Charlotte Hornets: The Battle For Playoff Seeding

ByAndrew Snyder|

Dec 23, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Nicolas Batum (5) passes the ball as he is defended by Boston Celtics guard forward Evan Turner (11) during the second half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Celtics win 102-89. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Hornets are locked in a tight battle for playoff seeding with multiple Eastern Conference teams.

If you had told me before the season that on March 20, the Charlotte Hornets would look like a lock for the playoffs and have a legitimate chance at the third seed in the Eastern Conference, I wouldn’t have believed you. Yet, somehow, here we are.

Even after a concerning loss Saturday night to the Denver Nuggets, the Hornets still have a chance to secure homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs if they close the season strong.

With 13 games remaining on their schedule, the Hornets are 39-30 and tied with the Boston Celtics for fifth in the Eastern Conference and one game back of Miami Heat for fourth place in the East.

They are only 1.5 games back of the Atlanta Hawks for third. They are three games ahead of the Indiana Pacers for sixth place and 3.5 games up on the Chicago Bulls for eighth. Confused yet?

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At this point the playoffs seem like a solid bet, barring an epic collapse–though that wouldn’t be shocking. There are plenty of reasons for their success. Kemba Walker is having the best season of his career, averaging more than 20 points per game and shooting a career best 38.3 percent from three-point range.

Nicolas Batum has played Robin to Kemba’s Batman; he’s the starting unit’s primary facilitator and Charlotte’s second-leading scorer.

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Jeremy Lin has come in to lead a formidable bench unit, the Hornets have the ninth-best defense in the NBA and Steve Clifford has revamped the offense, leading to the 10th-best offensive rating in the league. There are plenty of reasons for this season’s turnaround, but all that matters is that they are winning games.

With the way this team is built, it’s extremely important that they achieve as much as they possibly can this season. Things may not be the same in 2016-17. Batum, Courtney Lee, Al Jefferson, Marvin Williams and Lin all can become free agents at the end of the season.

With Batum and maybe even Jefferson projected to receive maximum contracts, Charlotte will not have enough money to bring them all back. They are making an all-in bet on this season.

Now, they are not going to win the NBA Finals. They are not that kind of team. The Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Toronto Raptors still exist in this universe, so an alternate universe is the only place Charlotte could win a title.

Just winning a playoff series would be a victory for the organization. If they can win two playoff series and maybe steal a game or two from the Cavs in the Eastern Conference Finals, that’s just gravy. One playoff series would even suffice.

That’s why they need homecourt advantage. They are a completely different team at home than they are on the road. That may be true for most teams, but their splits are significant.

They are 26-11 at Time Warner Cable Arena this season and only 13-19 on the road. They score 105.5 points per game at home compared to 100.4 on the road. Their defense is also much better at home. Opponents score only 99.5 points per game at the hive, but 102.7 per game when Charlotte is the road team.

Getting four games at home may be Charlotte’s only chance at winning their first playoff series since the 2001-02 season. They finished 44-38 that season, won a playoff series against the Orlando Magic, and then moved to New Orleans. The new era of Charlotte basketball needs a taste of playoff success.

Charlotte has 13 games remaining, four at home and nine on the road.

Home:

San Antonio Spurs
Philadelphia 76ers
Brooklyn Nets
Orlando Magic

Road:

Brooklyn Nets
Detroit Pistons
Milwaukee Bucks
Philadelphia 76ers
Cleveland Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors
New York Knicks
Washington Wizards
Boston Celtics

Eight of those games will come against teams with losing records, three come against serious title contenders, and the remaining two are against teams the Hornets are battling with for playoff positioning (the Celtics and Pistons). If they want to finish high enough to land homecourt advantage in the first round, they need to knock off the bad teams.

Games like Saturday night against the Nuggets just can’t happen.

They currently own tiebreakers with the Pacers, Pistons, and Bulls. The Celtics and Hawks own tiebreakers against them and the Heat finished 2-2 against Charlotte this season. This race is wide open.

If I were a betting man I’d pick Charlotte to finish sixth or seventh in the Eastern Conference. Yes, they have been hot lately, but the teams they are competing with are just better. You could argue that the Hornets never have the best player on the court when they matchup with their fellow Eastern Conference contenders.

Walker and Batum have been great, but they face some stiff competition.

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Miami has Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, the Pacers have budding superstar Paul George, the Hawks have Al Horford and Paul Millsap down low and the Boston Celtics are coached by a magical basketball wizard that gets the best out of every single player. That’s tough to beat.

If Charlotte can outlast those four teams and finish third, then Clifford will deserve Coach of the Year.

Perhaps they can stay hot, beat the teams they are supposed to beat, and fight their way to a top-four seed. Even if they only sneak in as the seventh or eighth seed, this season should be viewed as a success when you consider the disaster that was 2014-15 and all the injuries they have overcome.

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But, that may not be enough for Hornets fans that have visions of playoff victories dancing in their heads.

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