After last night's dramatic win, the Charlotte Hornets are one win away from taking on the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, but it didn't come without controversy.
LaMelo Ball tripped Heat star Bam Adebayo, sending him down hard on his tailbone, which forced him to leave the game and lowered any chance Miami had of winning it. They were still able to send the game to overtime and had their chances to win, but there is no arguing that losing their best player affected the outcome.
The play by Ball appeared to be intentional, and the ref was right there, but didn’t blow the whistle or review the play. Erik Spoelstra was livid after the game and I can’t blame him.
It’s sometimes hard to judge intent when you are looking at giant men flying around in slow motion, so I won’t, but I will say that if Isaiah Stewart had done the same thing, I one hundred percent guarantee there would have been a technical and probably an ejection.
LaMelo was allowed to play on and eventually hit the game winner, so whether it was intentional or not, the result certainly benefitted the Hornets.
Charlotte will still have to beat the loser of the 76ers vs. Magic, and if they do, the Pistons will be waiting.
The Pistons and Hornets would be heated
If the Hornets do happen to make it to the playoffs, it sets up what will undoubtedly be a heated first-round matchup.
These two teams do not like each other at all and have already fought this season, though most of that fight had nothing to do with basketball, as the Pistons won all three meetings.
Even though there are those in the national media who believe the Hornets will be a “nightmare matchup” for the Pistons, it will be a different kind of nightmare for fans who like to watch basketball.
The Pistons and Hornets are a clash of styles
There are some fans who love to watch teams run up and down the floor and shoot a million 3-point shots. I am not one of them.
As good as the game was last night, watching the Hornets shoot 56 3-pointers is what I consider a “nightmare” indeed. Ball alone went 2-of-16 from long range.
As insufferable as some of us find it, the Hornets’ style can be effective if they are going in, as they can put up points quickly. It’s also hard to bury them, as they can shoot their way back into the game, and no lead is safe.
They also do a lot of talking, which is something the Pistons have to stay away from, as they can’t allow Charlotte to get them out of their game with trash talking and dirty play as they did to the Heat last night.
Charlotte is not even in the playoffs yet, but if they do get there, Pistons vs. Hornets will be one of the more interesting first-round matchups.
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