Bringing Back the Buzz: Zo & '92-93 Hornets

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In a matchup between two surprise teams this season the Hornets visit the Portland Trailblazers. Both teams have some key injuries, but the Blazers are missing a bit more with Kaman and McCollum out, and they don’t have the same amount depth as the Hornets.


Coming into the game, it appeared that Coach J would look to lock down the Trailblazers’ perimeter shots and take advantage of Portland’s post players. It seemed like Mourning should be able to have his way with Plumlee and Leonard and Charlotte could pick up their 25^th straight victory.

The Hornets did pick up an easy victory, but it didn’t go as expected. The Blazers played strong in the interior, picked up many blocked shots and didn’t let Alonzo Mourning get any easy buckets. The Hornets were forced to rely more on long range shooting and fast breaks and it all came as part of a team effort. Every time it looked like Portland may be coming back into the game, Dell Curry would make a shot, or Cole Aldrich would get some key 2^nd chance points.

However, the big story was how bad Damian Lillard played. The MVP candidate was having a career season, but couldn’t do anything positive on either end of the court this game. On the defensive side, he picked up 2 quick fouls in the first quarter and was forced to the bench. That trend continued until he picked up his 5^th foul with 1:26 left in the 3^rd quarter. On the offensive side of the ball, Avery Bradley and Andre Roberson smothered him all game. The end result? 6 points on 3-14 shooting and 7 turnovers. It got so bad that Terry Stotts sat Lillard for the entire 4^th quarter.

Two surprises met in Portland, but the Hornets proved once again that they were for real and mixed up the formula to use lockdown defense and efficient shooting to get the victory. As for the Trailblazers, it’s not clear that they can keep up their pace to start the season and may be coming back down to earth.

The Hornets head to Los Angeles for a game against the Lakers before they welcome the Cavaliers to town in a big matchup. If both streaks are still alive heading into that game, one will have to end.

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Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

^Good veto, decent trades for all the other teams. Collison is quite underrated, glad that he found himself with such a good organization. Feel like the Kings sold low on him, but that's Sacramento for you.

Totally agree. I thought about veto'ing, but I could see the Kings getting fleeced and their season is in the tank, so selling off players isn't a surprise. Plus, they have Rondo riding the bench, perhaps they're looking to get him more minutes as a starter.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are headed into Charlotte on a different streak than expected. After winning 18 straight, the Cavs are losers of their last two. Those 2 losses have now put them 2 full games behind the Hornets in the East and they are still dealing with an injury to Kevin Love. Due to the injury, they’ve actually started playing “big ball” with their starting lineup, putting LeBron at the three, former Coach J player Tommy Camper at PF, and Timofey Mozgov at center.

The Hornets are coming in on a 26-game winning streak, but barely survived in a game against the Lakers, winning 110-107 after the Lakers came back and took a lead in the 4^th quarter. With the Cavs have a very talented team and Kendall Gill being hurt, Coach J is making some changes to their starting lineup to get a more defensive lineup on the floor. Andre Roberson is starting at the three, Dell Curry is moving to shooting guard, and Avery Bradley is playing point guard. Ramon Sessions will be the first player off of the bench. Coach J is hoping that Roberson’s defense can slow down LeBron and offset the lack of offensive production and creativity he provides.

First Quarter
You could see both teams’ nerves early on as there were lots of missed shots from both teams, even on open looks. The Hornets were the first team to settle in and had Avery Bradley, Dell Curry, and Larry Johnson hit 3-pointers to put them up 11-4.

Later in the first, the Hornets’ defense stepped up and got turnovers on 3 straight possessions and easy layups on 4 straight possessions. Unfortunately, only 2 of those 4 chances were converted as the Hornets’ interior offensive struggles continued.

It wasn’t a big deal for Coach J’s team however, as they hit 5 threes in the first quarter and led 29-20 heading into the 2^nd. It could have been worse if it wasn’t for the Cavs backup unit hitting some big shots to keep them in it.

2^nd Quarter
The 2^nd quarter started out very fast-paced as both reserve units went back and forth. Taj Gibson grabbed several key offensive rebounds and got putbacks, while his counterpart (and former Coach J favorite) Tommy Camper was mostly invisible on offense and defense.

Unfortunately for Charlotte, the Cavaliers starters came back on the court and brought a great defensive gameplan with them. Every drive, every pick and roll, and every post up from the Hornets seemed to end up in a double team and a poor pass. This led to another relatively low-scoring quarter and a 1 point lead from Cleveland at the half.

3^rd Quarter
The 3^rd quarter was the most tightly contested of the game. Charlotte came out and played very efficiently, hitting every shot they took during the first 6 minutes of the quarter and building up a small lead. They were primarily relying on great passing and fast break buckets. The Cavs crept back into it and a long range three from LeBron tied up the game at 82 as the teams got ready for the 4^th quarter.

One of the funnier plays of the night was also one LeBron would want to forget. Near the end of the 3^rd quarter, LeBron received a pass down low and was seemingly wide open for the dunk, with only Charlotte benchwarmer Bryce Cotton nearby. Cotton hustled over and did his best to put a body on LeBron. Acting like he didn’t even know Cotton was there, LeBron rose up for the 2 handed slam…and missed it off the back of the rim. Cotton’s teammates had fun with that after the game, playing up Cotton’s “imposing” post defense.

4^th Quarter
Unlike the first half, Charlotte’s backups played efficiently and built up an 8 point lead when all of the starters checked back in. Led by Alonzo Mourning, the Hornets looked at that 8 point lead and within just a few minutes had stretched it to 17 points.

The Cavs started hitting some shots, but couldn’t make it close as their desperation played right into Charlotte’s hands. The high pressure brought a faster-paced game and more passing lanes which Roberson and Bradley exploited by finding the open man for the easy shot over and over again.

In the end it looked like a comfy win for the Hornets, but everyone in attendance knows it was a hard fought, back and forth game that helped solidify the Hornets place atop the East.

The Cavaliers are now 3.5 games behind the Hornets and have split the season series 1-1. In analyzing the game, it was clear to all that the difference was Charlotte’s team play compared with the individual efforts we saw from Cleveland.

• Charlotte out-rebounded Cleveland 50-36
• Charlotte had 6 players in double-digits (25, 20, 17, 14, 14, 14) while the Cavs only had 3 (31, 23, 10)
• Mozgov and Camper were nearly invisible all game, unable to do anything on offense
• Alonzo Mourning was a defensive monster getting 5 blocks, 2 steals, and 8 defensive rebounds to go with his 25 points
• Two Hornets stepped up with surprise performances. Avery Bradley had a wonderful game, getting 14 points, 12 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals and he was joined by Andre Roberson who lead the team in assists, all while holding LeBron to 23 points on 10-21 shooting.

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I simulated the game vs the Heat and there were a few things worth calling out.

• Twice the Heat only scored 8 points in a quarter. Wow! Dwayne Wade was out, but it shouldn't make that much of a difference.
• LJ went off again, getting 44 points on 19-31 shooting.
• Zo had his worst game of the season, fouling out and scoring only 6 points.

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There was even more league activity as we approach All-Star Weekend.

Here are trades that were offered my way that I declined
This was a great offer, but I just don’t want to disrupt the run or chemistry we have going on. Curry’s veteran leadership is very important.

J.R. Smith is an interesting offer, and this is another very fair deal, but the last thing I want to do is send a deadly 3 point shooter and more veteran leadership to the Cavs.

I denied the Cavs again
They were trying to get Garnett again, but I just don’t see the upside for Minnesota here, especially as they fight for the 7 or 8 seed and Garnett is so important to that team.

Accepted League Trades
This deal between the Pelicans and Hawks is really just about reshuffling some depth pieces.

The Warriors haven’t been playing to their potential, and they got a solid shooter for the bench for a relatively low cost.

Deals I should have denied
This deal makes sense in 2 ways:
1) It brings the Lopez brothers together
2) The Knicks can put Porzingis at the 5 and play small ball

Unfortunately, I don’t think I should have approved it, since Lopez was playing well for the Knicks, there’s no salary cap help for either team, and I don’t think they’re putting Porizingis at Center.

At first glance, this deal made sense. Overachieving Portland wants to make the playoffs and not waste an amazing year from Lillard. Then I realized 2 things after accepting:
1) Phoenix is 4^th in the West
2) Plumlee is having a career year

Now Phoenix is starting Morris at the 5 and Portland put Plumlee on the bench. I screwed this one up.

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The Hornets continue their hot streak, winning the 31^st straight game in a defense-less match against Indiana. The Hornets were led by Alonzo Mourning on the offensive end, as Turner and Mahinmi could do nothing to stop his post game. Mourning went 16-24 from the field, 10-14 from the line and finished the game with 42 points, helping the Hornets get a tough win against the Pacers.

At halftime, the Hornets seemed to have the game under control as a big 2^nd quarter put them up 61-47. Dell Curry had made 3 of 4 from deep and Avery Bradley had facilitated well. However, all of the Hornets bad habits showed up in the 3^rd quarter. Dell Curry couldn’t buy a bucket and Larry Johnson and Ramon Sessions finished with a combined 15 turnovers as they took turns dribbling off of their feet or throwing the ball away. The poor play led to a 40 point 3^rd quarter from the Pacers which kept the game in single digits the rest of the way.

Charlotte kept making mistakes throughout the 4^th quarter, but were able to get the victory by running their offensive through Mourning. Whether it was post buckets, free throws, or finding the open man, Mourning was the clear star of this game. His physical play caused Turner to get 5 fouls in the 4^th quarter alone and foul.

Perhaps Charlotte was feeling tired, because the defensive prowess they had shown against the Cavs and Heat disappeared as Paul George and Monta Ellis got open looks all game and finished with a combined 69 points. Charlotte very well could have lost if 6^th Man of the Year candidate Rodney Stuckey had done better than 4-16 shooting.

All of the Hornets except for Zo and Grandmama will get a bit of a break as All-Star Weekend is next.

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We’re over 50 games into the season and things have really started to take shape. Headlining the league are the upstart Hornets who have managed to reel off 31 straight wins and show an explosive offense that thrives even without up-and-coming wingman Kendall Gill. Coach J’s transformation of the roster has been astounding and Avery Bradley, Ramon Sessions, Taj Gibson, Andre Roberson, and Kelly Olynyk have fit perfectly into the team.

Standings
The West still looks to be deeper than the East, but not necessarily better. Some of the preseason contenders have failed to live up to expectations this season, with the Warriors sitting in 5^th, the Thunder in 6^th, the Pelicans in 7^th, the Spurs 10^th, and the Mavericks 11^th in the West.

The Rockets, Grizzlies, Clippers, and Suns have all taken advantage of this dip in form and make up the 4 teams fighting for the top spot. On the other end, the Nuggets are floundering and will struggle to hit 20 wins. The Kings are sitting at 20 wins and were really hurt by the loss of Boogie Cousins for several games.

In the East it’s Charlotte, Cleveland, and everyone else. Atlanta is in 3^rd place, sitting 10.5 games behind 2^nd place Cleveland, but only 4.5 games separate them from 8^th place Milwaukee. Atlanta has doubled down on their outside shooting, relying on rookie Hope Law, Kyle Korver, and Dennis Schroeder to terrorize teams from deep. Chicago and Miami have had injuries to key players, but are getting them back with 30 games left in the season and have a good opportunity to get the 3 seed.

New York is looking like an X factor. Rookie PG Joey Fletcher keeps impressing, picking up his league-leading 5^th triple double(!!!). He’s already one of the best passers in the league and is reminding people of Jason Kidd with the way he rebounds the ball. Will the team get better after having traded away Brook Lopez and put Thaddeus Young into the starting lineup? Toronto has to be the big disappointment, sitting at 23-29. However, they’ve gone 7-3 in their last 10, and it shouldn’t be hard for them to catch mediocre Milwaukee and Indiana.

Charlotte Hornets
Not much has changed in the distribution of scoring for the Hornets. In Gill’s absence, Larry Johnson has picked up the slack with the help of several other players and the Hornets’ outside shooting has gotten significantly better.

• Johnson and Mourning continue to average double-doubles and sit 2^nd (Zo, 39) and 7^th (LJ, 36) in the league in double-doubles.
• Larry Johnson is 6^th with three triple-doubles.
• Mourning leads all rookies in points (20.6), rebounds (11.3), and blocks (2.6).
• Avery Bradley continues to improve his play, and he’s shooting 30.8% from three, up 6% from the report at the 40-game mark.
• Both Larry Johnson and Dell Curry are shooting greater than 40% from three and Olynyk is shooting 37.4%
• Five Hornets are shooting better than 50% from the field: Mourning, Johnson, Gill, Gattison, and Gibson.
• Bradley has had some big assist games, but is still only averaging 3.2 a game.

League Awards
The same 5 players are in the MVP discussion, but there’s been some significant reshuffling. Kevin Durant and James Harden have both dropped 2 spots, while LeBron has climbed to the #1 spot, followed by a red-hot Larry Johnson.

In the rookie of the year voting, an injury to Karl-Anthony Towns has knocked him out of the discussion, but he’s been replaced by worthy candidates, as Joey Fletcher has moved up and Hope Law joined his college backcourt buddy in the top 5. Okafor still holds the top spot, but Mourning is right behind him in a race that is neck-and-neck.

In other awards, Derrick Rose and Anthony Davis added Player of the Month honors for January, while Joey Fletcher and D’Angelo Russell picked up Rookie of the Month. For Player of the Week voting, LeBron, Grandmama, and Kevin Durant have all won the award 5 times.

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The Rising Stars Game featured 2 juicy Coach J-related matchups:

1. Mourning vs Johnson
2. Joey Fletcher vs Hope Law

The game ended up being Zo vs Grandmama show, as the two traded blows and the Elites mounted a furious 4th quarter comeback, closing a 16 point gap to 1 with 45 seconds left before a couple bad decisions led to a loss.

Note: I played with both teams, alternating quarters. I also simmed the latter half of 1st and 3rd quarters and the first 6 minutes of the 2nd and 4th quarters.