LeBron James continues his reign over the Charlotte Hornets by beating them for a 23rd straight time.
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Charlotte Hornets in a close game on November 27th when the Cavs won 95-90. The two teams traded blows and both sides were in an intense battle throughout the game. LeBron continues to dominate the Charlotte organization by defeating them for the 23rd straight game.
This game means more than just one loss on the schedule for the Hornets. It shows that they are still not good enough to defeat the man who has reigned supreme over the Eastern Conference for the past decade.
Even with the Charlotte Hornets improved talent, they have still not improved enough to match-up with the best of the best. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing because the game also showed something else. It showed that the Hornets can be competitive against the best. Charlotte was very competitive throughout the game and hung with the Cavs all the way through. They even led for some time and it looked as though maybe they had a chance to win the game but down the stretch the better team and the best player in the world pulled away and got the win.
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That’s why there are positives in defeat but at some point the Charlotte Hornets need to prove that they are good enough to defeat the big boys.
LeBron James has won 23 straight games against Charlotte and that is just unacceptable for any team. While the Hornets have made some very significant improvements in their roster talent and the direction that they are heading, there are still many questions about the team’s need for a superstar going forward.
That has been the need for the Charlotte Hornets for past 20 years, They have not had a superstar on the team that can make them a real competitor and that can close out close games late. That question still remains today. The Charlotte Hornets still need a superstar to take the next step. Nicolas Batum, Kemba Walker, and Al Jefferson are arguably the team’s best players but non of them are stars in this league. None of them have even made an all-star team in their respective careers. (Although that may change this year.)
The Charlotte Hornets can beat down on lesser opponents and even beat some teams that are in the middle of the pack and might make the playoffs such as themselves but they won’t ever be able to truly compete unless they draft or sign a superstar.
They are steadily improving and have made some major steps going forward with their acquisitions of Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lamb but neither of these players is or will be a superstar in the NBA. There is hope for the franchise as they are getting better and they are adding more talent. The team is hoping for a playoff spot this season and in my opinion they will get there.
The Charlotte Hornets will next play against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 3rd at Time Warner Cable Arena. The two teams will play three more times this season. It will be interesting to see how the those match-ups pan out for both sides but if the Charlotte Hornets can remain competitive against top teams this season then I think that is seen as a win for them.
If they happen to win a few games against the top teams this year then I think that is just positive for them because this season is about being competitive and making the playoffs with steady improvement. It is not about beating the best teams in the league just yet. But the improvement is there for this team and there are many positive signs going forward.
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Even though LeBron James has dominated most of the NBA over the past decade, he has completely shown his power over the Charlotte Hornets and it brings up the age-old question of the team’s need for a star player going forward to compete with and defeat the top teams in the league.