelphia in the best-of-7 series 3-1. Wearing nothing on his injured finger, Mashburn took shots at practice Tuesday for the first time in nearly a week. After watching him shoot, teammates Baron Davis and David Wesley had predicted that Mashburn would play in Game 5. "He's just showing a lot of courage as our leader by coming back, and I'm glad to see him toughen it out," Davis told The Times-Picayune of New Orleans on Tuesday. "I know he's really hurt. It's hard for him to grab the ball, let alone not having any feeling in his finger." "My gut reaction is that he's going to play," Wesley told the newspaper. Mashburn did not talk to reporters after his practice session on Tuesday. Man this one tough SOB, thinking about nothing but his team. And he has 11 pts and 3 assists at half time
