Swarm and Sting
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Charlotte Hornets dismiss Steve Clifford after five seasons with the team

By Laieke Abebe

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 10: Head Coach Steve Clifford of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during the game against the Indiana Pacers on April 10, 2018 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - APRIL 10: Head Coach Steve Clifford of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during the game against the Indiana Pacers on April 10, 2018 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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After five seasons in the Queen City, head coach Steve Clifford has been fired by the Charlotte Hornets after going 196-214 over that time period.

The Charlotte Hornets announced that head coach Steve Clifford has been fired after five seasons with the team. This move comes after a 2017-18 season in which the Hornets underwhelmed and underperformed once again.

Charlotte finished 10th in the Eastern Conference with the same record as last season, 36-46. Clifford went 196-214 with two playoff appearances during his time with the Hornets. In those two appearances, the Hornets went 3-8 after getting swept by the Miami Heat in 2014, and then losing again to the Heat in seven games in 2016.

When Clifford replaced Mike Dunlap as head coach in 2013, he inherited a team that went 21-61 the previous year. A year later, Charlotte had 43 wins with almost the same team and made the postseason with them. Big Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker led the way in 2013-14, but they were eventually knocked out by Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat.

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Steve Clifford finishes his Charlotte career with the second most win in Hornets’ history behind only Allan Bristow who had 207 during his time with the Queen City team. Cliff passed Paul Silas for second all-time earlier this season and ends only 12 victories short of becoming the winningest head coach in team history.

With Clifford’s firing, new Hornets GM and president Mitch Kupchak can pick his own coach to replace Clifford. He and Michael Jordan have a North Carolina connection through the Tar Heels so don’t be surprised if Jerry Stackhouse gets a chance to interview for that job. There are a lot of other potential candidates like Frank Vogel, who was just fired from the Orlando Magic. The calls are set to begin soon.

In the end, Steve Clifford being fired shouldn’t be a shock after the last two seasons. Only three teams in NBA history had a positive point differential and a losing record at the same time. The last two Charlotte Hornets teams are two of those three.

Next: Top-10 performances from the 2017-18 season

The defensive identity that Clifford preached has diminished over the last two seasons. They were in the bottom half of the league in points allowed and defensive rating. Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that Steve is “expected to be a head coaching candidate with openings elsewhere in NBA.” Cliff is still one of the most respected coaches in the league today.

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