Charlotte Hornets' Schedule Breakdown and Predictions for Final 6 Weeks
It is difficult to predict anything at all from these 2014-15 Charlotte Hornets. Up is down. Left is right. The Hornets are floundering at 24-33 and have six weeks to salvage a lost season by securing that No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte opened February in promising fashion by winning back-to-back games against the Washington Wizards, but it closed the month by dropping six of seven. Worse than that, three of the losses were to the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics. All are right in the thick of the battle for the eighth seed.
The absence of Kemba Walker has begun to take a toll, even after shipping Gary Neal to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Mo Williams. Mo is playing some of the best basketball of his career with 23.4 points and 7.0 assists per game with Charlotte, but it hasn't been enough.
How does Charlotte rebound? Is it even possible?
Head coach Steve Clifford has done everything to light a fire, but he can't seem to build it big enough. He has even promised to award each player $100 out of the team's fine pool if they can muster 18 fast-break points in one game. Even cash can't get this team to run.
One big check mark in the Hornets' favor is that the tough part of the schedule is over. Of their remaining 25 games, only 11 will come against teams currently above .500. Additionally, of those 11, Charlotte draws two battles with the Chicago Bulls in March, who will be without Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler.
Over the final six weeks, Charlotte has to sustain a level of play that it hasn't produced all year for longer than a week. The consistency that has escaped this squad must return, otherwise the Hornets will not buzz into the playoffs. A letdown of that magnitude will leave the front office with a bevy of painful decisions to make.
Let's dive right into the last 25 games, featuring predictions, notable matchups and what to watch for.
Week 1: March 1-7
1 of 7
Games: at Orlando Magic (W), Los Angeles Lakers, at Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors
Most Notable Matchup: at Brooklyn
The Raptors have not been firing on all cylinders lately after recently ending a five-game skid, and the Hornets need to pounce on them. The two have squared off once before this season on Jan. 8, where Charlotte brought home a win north of the border behind 60 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists from Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson.
Walker will not be around to hit any big shots this time, meaning Charlotte will have its hands full. DeMar DeRozan is back with a vengeance, and this battle will test the fortitude of the Hornets while providing a peek of how much fight is left in the tank for the home stretch. Look for Charlotte to put up a fight but ultimately fall short simply because picking them in a big game right now would be nearly impossible.
As for the Lakers and Nets, Charlotte should have no problem rolling both of them over (emphasis on "should"). The Hornets are 0-2 against these two squads this year, with both losses coming by more than 15 points. The Lakers have packed it in since Kobe Bryant went down.
However, the Nets aren't quitting. Brooklyn has won two in a row against the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors, and it has been putting together some good performances in an effort to save face after a brutal season. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
Brooklyn has one of the league's worst offenses and rebounding squads, ranking 23rd or worse in scoring, boards and assists. Any team that is not a big threat to throw down 120 points is a team that Charlotte can easily handle. Charlotte will eke this one out.
Toronto is the biggest matchup, but Charlotte absolutely must take down Brooklyn, currently sitting in 8th place. The Raptors will provide the biggest test, but they are not the ones blocking the Hornets from the playoffs.
Prediction: 3-1
Week 2: March 8-14
2 of 7
Games: at Detroit Pistons, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls
Most Notable Matchup: at Detroit
As we mentioned on the introductory slide, Charlotte lost to the Pistons in February. Not only did they drop a pivotal conference game on their home floor, but the Hornets got walloped by 28 points in what will go down in the history books as the official Anthony Tolliver revenge game.
Charlotte faces Detroit in the Motor City on March 8 in what will be the first of three more bouts between the teams before the season ends. The Hornets will be going up against a very similar squad that loves to rebound and play defense but struggles to rack up points on occasion.
Given how poorly Charlotte performed in the last matchup, it would be a real upset if it could pull this one off. Maybe they will take one of the matchups in the future, but not this one.
It is hard to have faith in the Hornets coming back on March 9 and winning at home the night after playing in Detroit. Charlotte is 5-8 in back-to-backs, and it will not be able to cruise by the Wizards like it did in February now that Bradley Beal has returned.
The Kings have lost 16 of 20, and the Bulls are limping into March without Rose and Butler. I'll go on record saying that they will take down the Kings at home, but the Bulls are still too good to drop that game. You never know with this team, but you can't throw all logic out the window, right?
Prediction: 2-2
Week 3: March 15-21
3 of 7
Games: at Utah Jazz, at Los Angeles Clippers, at Sacramento Kings
Notable Matchup: at Los Angeles
Here is where the fairytale ends.
Back-to-back games in Utah and Los Angeles against two hot Western Conference teams will burst Charlotte's road trip into flames right off the bat.
The Jazz have held their opponents under 100 points in five of six contests since the All-Star break. With Enes Kanter out of the picture, Rudy Gobert has combined with Derrick Favors to eliminate any hope of scoring around the rim, which is the only consistent method of scoring that Charlotte has.
The Clippers have also been scorching. With Blake Griffin out, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul have been roasting opposing centers and point guards on a nightly basis. In 10 games without Griffin, CP3 is posting over 21 points and 12 assists a night. Jordan is averaging 15 points and 19 boards, with nine straight games over 15 rebounds.
Sacramento may not be winning, but rarely do the Kings ever go quietly. I pegged Charlotte to steal one from them earlier in the month, except this one will be on the road after two lopsided defeats.
If the Hornets miss out on the postseason, this will be the run to look back on as the reason why.
Prediction: 0-3
Week 4: March 22-28
4 of 7
Games: at Minnesota Timberwolves, at Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, at Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks
Notable Matchup: Brooklyn
Seven cities in 11 days is a brutal stretch this late in a season, and this week will be a nightmare. Charlotte has five games in seven nights during the last full week of March, which will be the final nail in the coffin.
The Timberwolves are a different team with a healthy Ricky Rubio and the newly acquired Kevin Garnett. Chicago is too gritty of a matchup on the road, especially since the Bulls are so used to playing without Rose. Beal makes the Wizards tough once again, and the Atlanta Hawks need no explanation. Charlotte likely drops all four of these games due to the difficult matchups and hellish travel schedule.
Once again, the meeting with Brooklyn will be crucial. The Nets aren't good enough to run away with the playoff berth, so both teams should be wallowing in a similar position to the one they are in now. The Hornets will snag that one as they finally get to return home to North Carolina.
Whenever Kemba Walker comes back, it isn't soon enough. This team is drowning with Al Jefferson facing constant double-teams since the lack of outside shooting is so apparent. The intro slide detailed the easier schedule, but this is an awful batch. If the Hornets manage to make it through the previous week alive, this one will surely punch them in the mouth.
Prediction: 1-4
Week 5: March 29-April 4
5 of 7
Games: Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, at Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers
Most Notable Matchup: at Indiana
Finally, some room to breathe.
This is a cakewalk compared to the previous two weeks. Better yet, three of the four contests will be against teams fighting for a playoff spot.
Charlotte will still be reasonably in the hunt come April simply because of the competition. No one is going to run away with this No. 8 seed.
Most surprising of all Eastern Conference foes is the Boston Celtics' recent hot streak. They just hung around all season with a pseudo-tanking label slapped upon them after trading Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks for cents on the dollar. They ripped one from the Hornets on Feb. 27 behind a 37-point fourth quarter.
That quarter alone was the Hornets' season in a nutshell. Charlotte laid an egg in its most important stanza of the entire 2014-15 campaign. It speaks to where the Celtics are heading and where the Hornets are falling to. Don't hold your breath on being able to keep up with the young Celts.
After Paul George miraculously makes his return for the Indiana Pacers, he will become the best trade deadline acquisition of the year for any squad. They were dead and buried in mid-January but have caught lightning in a bottle to win eight of 10 and ascend back up the standings.
Charlotte is not going to be prepared to counter what the Pacers are throwing. That is a team that knows how to win big games down the stretch, something the Hornets do not.
Philly and Detroit won't be walks in the park, but the Hornets will muster up enough fortitude to at least put these in the win column and keep things interesting.
Prediction: 2-2
Week 6: April 5-15
6 of 7
Games: at Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, at Atlanta Hawks, at Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, at Toronto Raptors
Most Notable Matchup: at Toronto
Charlotte's last game of the season is its most notable because it will set things up for the offseason. It will show who still lays it all on the line when there is nothing to play for aside from personal pride. Don't be surprised if you see a massive night from Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in this one, who in many ways has been the Hornets' most indispensable player this year.
As for wins and losses, things will be a crapshoot at this point. In six weeks, the Hornets could fold it up and go home or keep fighting to see who is worth keeping on the roster next year.
Honestly, if the Hornets dropped all six of these games, would anyone be surprised? The Miami Heat have no intentions of relinquishing their stranglehold on the No. 7 seed. Any doubts about this were relinquished when Hassan Whiteside channeled his inner Roman Reigns in new teammate Goran Dragic's ultimate revenge game.
Atlanta is head and shoulders above the rest of the East. While it is tempting to predict an upset, Charlotte simply has no hope of locking down a team that can move the ball like the Hawks do.
The Pistons will still be fighting tooth and nail and will take down Charlotte in a must-win matchup at home.
The best bet is for Charlotte to take down Houston and Toronto since both might be resting guys for the postseason. This year may not have gone according to plan, but it will end on a small high note.
Down the stretch, it will be more interesting to read the players' body language and ferocity to see who wants to be a part of the next great Hornets team and who is either mentally checked out or auditioning for another squad.
Prediction: 2-4
Conclusion
7 of 7
Facing 11 teams over .500 out of 25 seems pretty appetizing on paper. That was not the case after tredging through this remaining schedule.
In prior editions of these weekly predictions articles, it has been found that the Hornets' only consistency is inconsistency. They are unable to string together any extended stretches of utility, and that won't change over the final 25 games.
Charlotte has too many games down the stretch against teams that are fighting for the same thing. It might be able to pull some of those victories out, but not without Kemba Walker. He is the only guy on this roster who has proven he can take and make huge shots on a consistent basis.
Fifty wins were very much an attainable goal for this bunch prior to the season, and that will not even be sniffed. Expectations were sky-high after the Lance Stephenson signing, as well as the drafting of Noah Vonleh and P.J. Hairston. To say those three have been a mixed bag of results would be the understatement of the century.
As Charlotte fades from the playoff picture down the stretch, individual desire and player development will be the important thing to keep an eye on. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller and Bismack Biyombo must have a great final quarter of the season, regardless of the team's record.
Charlotte has so much talent that it is hard to predict it losing so much as the season winds down. The problem is that the Hornets have too many matchups with teams that will smack them in the mouth, specifically Detroit, Chicago and Toronto.
This group of guys does not have the same fight that last year's Bobcats did and will be sitting at home in late April because of it.
Final Six Weeks Record: 10-16
Final Season Prediction: 33-49
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
