It’s come to this: Charlotte Hornets need a playoff boost from New York Knicks
There is a sad symmetry to the Charlotte Hornets needing the New York Knicks to win Wednesday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Losing games to bad teams like the Knicks has put the Hornets in this predicament.
The Hornets beat the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday, 124-97. That’s their fourth consecutive victory. They need to win tonight at home against the Orlando Magic, and have the Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons, to qualify for a first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bad as the 19-win Cavs are, they beat the Hornets by 24 in Cleveland earlier this season. The Hornets also lost to the Knicks, the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks, the four worst teams in the Eastern Conference. Those losses are why they won’t finish the regular season with a winning record and why they’re in jeopardy of a third consecutive season without playoffs.
The potential saving grace is the Pistons are similarly fragile. They trailed the Memphis Grizzlies at home by 22 points before a frantic fourth quarter got them a victory. Had the Pistons lost, the Hornets would control the situation because they hold the tiebreaker over Detroit.
Now, the Hornets will have one eye on the Magic and another on the score in New York. Both games tip off at 8 p.m., with the Hornets nationally televised on ESPN.
Sure, the Hornets were monitoring the Pistons’ finish in the second half, and the expletives yelled afterward were ones that would make you cover your children’s ears.
“We knew they were down 20 at one point,” said Hornets star Kemba Walker, who finished with 23 points and seven assists. “But we also knew that they were at home and would make a run.”
Checking in
There is not typically a lot of “rah-rah” between coaches and players in a post-game NBA locker room. Once the head coach briefly addresses the team, the players are left to ice their feet and fiddle with their phones before showering and dressing.
Tuesday was a bit different because the Pistons game got over about 15 minutes after Hornets-Cavs. Coach James Borrego canvassed the locker room, just to look every player eye-to-eye and remind them they are still in this hunt.
I asked Walker if he had any concern that all it took to get in this position — consecutively beating the Pelicans, Raptors, Pistons and Cavs — could leave the Hornets out of gas Wednesday against a Magic team with the night off Tuesday.
“We’ll be energized,” Walker promised. “No question.”
Playoff mode
The ground they have had to make up just to still be in the hunt has felt like a playoff series already.
“For me, it’s definitely playoff-like,” Walker said. “Every possession is huge at this point. Every mistake is huge.
“Small margin for error.”
Tiny margin, actually. Nobody turns their fate over to the Knicks in April by choice.
This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 6:54 AM with the headline "It’s come to this: Charlotte Hornets need a playoff boost from New York Knicks."
