While everybody else has focused on the Warriors historical pursuit, potential drama in “The Land” and the shortcomings of the Thunder, Clippers and Rockets, the Hornets have quietly been playing really good basketball.
On January 30, the Hornets were 22-25 and sitting in 9th place in the Eastern Conference. Today they are 41-30 and a half game out of 3rd place with a legitimate chance to win the Southeast division.
Their 19-5 record in that span is the 3rd best in the NBA behind you guessed it, the Golden State Warriors at 21-3 and the San Antonio Spurs at 20-4.
The Hornets got a huge confidence boosting win over the Spurs Monday, coming back to win at home after trailing 28-7 at the end of the first quarter.
The charge has been led by point guard Kemba Walker (who has averaged 22.8 point per game since the All-Star break) and his elite scoring and crunch time ability to create his own shot, along with the all-around game and play making abilities of Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams three-point shooting, Jeremy Lin’s revival and a combined effort from a rotation of big men featuring Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky.
The Hornets turn the ball over less than any other team in the NBA and are in the top five in fewest fouls committed. They also lead the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage at over 80%.
This means the Hornets severely limit the amount of easy scoring opportunities they allow their opponents while maximizing the amount of scoring opportunities they get each game. That is a winning formula.
Everybody is talking about the Raptors, Heat and Celtics as potential contenders to the Cavaliers in the East, and although the numbers support the theory that the Raptors pose the greatest threat to the Cavs eastern conference dominance this postseason, don’t be surprised if the Hornets start buzzing.
