Home/NBA

USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

The holiday week was not all merry for Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets. In fact, the entire season has been a similar story for them. The Hornets ended their six-game Western Conference road trip last night against Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors on a loss. However, despite the odds against them, the Hornets managed to stay at a striking distance till the game’s final minutes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The loss kept the fans on the edge of their seat until the final buzzer against the defending champions left the team in a positive light. However, another cause for optimism for Hornets fans came from their head coach, Steve Clifford. Clifford’s words marked an angelic silver lining for Charlotte.

Words of hope from the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets

Charlotte Hornets faced off against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center, marking their last game on their Western Conference road trip. Unsurprisingly, the trip was not pleasant for the Hornets out of their hive, as they won only two out of six games. Moreover, they lost a close game against the short-handed Warriors (18-18), who were missing the 2x MVP, Stephen Curry. However, in the post-game press conference, the head coach of the Hornets had some words of hope for his team.

USA Today via Reuters

In the post-game press conference, after addressing the unfortunate final minutes of the thriller game, head Coach Steve Clifford harped on the team’s road trip and the season ahead. Surprisingly, the coach spoke with optimism for the coming days and the makings of a potentially good team.

Clifford said,?“I thought 3-3 would’ve been great. We’re getting better. We’re getting our guys back. We still got two more guys to get back, but we got our guys back so we’re a lot better team. It’ll take us a little bit more to get organized. We’re playing every other day, so there’s not a lot of practice time but I think you can see the beginnings of what can be a good team.”?

The coach also harped on the much-needed return of Hornets players who are nursing an injury as of now. He said,?“We need to get Dennis [Smith Jr.] back. We need Cody [Martin] back and when we get those guys back, I think that’ll help us in many respects also.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Read More -?Billionaire LeBron James Might Take Over from Michael Jordan as ?Worst NBA Owner?, Per Giannis Antetokounmpo?s Ex-Teammate

Dennis Smith Jr. and Cody Martin are currently ruled out of the lineup due to injuries. Apart from these two, the Hornets will also miss Kelly Oubre Jr and Nick Richards for the upcoming game at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder (15-19).

The Hornets fans were treated with the return of Gordon Hayward recently. Likewise, the return of the players mentioned above and Kelly Oubre Jr will undoubtedly add some wins to the column. Moreover, the Hornets will require every last win as they sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference as the 14th seed with an underwhelming record of 9-26.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Watch the Story – Michael Jordan’s $5 Billion hits Italy by storm

Do you think the Hornets will make the play-in tournament with the return of players? Let us know in the comments below.