The Southeast Division Title Race

Hornets Talk
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This years division title race may be the closest, most contested race in the history of the division. 4 teams with legitimate shots to win it in the last quarter of the season.

I know division titles aren’t really celebrated too much by most teams, since teams pay more attention to conference standings and actual championships. But fun fact (not that fun), in 36 seasons, the Hornets have never even done that. Not a single time. Even with a measly 5 teams in a division, we’ve never had that magical season where we were the best in our region. 0-36.

I think we’re gonna win it though. 3 games separates the 4 teams, with 22+ games to play for each. We’re 4th right now, but all the momentum is on our side. Atlanta is holding strong, but they’re surviving on scrappiness, and I don’t think they have the offensive prowess to get much above .500. Orlando is the leader, but they’ve been dealing with injuries, and their supposed crowning season has felt like an underachieving disappointment after their all in move with Bane. They’re decent, but the iffy vibes feel like it’ll hold them back.

Miami is the true competition. They always win. Always. Whether their roster is good or bad, they always come out on top. The basketball gods favor them for some reason. We have 2 more head to head games to catch them.

Overall, I think it will be tight to the end, but we have the most mojo in the division, maybe the whole league right now, and teams can’t figure out how to guard our 3 headed monster with the body of a moose. I just wanted a place to keep track of the other teams on the trek to our first division title in history.

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Apparently we have the toughest remaining strength of schedule among the teams in the fight for the division and 6th playoff spot.

  • The Hornets have the league’s toughest remaining schedule in regard to opposing defenses, with 12 games against teams that enter March in the top 10 defensively, but only four against teams in the bottom 10. They have a seven-game homestand from Mar. 17-29 that begins with one of their two remaining games against the eighth-place Heat, who they trail by two games as we enter March.
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To update the race:

News bulletin just in, it appears everyone else in the division is just not going to lose another game the rest of the year. They seemed so inspired by our winning ways that they decided to copy our strategy.

Orlando’s won 6 in a row, Miami’s won 7, and the Hawks, the freakin Hawks, have stupidly won 8 in a row.

And it seems they’re all playing the Nets or Wizards every game. Probably the same night. But the games they’re playing Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota - they win those games too.

Everyone will start playing each other, so maybe…maybe? the other teams will get a few losses. The way things are going, Orlando and Miami may very well get the 4 or 5 seed. And us and Atlanta might get up to the 7th and 8th seed. Philly looks done, and I don’t know or care enough about the Raptors to figure out if they’re still good or not.

We’ll be in the play in game at this rate, but I think we’ll still get into the playoffs. Division crown is only 4 games out, there’s still a chance, I guess.