Buzz City Beat: Charlotte Hornets Blowout Magic, Taking on LeBron, and Sessions’ Play
Welcome to Buzz City Stings, Swarm and Sting’s daily roundup of the best Charlotte Hornets’ stories from around the web.
Buzz City Stings is your daily destination for the latest and best news from around the internet about the Charlotte Hornets. After defeating the Orlando Magic at home, the Hornets hit the road to take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half of a back to back. In this edition, we look at Ramon Sessions‘ play as the backup point guard and Michael Jordan‘s court case.
Charlotte Extends Win Streak With Win Over Orlando
“Nic Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist each had 16 points, and the Hornets routed the Magic 109-88 on Friday night (Saturday, PHL time) for their third straight victory. Walker had 15 points in 25 minutes, and the Southeast Division leaders held the Magic to 37 percent shooting while outrebounding them 59-40. Charlottes starters didn’t even play in the fourth after the Hornets opened a 21-point lead with a late third-quarter surge.” (Sports.abs-cbn.com)
The Hornets were able to get arguably their easiest win of the season against the Magic. They haven’t had the luxury of resting starters or getting a lot of easy wins this year but they were able to do just that in their third straight win. Charlotte now has momentum and confidence as they head out on a five-game road trip.
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Hornets Look For a Big Win in Cleveland
“The Cavs (16-5) and Hornets (14-9) get together on the second night of a back to back for both teams at 7:30 tonight. They’ve beaten the Hornets three times in a row and five straight at home.” (Cleveland.com)
If you look at Charlotte’s history against teams with LeBron James on them, it doesn’t side well with the Hornets’ franchise. It was only last season that they snapped a 23 game losing streak to LeBron that spanned over six years. The team will need a big performance to make a statement and get a huge win over the defending champions.
Sessions Shines as Reserve Facilitator
“Averaging 6.0 points per game, Sessions has appeared in all 23 games for the Hornets. Seeing half as much time as starter Kemba Walker, Sessions shoots 38.9 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from beyond the arc with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.3:1.” (TheCharlottePost.com)
While Ramon Sessions has taken some heat for his poor shooting numbers this season, he has been a productive playmaker with the team. In his second stint in Charlotte, the backup point guard is enjoying life with the second unit as he has become a good facilitator off the bench. If he can keep up his assist numbers while increasing his shooting from the three-point line, Sessions will be a reliable option for both passing and scoring.
MJ Wins Back Rights to His Chinese Name in Court Case
“Charlotte Hornets owner and basketball legend Michael Jordan is a household name in the U.S. – and in basketball-crazy China. But there, he had to go to court to win back rights to the Chinese version of his name. In a ruling this week, China’s top court overturned lower court rulings and sided with Jordan, at least partially. Jordan is known in China as Qiao Dan – two Chinese characters that sound a bit like his last name. Since 2012, he’s fought a legal battle with a Chinese company that trademarked his name in China. Qiaodan Sports Company sells shoes and clothing through about 6,000 outlets. Under the court ruling, the company gets to keep the romanized version of its name – Qiaodan. But the Supreme People’s Court said the company has to give up its Chinese trademarks to Jordan.” (WFAE.org)
Next: Kemba Up to 8th in MVP Race
In a strange court case that not many knew about, Charlotte Hornets’ owner Michael Jordan was able to win back the rights to his Chinese name. This is a battle that MJ has fought for four years now but the result was finally found in his favor. Good for the GOAT and his brand.