Why the Charlotte Hornets will make the playoffs

As I rue over the Charlotte Hornets’ recent loss to the San Antonio Spurs, I have a realization in my mind. Although I might be depressed, angry, and a little pissed, I still know that I don’t look as dumb as Spencer Hawes with his man-bun.

Don’t get me wrong, I think man-buns are okay in certain instances. One of these few instances is on a European soccer field. Nothing is better than watching Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s glorious man-bun bouncing all game; inspiring swoons from the women and men alike, at the stadium and throughout France. But Spencer Hawes’ is awful. And Evan Fournier: don’t even begin to think that you are off of the hook as well. Yours is not the best either.

You might be wondering, how does this little tangent relate to the Hornets’ playoff chances? I’ll be honest, it really doesn’t, I just wanted to get that little bit off of my chest.

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What does matter for the Hornets is the role that Hawes plays. I try to feign from making comparisons between players due to their skin color, but in the instance of Spencer, he is extremely similar to Josh McRoberts. Not only do they both now have the same godawful hairstyle, but they have the same games. Both are outside-in bigs who rely on passing and shooting. Their defensive game at times can be suspect, but they both provide a role in the ball-spacing of the team. Now, the Hornets have more space on the court than they have in the recent past, due to the bevy of three-point shooters. Spencer Hawes is not going to have to play as big a role as McRoberts did in that playoff team, but he will still loom large in Steve Clifford’s plan for the team. As Deshawn White points out in his article about the role players that will be crucial to the Hornets this year, Hawes, along with Jeremy Lamb and Jeremy Lin will determine the success of this squad.

One of the worst things about being a fan of the Charlotte Bobcats and now Hornets franchise is the sheer frustration that comes along with supporting the team. One of these supremely frustrating episodes came recently, on Saturday night to be specific. I bunkered down for a late 8:30 tip-off against the Spurs. I knew that the Hornets had a pretty good chance against the Spurs, because the Hornets were coming off of a great victory against the Mavs, and the Spurs were coming off of a hard-fought game against the Wizards. This game felt different. I actually felt as though the Hornets could win the game. With the Horncats teams of yesteryear, we had no chance in beating the Spurs in San Antonio, but nonetheless, I convinced myself that we could. On Saturday, I didn’t need to convince myself; I knew that we could win.

As you know, the Hornets lost on Saturday, much to my chagrin and disappointment. My fleeting feeling of competition now turned into bitterness, angrily flipping through channels to find something to keep my mind off of what I just witnessed. I settled for some French Ligue 1 soccer and was very pleased with seeing one man-bun succeeding for his team.

Looking back after nearly 24 hours to digest my disappointment, I now realize why I was so angry following the Hornets’ loss. For the first time in my Charlotte basketball watching career, I actually feel like I’m watching a good team. When the Hornets went down by double-digits in the second quarter, past Hornets and Bobcats teams would give up, and San Antonio would extend their lead to 20 by half-time. On Saturday, I never felt like the Hornets were out of the game, until maybe the fourth quarter, when Boban Marjanovic came in to inspire fear in children worldwide. I thought that the Hornets could stage a comeback due to their reliance on the three-point shot. As we’ve seen in the past with the old Magic teams, it only takes three 3’s and a couple of stops to change a game completely.

And this is why the Hornets will make the playoffs. The better supporting cast, good three-point shooting, and of course the coaching of Steve Clifford. As I lay my head down and close my eyes to sleep, I think to myself what could have been with this team and franchise. If only MKG was playing this season. This team would no doubt be above .500 right now, and by the end of the year, competing for a top 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. Now, we have to rely on a bench that I feel comfortable with relying on. Never before in Horncats history have we had a bench that has the talent that we have now. For god’s sake we have Jeremy Lin. JEREMY LIN, PEOPLE! Even though he’s not Stephen Curry, HE’S LIN-SANE!

Next: Hornets' Role Players are Key to Team Success

This team has been so much fun to watch this year so far, with their man-buns, mohawks, and three-point shooting, and I can only hope for what the future holds.