Swarm and Sting
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Charlotte Hornets seek elusive win over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers

By Elijah Edwards

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 15: LeBron James
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 15: LeBron James /
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With 7 games left in the Charlotte Hornets’ season, the team has pulled off a bit of a win streak. Can they keep it going against the Cleveland Cavaliers?

There’s a bit of cognitive dissonance in the Charlotte Hornets (34-41) fanbase right now. They’re winning games, but it’s possibly costing the team chances at a decent draft position. Then again, one could argue that it doesn’t matter given Charlotte’s recent draft history. Still, winning is better than losing, or at least I think so.

Unfortunately, that winning streak may come to an end when the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-30) roll into town. You see, Charlotte, whether it’s the Hornets or Bobcats, hasn’t had much success against LeBron James led teams. In fact, Charlotte is 7-43 against teams that King James has been a part of. Sure, he’s one of the greatest to ever step on the court, but to say Charlotte teams have struggled against LeBron is a vast understatement. The last time the Hornets actually beat LeBron? February 3rd, 2016. I’d say we’re due.

The Hornets are coming off a 137-128 overtime win against the New York Knicks. They are 10th in the East. Cleveland is fresh off a 79-98 loss to the Miami Heat. They currently sit at the 3rd spot in the East.

More from Swarm and Sting

Charlotte Hornets vs Cleveland Cavaliers
7:00 p.m. EST, Wednesday, March 28th, 2018

Spectrum Center
Broadcast on Fox Sports Southeast

Injury Report:

CHA:

Cody Zeller – Knee (Out)

Michael Carter-Williams – Shoulder (Out)

CLE:

Kevin Love – Mouth (Day-to-Day)

Jeff Green – Illness (Day-to-Day)

Kyle Korver – Personal (Day-to-Day)

Cedi Osman – Hip (Day-to-Day)

Things to keep an eye on:

LeBron is averaging 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10.5 assists in two games against the Hornets this year. You’d expect him to keep that up, but hey, maybe someone can try to shut him down. The keyword there, of course, is “try.” This will be the Hornets first time facing the Cavs since Cleveland’s multitude of trades back in February. Maybe the Hornets can find a way to exploit this particular team’s weaknesses. This will be the Cavalier’s second game in as many days. Fatigue could play an issue in this one.

Keys to the game:

You might think that Cleveland would be in the top 5 to 10 in most statistical categories and you’d be right…. except for one. They rank just 23rd in the league in rebounds per game, averaging just 42 a game. Compare that to Charlotte’s 45.5 rebounds per game, putting them at 3rd, and you suddenly have a glimmer of hope. In addition, the Cavs are 28th in the league in offensive rebounds. This is what Steve Clifford and the team should focus on. Dwight Howard will be key and will need to avoid getting technicals if he wants to be effective. The Cavs aren’t going to miss a lot, given that they’re 5th in the NBA in field goal percentage, so grabbing the rebounds on shots they do miss is imperative.

Next: Re-picking the last five drafts for Charlotte

It may seem like a daunting task, especially given Charlotte’s history against King James, but the two games this year have been close, with Cleveland winning by an average of only 4 points. If the Hornets can dominate the glass and keep LeBron’s supporting cast in check, this is a game the Hornets can win. We’ll see if the Hornets can finally get off the schneid against the Cavaliers Wednesday night in the Queen City.

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