Swarm and Sting
Fansided

NBA playoffs should give Charlotte Hornets’ fans hope

By W.B. Whitted

Mar 18, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) greets Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) before the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) greets Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) before the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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It can feel like a foregone conclusion when it comes to the NBA Finals. The usual gripe with the NBA playoffs is that there is no drama in them. Unlike their college basketball postseason counterpart March Madness, the teams with inferior regular seasons weren’t supposed to have much success when the games meant more. Sure, a 16th seed has beaten a 1 seed, but the consistency that 13 seeds beating four seeds is unprecedented in the NBA playoffs.

82 games are supposed to paint the correct picture. It’s supposed to remove the ambiguity of talent and team discrepancies. The NBA audience is supposed to be incredibly well-informed. According to Fadeaway World, nearly 90% of NBA champions were number 1 or 2 seeds. They usually have the best players. They usually have the healthiest rosters. It would make sense that they would be the most successful in lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy.

This season has admittedly been odd. The Western Conference was a jumble all year, with a handful of games separating the play-off teams virtually all season. With no team separating themselves outside of the Denver Nuggets, the seeding felt a bit more arbitrary than usual. One or two weeks of health for a team could have meant the difference between homecourt advantage in the first round and missing out on the playoffs entirely.

Now, with the Celtics, Heat, Lakers, and Nuggets in the conference finals, there is a replay of the Bubble conference finals. These four (including two play-in game participants), likely would not have been predicted. For Hornets fans, this should be phenomenal news. The Hornets were play-in participants in two of the past three seasons. Now, the Hornets have an opportunity to add a high lottery pick and bring back a healthy roster that showed flashes this season of being an accomplished team.

The insanity of the NBA playoffs should give Hornets fans something that they haven’t had in a while—hope. But as any Dark Knight fan can attest, that’s from where the greatest suffering can originate.

Next. What NBA draft prospects should the Hornets draft?. dark

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