‘If Melo is playing, it’s totally different:’ Minus star, Hornets find a formula to win
For once, Steve Clifford could look over at the opposing bench and sympathize.
The Charlotte Hornets coach typically is the one who has to figure out how to navigate a bevy of injuries, given it’s been a part of his daily duties for the majority of his nearly two seasons at the helm. Memphis, though, is actually more banged up than the Hornets, even if it doesn’t seem possible.
“Well listen, I feel bad for us, but they’ve had more injury problems than we have,” Clifford said. “I think they are 30th in games missed with rotation players and we are like 29th, 28th. When you look at the guys that they’ve missed, I mean it’s … They have a terrific team and none of them have played. Well, I don’t want to say none of them because Jaren Jackson has played a lot.
“But you go down that lineup and it’s just ridiculous. What they’ve had go through is really difficult.”
Combined, the two teams entered their matchup amassing a whopping 657 games missed due to injury, and Memphis leads the way with an NBA-high 398. At least the Hornets got one of their walking wounded back in Wednesday night’s 110-98 win over the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
Tre Mann returned following a three-game absence nursing a left groin injury, assuming the starting backcourt position he’s played since his arrival from Oklahoma City last month. Vasilije Micić was a big catalyst, pumping in a career-high 25 points, including a career-best four 3-pointers.
Still, the Hornets were minus their core injured cast with LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, Seth Curry and Cody Martin each sidelined. There’s no clear timetable for any of them, either, and the season is dwindling down with only 16 games remaining.
If the Hornets are going to muster any more wins while undermanned, they will have to follow the formula Clifford is trying to drill into their heads. Deviating from it won’t spur much success.
“Look, I know I’m saying the same thing all the time, but it’s offensive pace, offensive force, playing inside-out,” Clifford said. “When the ball hit the paint the other night, our numbers were much better than when it doesn’t. … We just get away from that. We don’t have that kind of team.
“If Melo is playing, it’s totally different. But with the group we have here, we are capable of playing well but we all have to be playing the same way. And for us, that ball has got to hit the paint before we shoot.”
He cited some statistics to underscore his point.
“People don’t realize,” Clifford said, “in our league last year I think there were seven guys who were efficient in shooting 3s off the dribble, Melo being one of them — from like outside 24 feet. And yet if you watch it, watch the game, there’s still in the first eight seconds on the shot clock, there’s a lot of early 3s being taken.
“And if you have a certain talent level, you can do that. With Melo, we were fine. Early in the year I think we were second in pace, we were first in ball hitting the paint and we took a ton on those shots. Without him, we can’t do that. It’s a different thing. So, we when we get away from that, it’s hard for us.”
Which makes it all the more important for them to follow the kind of blueprint that made them victorious against the one team that has an idea of what the Hornets have gone through over the last five months.
“They’ve been decimated by injuries and yet when you watch them, they are in almost every game regardless of who they play,” Clifford said. “So, that’s a good win for us. It’s hard to come in here and play and they are hard to play against.”
