We got NO HELP tonight! Ridiculous man.
ATL over Detroit
MIA over Cleveland
PHI over Chicago
We just gotta keep kicking ass!
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I know right.. I expected the Cavs and Detroit to both winā¦ of course. Maybe the Clips will take down Toronto.
And we get Philly coming up after Embiid and Paul George have returned. Smh.
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Clippers did beat Toronto!
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That was absolutely brutal. The ATL win over DET in OT was especially cruel. Time is ticking.
Moussa Diabate joins the Zach Lowe show!!
Iām not saying I condone this behavior, but I aināt too mad about it either.
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Atlanta and Miami lose tonight
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Movinā on up. TOR up big on NO so weāll be 2 back of 5th. Another big game tomorrow, but theyāre all big in a playoff push. Felt good to say that. First time ever maybe.
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We win tomorrow weāre the 7th seed
Tomorrow is not only big for seeding, but for the tiebreaker over Philly. We are gonna get their best for sure.
This is the biggest one of the homestand for that reason.
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Looks like even Maxey is returning tomorrow so the 76ers will be at full strength. It will be a good test.
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Why can every season of hornets basketball be this exciting? Is that too much to ask for?? 
After starting 16-28, weāve since gone on a 23-6 run. This is undoubtedly the best stretch of basketball weāve ever seen in Charlotte. Ever?
If we beat Philly, weād had the tiebreaker over Philly, Orlando, and Atlanta. But not the heat. Split the season series 2-2 with Toronto. Didnāt the raptors beat us on a buzzer beater or two this season?
And for proof testing. Philly has embiid and of back and they need to win.
A statistic I find interesting. Mentioned this in a game chat the other nightā¦
2020-21 was likely the NBAās peak of uncontested rebounding. There were a lot of boring possessions where teams would just heave long balls and not fight for the board. The prevailing wisdom was that all five players needed to get back on defense. Teams only grabbed 22.2% of available offensive rebounds, an all time low since the statistic has been kept.
Now, the league is back up to grabbing 26% of available offensive rebounds, the highest since 2013. AND, our lovely Hornets are 4th in the league at 30.4%.
Weāre fun, not only due to our offensive flair and the way we destroy teams with the long ball, but also because when we miss shots we BATTLE. We contest. Moussa brings a 90s Rodmanesque flavor to an otherwise 2020s offense. Diabate is second in the league in offensive rebounding%. Roughly 1 out of every 6 Charlotte Hornet misses is going to be grabbed by Moussa when heās in the game.
Edit: Yes, more 3 point shots can allow for more long, offensive rebounds. But in the years leading up to 2021, offensive rebounding% was decreasing while 3 point attempts were actually INCREASING. There was a concerted effort to move away from offensive rebounding, which was less fun.
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The Knicks game had me thinking about KAT. Who Iām very glad that we didnāt trade for. Iāve never felt so equally impressed and unimpressed with a player. Heās objectively been a monster on the glass this year, and averaging 12.5 rbs over the last month.
But interestingly, KAT played 22 minutes against the hornets and was limited to 3 rebounds. Hart was the best Knicks rebounder with 7. We killed the Knicks on the glass: 43-24. With a 12-5 margin on offensive rebounds.
The Knicks would be the dream matchup in the playoffs. Which is why securing that 6th seed is so important for us, as it would seem as though New York will hold onto 3rd.
Our offense can very much expose KAT.
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Great post and great stats there Vet. Moussa very much reminds me of Rodman. The build, athleticism, the hustle, the grit. Moussa is a savant at rebounding, particularly on the offensive side.
And itās not even just that. Itās the stuff he doesnāt get statistical credit for such as, keeping the play alive, tipping it out to teammates, drawing fouls on the defense while attempting to rebound. I think it was the recent Orlando game when Moussa drew a couple quick fouls on Bitadze who just couldnāt keep him off the offensive glass without holding and hooking.
I hope there is some nerd out there that combs back through the games and tallies up all the Moussa plays that donāt show up on the stat sheet. It would be a mind blowing stat.
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Oh theyāre out for blood for sure then. At least we get him on the first game back. It may take them a minute to figure out how the puzzle all fits back together
What pick (if any) would you swap for 5th or 6th end of the season? I know weāre all desperate for the playoffs so for me itād have to be extra special. Even then itād be hard to choose the pick.
Since I donāt follow college I donāt know that thereās not the next goat. Maybe there is?