Charlotte Hornets Slowly Moving Up
By Josh Wilson
The Charlotte Hornets are currently involved in an intense race to make the playoffs. As it stands, six teams are in the running to grab the seventh and eighth seed. Lately, the sixth seed also looks like it may be up for grabs, as the Bucks continue to lose.
While some of the other teams in the running for these spots continue to lose, a few are really playing some decent basketball. The Indiana Pacers have won five in a row, impressively. They haven’t been shabby four games, (although they did play the Knicks) as they have been able to beat both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls in those four games.
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On the other hand, teams like the Detroit Pistons have lost six in a row. The Pistons have had a tough last few games, but they certainly could’ve beaten the New York Knicks.
Other teams like the Brooklyn Nets aren’t playing fantastic either. They have gone 3-7 in the last 10 games. Looking at their strength of schedule, however, they’re games that I would’ve expected Brooklyn to lose this year. The Hornets were able to beat the Nets earlier this week in a double whammy that pushed them further in the race, and set back the Nets.
Now, the Hornets don’t have much room to talk, especially over the Nets, going just 6-5 in their last 10, but their last five games say a lot. They won all five of them. The schedule wasn’t incredibly hard, but they were on the road for three, and had to go all the way up to Toronto to face the somewhat intimidating Raptors for one of them. They led most of that game against Toronto, and were able to take away an impressive win.
Things couldn’t be going better for the Hornets right now. They do have the seventh seed, and they continue to win. With the current fluctuation of the East, it looks like they need to win. Winning is the only sure way to make sure you’re doing all you can to make the playoffs.
They’ve got a mixed schedule coming up, playing the Bulls and Wizards who are forces in the East, but teams that the Hornets have been able to take down. They also have to face the Clippers, a strong Western Conference team.
They do have some easier games too, though. The Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz, and Minnesota Timberwolves are all opponents that they can easily beat, despite all three of those games being on the road.
This upcoming stretch of games obviously features a decent mix of teams. Some good, some bad, some mediocre. If they can come out and win against teams like the Clippers, not only would they further themselves in the playoff running, they would send a message to the rest of the league.
It’s important for the Hornets to play well in March. Most people haven’t realized it yet, but the last stretch of games is upon us. These last games could be the difference between having a sweep in the first round, and putting up a fight against their first round team, having a shot to move on to the second round of the playoffs.
Despite winning five in a row, and having recent impressive wins over Toronto and Chicago, people still don’t believe the Hornets are for real. Winning against the Clippers, and Chicago yet again, would really show fans and other teams alike, that the Hornets are not playing around.
With the Bucks recent skid, it’s looking like the Hornets do have a shot at the sixth seed, too, (4.5 games back) if they work at it hard enough. The sixth seed obviously means a more evenly matched opponent in the first round of the playoffs, so if it’s a feasible goal, it’s something they obviously should work towards.
Next: Hornets Have A Comeback Win Over Detroit
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