The Charlotte Hornets are coming. For you, for me, for everyone in their path. After starting the season 9-20, the Hornets have gone 23-11 and been arguably the best team in the league over that stretch. They hold the top net rating in the league since December 23rd, and the best offense in the league by over two full points per 100 possessions.
Last night, after walloping the Celtics 118-89, the Hornets rose over .500 for the first time since they were 2-1. Just 2.5 games out of the No. 6 seed and just four games out of the No. 5 seed, there's a rising possibility that these Hornets avoid the play-in altogether. However the East shakes out, the Cavaliers should be thrilled to avoid facing the Hornets in the first round.
Despite the Cavaliers winning the season series against the Hornets 3-1, every game was close — and the Hornets have a real lack of pressure on them that no other team in the middle of the Eastern Conference pack does. Fan in Charlotte are so desperate for any type of postseason appearance, meaning the Hornets will be perhaps more motivated than anybody to spring a shocker in the first round.
For the record, I believe the Cavaliers would beat the Hornets in the first round. But getting into a track meet with the Buzz Boys for six games isn't the breezy first round matchup the Cavs are hoping for in an Eastern Conference that's been called weak all year long.
The Hornets will be a nightmare first round opponent for anyone
And that includes the Cavaliers. Look at the other possible first round matchups for the Cavs; it's not particularly daunting. Toronto is a good team but lacks real offensive punch, Philadelphia is hard to take seriously after almost a decade of injuries haunting them in the playoffs, Orlando can't get out of its own way, and Miami is average in every sense of the word (although their playoff black magic could strike at any minute).
In other words — the young, inexperienced, energetic Hornets feel like the team most primed to irritate a high seed in these playoffs. And while the Cavaliers should feel confident in their ability to beat anyone in the conference (and shouldn't try to maneuver in the standings to play a specific team), avoiding a team that's been mowing down top teams around the league for almost three months would be beneficial.
Threats rise in the East. Detroit is building a hurricane in basketball form, the Celtics are a faceless robot programmed to win games, and the Knicks have re-energized NYC once again. These are the biggest foes to the Cavs come playoff time; but it's past time to take the Hornets seriously as something more than an up-and-coming group of young players.