With Hip Hop Vibe being based in North Carolina and preparing to do more things in the Charlotte market, it was only right to acknowledge the sports scene. In the past ten years, the Charlotte Bobcats have played in the NBA, but they have not given fans much to cheer about. This season, all of this changed.
Two seasons ago, the Charlotte Bobcats were the laughingstock of the NBA. During the lockout-shortened season in 2011-12, the Bobcats ended the year on a 23-game losing streak and finished 7-59, which was the worst win percentage by a team in the history of the league.
The 2012-13 wasn’t much better. Although the team started 7-5, an 18-game losing streak followed and Charlotte eventually finished 21-61. Expectations were low this season, with most of the excitement stemming from the name change back to the Hornets, the city’s previous name from 1988-2002, before the franchise moved to New Orleans.
Now, after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 96-94 in overtime on April 5, the Bobcats provided an additional boost, clinching their second playoff birth in the 10-year history of the franchise and first since 2010.
As the team hopes to carry the momentum with the new name next season, here’s why fortunes changed in 2013-14:
Fundamentals
Charlotte has the 23rd-ranked offense, scoring just 97 points per game, but its defense is fifth in the league, holding opponents to 97.3 points per contest. The Bobcats also turn the ball over just 12.3 times per game, the lowest average in the league.
Al Jefferson
In July 2013, Jefferson signed as a free agent with the Bobcats, for $40.5 million over three years. The investment has paid off with Jefferson having one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 21.9 points and 10.7 rebounds a game. Jefferson also became the Eastern Conference Player of the Month in March and solidified himself as the first true low-post scoring option the Bobcats have had in its brief history.
Steve Clifford
Clifford had been an assistant coach since 2001 for four teams. Starting with the Knicks, he spent two seasons with New York, before spending four with Houston, five with Orlando and one with the Los Angeles Lakers before getting his first coaching job in Charlotte. Clifford, the third coach in the past three years for Charlotte, is the only coach in the team’s history to have a .500 record during a stint with the Bobcats.
The playoffs begin today, but the Charlotte Bobcats begin their journey tomorrow, when they travel to Miami to play LeBron James, D-Wade, and company.
