The Charlotte Hornets have struggled against teams from the Western Conference in recent years and this season has been more of the same. Charlotte lost 17 of its 30 games against the West in 2013-2014, yet still made the playoffs in the East. This season, the Hornets have a 1-6 record against teams from the West. Fresh off a five game stretch against West teams (four being out in the Pacific time zone), the Hornets will gladly welcome some games closer to home.
I’ll recap some highlights from the previous five games against the teams from out West and have my second installment of The Corner 3.
Hornets @ Lakers (LOSS)
This game was a poor game by Charlotte and one that they might regret losing come April. The Hornets were up 9 points at halftime, yet lost by 15. Kobe Bryant only scored 21 points for the Lakers, but they were very efficient from the floor as a team. They shot 51.2% from the field and torched the Hornets in the second half.
Al Jefferson needs to come up big for Charlotte to be successful this season.
I was disappointed in Al Jefferson’s play in this game. The Lakers do not have a big man that is capable of guarding Jefferson, yet he shot 10-23 from the field and did not register a double-double. Carlos Boozer is almost 100 years old (ok, he’s only 32, but it feels like he’s been around forever) and was able to hold Jefferson in check. These are games that Big Al needs to dominate, if Charlotte is to build on last season’s playoff appearance and take “the next step.”
Hornets @ Blazers (LOSS)
THE HORNETS GOT HOSED! Ok, replay confirmed that they did not, but this was another tough loss. Gary Neal scored what looked like the tying basket as time expired, but the replay validated that he did not get the shot off in time. For the second straight game, the Hornets blew a halftime lead and notched another mark in the losss column.
Rebounding was the name of the game in this contest. Portland out-rebounded Charlotte by 10 and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. LaMarcus Aldridge had a monster game (25 points/14 rebounds) for the Blazers. Jefferson was able to score more points against Portland, but he only had two rebounds. As I mentioned above, Jefferson is the focal point for the Hornets, and if he doesn’t have a great game, Charlotte’s chances of winning greatly decrease.
Hornets @ Suns (WIN)
The game against the Suns was odd for two reasons.
1) The Suns are one of the best offensive teams in the league, yet the Hornets were able to hold them to only 95 points and 43% from the field. Hornets fans across the Carolinas finally got a glimpse of the defensive prowess that propelled them into the playoffs last year. (It was short lived, however. More to come…)
2) The Return of the Mack! Well, technically it was more of an arrival for Bismack Biyombo because he has never been good enough to “return”. Biyombo scored 11 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists in only 14 minutes of play. He sparked a bench that chipped in 43 points for the Hornets. This imporved bench-play will be crucial for the Hornets moving forward.
Hornets @ Warriors
All of the positive vibes from the defense quickly disappered when the Hornets took on the Splash Brothers and Co. in Oakland on Saturday night. Klay Thompson scored 21 points, and Stephen Curry had 19 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds as the Warriors dominated the Hornets. The Dubs scored 67 points in the 1st half and never looked back. Golden State lived up to the praise I gave them in last week’s Corner 3 segment.
The Hornets shot only 38.1% from the field and assisted on 14 of their 32 made field goals. This assist-rate stat shows the lack of ball movement and exemplifies one of Charlotte’s most glaring problems this season: the lack of spacing.
Note: Free agent signing Brian Roberts had his best game as a Hornet against Golden State by scoring 17 points off the bench.
Hornets vs. Mavericks
The Hornets came back home on Monday night, but were still unable to solve their Western Conference woes. The Dallas Mavericks scored 30+ points in the 1st and 2nd quarters and cruised to a 107-80 victory. No Dallas player scored more than 19 points, but the Mavs had 6 players in double figures. As with other games against teams from the West, Charlotte was out-rebounded and played a poor defensive game. Al Jefferson may have played his worst game of the season, too. Jefferson only scored 6 points and made just 3 field goals.
Note: Rookie 1st round picks P.J. Hairston and Noah Vonleh combined for 12 points. Vonleh was playing in his first game this season and connected on his only three point attempt. The Hornets will need these two rookies to step up because the main rotational players have failed to produce many wins, so far this season.
The Corner 3
1. Which player is having the best start to his season, so far? Look no farther than Sacremento’s Rudy Gay. Gay is averaging 22.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 3.5 APG this season. He and Boogie Cousins have led the Kings to a 6-4 record. Gay also signed a three-year contract extension with the Kings on Monday (worth a reported $40 M). There’s nothing like ballin’ out for your team and then getting handsomely rewarded for it. “Keep Gettin’ Dem Checks” Rudy!
2. The Celtics are in a tough spot this season. They are under .500, and they are destined for the lottery again this season. However, Rajon Rondo and the feisty Celts are just good enough to keep Boston from getting a high lottery pick. Rondo is averaging an absurd 10.1 PPG, 12 APG, 8.1 RPG, and 1.9 steals per game. He is making them better than they should be, which is hampering their tanking ability. Rondo is in the final year of his contract, but can Boston really trade a player this good? A trade sends the clear message of tanking to not only their fans, but the whole NBA.
3. As of Monday night, Eric Bledsoe leads the league with 4 technical fouls. He is also one of six players that have been ejected so far this season. I have no idea what this means, but you have to admit, it is interesting to see that the young Bledsoe seems to be losing his cool this season. Then again, who wouldn’t lose their cool playing home games in the Phoenix desert?
This article Charlotte Hornets: West coast blues appeared first on isportsweb by Zachary Chandler