The Charlotte Hornets are in perfect position to just completely wreck playoff team's dreams and aspirations. That's exactly what they did to the Cleveland Cavaliers to redeem their loss from earlier in the week, 118-111. The Cavs have Brandon Miller to thank for their recent meltdown, as the Charlotte rookie had 31 points, seven made threes, and six rebounds on an extremely efficient 11-of-19 shooting from the field.
Miller was actually the first Hornets rookie to post those numbers in franchise history.
Brandon Miller is ready to ruin everything playoff related
After the win, Miller was asked about his mindset heading into this home stretch of game to close out the season.
“We're gonna go at every game with the mindset of just competing. Give it 100% from the start of the game to the finish. Trust in each other the whole way until the end of the season to just get better as a team,” Miller shared.
The Hornets are already out of playoff contention, so destroying whatever plan other teams want to cook is the go-to option. Well, that and improving individually and as a team of course. Miller's confidence has grown game by game. He's taking and making big, clutch time shots down the stretch of close games. Wednesday against the Cavs was no different, and he spoke on that source of confidence.
“I think it’s just my teammates building my confidence every day, on and off the court. To be comfortable to take shots like this and then in tough situations… I think just playing together the whole game and just sticking with each other is why we got the win tonight.”
Hornets' horror tour continues
Out of the 10 games remaining, nine of the matchups are against teams that still have a shot to make it into the postseason. They also have the second toughest schedule in the NBA. There's already nothing for this team to lose since they're not penciled into the playoffs, so they will try any and everything to come out with a win to ruin any postseason plans teams may have in store. For example, the Cavs were knocked out of the third spot in the Eastern Conference and down to four, which draws a more unfavorable matchup with the Orlando Magic who are at the 5th seed.
“I'm happy that we got a win,” Miller said after beating Cleveland. “With being on a losing streak, I think a win like this can start something great and we’ll try to build off this.”
Miller's mindset will only carry into Charlotte's next matchup with the Golden State Warriors. The Dubs are already walking along a fine line with the Houston Rockets about a game behind them for that last spot in the play-in tournament out West. Anybody can win any given night in the NBA, and the Hornets have proven that several nights. It's a weird paradox that should make any playoff team nervous when playing against this young team.
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