After falling to the Miami Heat, the Hornets showed a significant sign of growth, with their eyes zeroed in on a bigger goal.
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Young teams are erratic and unpredictable.
The highs are euphoric and the lows can be gloomy.
But the Charlotte Hornets have proven that they are past that “young team” phase. They’re becoming seasoned veterans with an end goal in sight.
The reactionary concerns can take a backseat.
After the Hornets broke their six-game winning streak, losing 128-120 to the Miami Heat on Friday night, head coach Charles Lee was blown away with what he saw in the locker room.
“Phenomenal," Lee said when regarding the mood after the loss. “Even when I walked in, they were already talking about some of the things we can do better and how they felt about some of the (Tyler) Herro off-ball actions, and where we can improve there. An upbeat group. You just won, I think it was six games in a row. You lose a high-level game to a good team that was also on a roll, and I think that you just got to learn and grow and keep moving forward. They’re in a good spot.”
After starting their season 11-23 through the first 34 games, the Hornets then went 21-9 with eyes on reaching the playoffs for the third time in over 20 years.
This run that the Hornets have gone on hasn’t just jolted the locker room, it sparked electricity throughout the city of Charlotte.
Heat star center Bam Adebayo, who’s made several trips out to Charlotte throughout his career, appreciated the city coming out to support their squad.
“It’s cool to see Charlotte get behind a team like this, sold out crowd, that type of intensity…It was very physical today.”
When someone of Adebayo’s status is beginning to take notice of the energy in the arena, it signals that something bigger than a winning streak is on the horizon.
The streak may be over, but as cliche as it sounds, nothing good lasts forever.
And the locker room vibes after the loss against the Heat suggested the Hornets don’t plan on being a flash in the pan.