Joe Gerrity, Hornets247.com
In the aftermath of the Hornets worst offensive output ever, it’s important to keep things in perspective.
First off, let’s get our anger out of the way. That was an atrocious performance against Philadelphia in front of a national TV audience. What was supposed to be something of a coming out party for the new look Hornets more resembled last week’s Walking Dead– an epic struggle for those we care about.
Yes, the Hornets set their all-time franchise low for points in a game (62), eclipsing even the game which must not be named. The Hornets shot a pitiful 23/69 from the floor, making only a third of their shots. Jason Smith was the only New Orleanian to shoot over 50%. In fact, the Hornets had nearly as many turnovers (20) as made shots (23).
This one stings, especially because it was on national TV.
But as Monty Williams said in the post game, “Maybe tomorrow is a better day. It’s gotta be better than today.”
He tried to look on the positive side, adding that “If you told me that we were going to hold them to 77 points tonight, I’m thinking we’re going to win. As bad as we felt we held another team under 80.”
That’s the truth. When you hold the opposition to under 80, it’s rare that you don’t win the game.
Monty went on, “The one thing I like about our group is even at the end, our guys are still together, still rallying each other… we still have that camaraderie, we still have that glue that holds us together even in a tough time.”
One other thing the Hornets have going for them, and this is becoming more and more clear with each passing day, is a head coach who knows what he’s doing. He isn’t out there trashing his team after a loss, even though they likely deserved it. He isn’t out there being idealistic about what he expects and demands from his team. He’s pragmatic and reasonable, fully acknowledging that as a young team “the averages say you’re going to have a few nights like this. It’s my job to make sure that we bounce back tomorrow”.
Tomorrow is one day closer to getting Austin Rivers back, who Monty said, “wanted to play”.*It’s a day closer to the return of Anthony Davis, a future superstar who has looked amazing in limited action. It’s even a day closer to a possible Eric Gordon return. It’s a day closer to the team on the court figuring each other out.
It’s also another day for both Monty and the team to mature, so that next time they’re in a better position to made adjustments and improvements that will ensure offensive outputs like this one are few and far between.
“It’s hard to be upset with our guys,” Monty said toward the end of the post game presser, “sometimes you’re disappointed but [with] this group I can always find something positive.
Surely you can, too.
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Originally Posted by BallSoHard
