Hornets Extra: Hornets @ Cavaliers

Charlotte Hornets(6-17) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers(13-9)

Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Monday, 7:00 p.m.

Television: SportSouth

Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)

Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): CLE leads series 52-40

It's the rematch we've been all waiting for, as Lance Stephenson will lead the Charlotte Hornets into battle tonight on the road in Cleveland against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The last time that the Hornets were in action was back on Saturday night, when they got blown out by 27 points at the hands of Joe Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets, while the Cavaliers on the other hand are coming off a 5-point loss back on Friday night to Anthony Davis and the Pelicans in New Orleans.

Scouting the Hornets

On Saturday night, the Charlotte Hornets knew that they ran out of gas after playing a double-overtime game back on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, and the game was over before it got started, as Joe Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets ran up the score and ran out of Charlotte with a 114-87 win over the Hornets.  The Hornets have one thing in mind tonight, and that thing is heading into Cleveland to upset their arch nemesis LeBron James and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers to get back into the win column after losing the last 2 games.

Scouting the Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers meanwhile, are still trying to find their way around in their first season back with LeBron James at the helm.  On Friday night, Cleveland did made a late rally in the 4th quarter, but it wasn't enough to bring down the Pelicans in New Orleans.  Along with LeBron, the Cavs also have two star players to add on with their equation in Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.  This will be an entertaining game to watch this evening, as LeBron squares off with Lance for the first time since last season's Eastern Conference Finals.

Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)

Wednesday: Phoenix Suns vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Friday: Charlotte @ Philadelphia 76ers(7:00 p.m.)
Saturday: Utah Jazz vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Next Monday: Denver Nuggets vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)

NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.

Hornets Extra: Hornets 96, Celtics 87

87

96

If there was one thing that we learned from the 10-game losing streak, we learned that there is a tough mountain to climb, and for the Charlotte Hornets, they're starting to build themselves a winning streak, coming off a thrilling win last Friday night at home against the New York Knicks, and carrying that momentum into last night's game against the Boston Celtics at Time Warner Cable Arena.  The end result from this was that they did battle hard and stayed with it, and they were rewarded with a 96-87 win over Boston.  Charlotte improves their record to 6-15 on the season, while the Celtics fall to 7-13, despite the Celtics late run in the 4th, but the Hornets knew that they had some crucial stops along the way. 

"We just had to get some stops. We knew they(Boston) could get hot fast. We just had to step up our defense." said center Al Jefferson, who finished the night with 23 points to go with 14 rebounds.  Joining "Big Al" in the effort for the Hornets were two other double-figure scorers on the night for Charlotte, including Kemba Walker, who was 5-of-14 from the field to finish with 18 points on the night and Lance Stephenson had a solid outing for the Hornets, finishing up with 13 points.  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist returned to the lineup for the Hornets after missing the last few games, and he had 9 points on the night in the win for Charlotte.  As a team, Charlotte would end up shooting just 41.7% from the field.

And for Boston, Brad Stevens was pleased with the effort, but it didn't go the way it would be planned for the Celtics.  "We made a little bit of a run at the start of the fourth, but we couldn't get quite over the hump."

Rajon Rondo had a triple-double in the loss for Boston with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Jeff Green and Marcus Thornton co-led the Celtics with 16 points on the night, as the Celtics out-shot the Hornets from the field with a 43.7% field goal percentage, and winning the rebounding battle by a 45-44 margin.

The Hornets hope to make it three in a row tomorrow night in Memphis as they take on the Grizzlies at FedExForum for a 8:00 p.m. tip-off, and they'll be back at "The Hive" on Saturday night to square off against the Brooklyn Nets.

Hornets Extra: Bulls 102, Hornets 95

102

95

Back on Wednesday night, the Charlotte Hornets dropped their 10th straight decision, this time at the expense of the Chicago Bulls as their late charge in the 4th quarter wasn't enough as the Bulls held on for a 7-point win by a 102-95 final score, before 16,887 at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The loss dropped Charlotte to 4-15 on the season.  Chicago was led in scoring by Pau Gasol, as he finished the game on Wednesday with 19 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field to go along with 15 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler and Derrick Rose each had 14 points each to add on to the total team effort that Gasol liked on Wednesday for Chicago. "These types of games really make a big difference at the end of the season with your record." Gasol said.

Chicago also saw Joakim Noah notch a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds, with Kirk Hinrich adding in 12 points off the bench and Nikola Mirotic, rounded out the list of double figure scorers for the Bulls with 11 points off the bench.  As a team, the Bulls finished the night shooting 46.2% from the field, while they won the rebounding war by a 49-42 margin.

The Hornets were led by Kemba Walker, who had one of the two bright highlights for Charlotte in Wednesday's loss, as he shaked and bake, and he would proceed to leave Mirotic on the Billy Graham Parkway going to the Airport in the third quarter.  He would finish up with 23 points to lead the Hornets in the loss, while Lance Stephenson would add in 20 points.

Charlotte hopes to avoid losing its 11th straight game tonight, when they welcome in Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks to "The Hive" for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.

Hornets Extra: Hornets @ Pacers

Charlotte Hornets(4-7) vs. Indiana Pacers(4-7)

Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.

Television: SportSouth

Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)

Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): IND leads series 57-35

It will be an emotional night for Lance Stephenson, as he and the Charlotte Hornets travel to Indianapolis on Wednesday night to take on a struggling Pacers team that enters the game with a 4-7 mark, just like the Hornets.  Charlotte is coming off a hard-fought loss to the Dallas Mavericks back on Monday night at Time Warner Cable Arena 107-80, while Indiana is coming off a 99-90 win over the Bulls back on Saturday night in Chicago.

Scouting the Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are coming off a lackluster performance on Monday night as they were blown out a home by the always tough Dallas Mavericks 107-80, dropping Charlotte to 4-7 on the season.  Once again, the Hornets will be without Gary Neal, P.J. Hairston and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for this match-up tonight, meaning that we could see another lineup adjustment, as the Hornets look to snap their brief 2-game skid tonight in Indianapolis as Lance Stephenson makes his return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the first time as a member of the Hornets.

Scouting the Pacers

Like the Hornets, the Pacers come in with a 4-7 mark into tonight's Eastern Conference match-up at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.  After an exciting season last year, the Pacers are struggling out of the gates this season, but they do have a group of talented players including Roy Hibbert and Paul George, that can make it tough for those playing the Pacers, and these two players will be in the spotlight tonight for Frank Vogel's squad, as they welcome in former teammate Lance Stephenson and the Charlotte Hornets to Indianapolis.

Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)

Friday: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte*(7:00 p.m.)
Sunday: Charlotte @ Miami Heat*(6:00 p.m.)
Monday: L.A. Clippers vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Next Wednesday: Portland Trail Blazers vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
*-Southeast Division game

NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.

Hornets Extra: Trail Blazers 102, Hornets 100

100

102

For the first three quarters of last night's game in Portland at the Moda Center, the Charlotte Hornets had all things going their way, but with less than 5:00 left in the game, the Portland Trail Blazers would storm their way back with a frantic comeback, and with less than 3 tenths of a second left, Gary Neal thought he had the shot that would send the game in overtime, but the referees decided it was no good, as Portland handed Charlotte(3-5) it's second straight loss by a 102-100 margin.

Neal thought he had the shot, but he was disappointed that it was after the buzzer went off. "When I made the basket, I thought it was good." Neal said. "It was a bang-bang play, so it was hard to say I thought it was out of my hand but they said it wasn't."

Leading the way for Portland in their comeback victory was their captain, Damian Lillard, who was 12-of-21 from the field to finish with 29 points to lead the Blazers.  He was joined by Lamarcus Aldridge, who added in 25 points, with 14 rebounds to his credit.  Wesley Matthews finished the night with 16 points and Chris Kaman came off the bench to add in 12.  As a team, the Blazers shot an even 43% from the field, despite the Hornets out-shooting them with 46.3% for the game.

Over on the Hornets side of the final statsheet, they were led in scoring by Al Jefferson and his 22 point outing to lead Charlotte in the loss, while Kemba Walker was 6-of-16 from the field to finish up with 16 points.  Lance Stephenson had another strong outing with 14 points and 14 rebounds, while Brian Roberts and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist each had 12 points each.

The Hornets look to get back on the right track on Friday night as they pay a visit to Phoenix to take on the Suns at 9:00 p.m., before wrapping up their West Coast road trip on Saturday night in Oakland against the Golden State Warriors at 10:30 p.m.   The next time the Hornets are back home at Time Warner Cable Arena will come on Monday night as they take on Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.

Hornets Extra: Hornets 122, Hawks 119(2OT)

119

122(2OT)

When the Charlotte Hornets announced their intentions to bring in Lance Stephenson, they wanted him to do one thing: Step it up when it matters, and last night, Lance was indeed "Born Ready" to end the game in a big way to send the 15,891 in attendance at "The Hive", with most of them staying until the end, home happy as his game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer gave the Hornets a dramatic, but yet thrilling 122-119 win over the Atlanta Hawks, as Charlotte returns to the .500 mark(3-3), while the Hawks fall to 1-3.

"For me to hit that big shot, there was a lot of emotion that came out. I haven't made a shot all season long, but hopefully that will give me more confidence to keep hitting more shots." said Stephenson, who finished the night with 17 points and 13 rebounds to notch his first double-double in a Hornets uniform.  Al Jefferson, who led the team with a game-high 34 points, was relieved to see Stephenson hit that game-winner in a huge situation last night to give the Hornets the win, instead of sending it to a third overtime. "Lance is a tough as nails." Jefferson said, "You see when he got the ball what he did with it."  

Charlotte finished last night's game shooting 49.5% from the field, with much of it coming from both, Jefferson and Stephenson, but they did see 4 players reach double figures in the win, including Gary Neal, who once again came off the bench to finish the night with 23 points, while Kemba Walker was 6-of-16 from the field to end his night with 15 points and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist returned to the lineup after missing the previous 2 games with a rib contusion, and he contributed 10 points to the effort for the Hornets in their win last night.

Over on the Hawks side in their loss, they were led in scoring by center Al Horford, who was 11-for-16 from the field to end up with 24 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Jeff Teague had a double-double on the night as well for Atlanta, with 22 points and 15 rebounds.  Atlanta also saw their three-point specialist, Kyle Korver, get into double figures with 20 points, while he was 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, with Paul Millsap and Demarre Carroll each with 13 and rounding out the double-figure scoring for the Hawks was Dennis Schroeder with 10 off the bench.

Now the Charlotte Hornets will embark on a long 4-game, 7-day road trip, which begins tomorrow night in Los Angeles as they take on Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers for a 9:00 p.m. start at the Staples Center.

Hornets Extra: Knicks 96, Hornets 93

93

96

The final few seconds of last night's match-up between the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks turned out to be very interesting, as the turning point of the game was the 5-second rule in which Charlotte didn't inbound the ball to avoid the warning, and that would eventually open the door for the Knicks to maintain their lead and to escape out of Madison Square Garden with a 96-93 win to go to 2-1 on the year, while Charlotte drops to 1-2.

Of course, everyone knows that when you face the Knicks, you have to go through Carmelo Anthony, the man that was in the center of attention last season, when his 61-point performance burned the then-Bobcats at Madison Square Garden, and last night, he eclipsed the 20,000 point plateau, while leading the way for New York with a game-high 28 point outing, as first-year coach Derek Fisher was impressed with his team's effort last night. "Their effort in trying to do what we're asking them to do is very high. Even though we're making mistakes, we are making it hard for teams to score in certain situations." Fisher said.

New York would finish the night shooting an even 50% from the field, as Anthony was joined in the victorious effort by Amar'e Stoudemire off the bench, as he went 7-of-13 from the field to finish with 17 points to go along with his 10 rebounds, and Iman Shumpert rounded out the list of double-figure scorers for the Knicks with 15 points on the night.

As for the Hornets in the loss, they were led in scoring by "Big Al" Jefferson and his 21 point outing, while Gary Neal came off the bench to add in 17 points with Kemba Walker scoring 16 and Lance Stephenson finally got into double figures for the first time in a Hornets uniform with 14 points, as the Hornets teamwise, shot 47.1% from the field, while out-rebounding the Knicks by a 38-35 margin.

Next up for the Hornets, a match-up with Anthony Davis and the Pelicans on Tuesday night at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans for a 8:00 tip-off, before heading back home to take on Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and the Miami Heat at Time Warner Cable Arena at 7:00 p.m. this Wednesday.

30 Teams in 30 Days: Charlotte Hornets

Our "30 Teams in 30 Days" series concludes today with a preview of the Charlotte Hornets, as they look to pick up where they left off from last season's 43-win year as the then-Bobcats, and are looking forward to reclaiming the Buzz as they officially bring back the Hornets moniker back home to the Carolinas after a long 12-year absence.

Last season's record: 43-39(3rd in Southeast Division and 7th in Eastern Conference; Lost to MIA 4-0 in Eastern Conference First Round)

Head Coach: Steve Clifford(2nd season, 43-39 overall)

Arena: Time Warner Cable Arena(19,077)

Website: Hornets.com

Entering the 2013-14 season, the then-Charlotte Bobcats were looking for a way to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2010 after 3 straight losing seasons, and the only way that they did so was bringing in a defensive-minded coach in Steve Clifford and landing Al Jefferson. Charlotte would be one of the young teams on the rise last season, and many thought that the then-Bobcats would be a threat in the Eastern Conference.  We were all right, as Charlotte finished up the season with a 43-39 record, good enough to give them the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, setting up a first-round showdown with the Miami Heat.

The first round was somewhat dominated by Miami, as the Heat not only swept Charlotte in 4 straight games, but it would signal the end of the "Bobcats" moniker in Charlotte as we know it after 10 seasons.

Emerging in it's waif...the return of one of the most iconic brands in all of sports, as the franchise officially evolved into the Charlotte Hornets, as they would give the fans what they wanted and officially "Bringing Back the Buzz" to Charlotte and the Carolinas after a long 12-year absence.

Besides the return of Purple and Teal and Hugo the Hornet, they made a big splash in Free Agency this past off-season, and landing in Lance Stephenson to help the team become a even more dangerous threat in the East and together with Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker, many of the so-called "Experts" out there could possibly pick Charlotte as the "Dark Horse" of the Eastern Conference, and some could have them winning their first division title in the franchise's 25 year history in Charlotte(since 1988).

If you were a fan of the original Hornets during their 14 year run, you've heard of all the great names that donned the iconic uniform such as Muggsy Bogues, Dell Curry, Larry Johnson, and Alonzo Mourning, and with the season approaching, the newly-reborn Charlotte Hornets hope to capture that same excitement and passion once again in "Buzz City", and they are ready to take that next big step in the storied history of Charlotte NBA Basketball.

Hornets Extra: Bucks vs. Hornets

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte Hornets

Time Warner Cable Arena

Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.

Television: SportSouth

Radio: WFNZ 610 AM/WBAV 101.9 FM

Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988): MIL leads series 48-46

After 4,578 days, the Charlotte Hornets will finally play its first regular season game since 2002, as they welcome in the Milwaukee Bucks to "The Hive" on Wednesday night.  The Hornets look to pick up where they left off from last season, when the then-Bobcats won 43 games and earning a trip to the NBA Playoffs, in which they were swept in 4 games by the Miami Heat, while the Bucks look to get out to a early start in their opener as they look towards a turnaround year in Milwaukee.

Scouting the Bucks

After a dismal 2013-14 season, the Milwaukee Bucks are hoping for a much better year this season, and they look to get on the right track on Wednesday, as they open up the season in Charlotte against the Hornets.  The Bucks have a new look, and a new attitude, as Jason Kidd takes over the helm as their head coach, while Jabari Parker will make his long-awaited rookie debut.

Milwaukee hopes that a young talented core could give them a major boost in the 2014-15 season, and we will see it in action on Wednesday, as the Bucks square off against the Hornets in Charlotte.

Scouting the Hornets

The last time the Charlotte Hornets played a regular season game was back on April 17, 2002, when they defeated the Chicago Bulls 112-106 at the old Charlotte Coliseum off of Tyvola Road.  12 years later, the Hornets are finally back, and are ready to begin an exciting and historic chapter in Charlotte NBA history, as they will make their grand return on Wednesday night at Time Warner Cable Arena against the Milwaukee Bucks.  The Hornets have made a lot of noise this past off-season, as they landed Lance Stephenson, and adding rookies Noah Vonleh and P.J. Hairston to a Hornets squad that may be the surprise team to watch in a competitive Eastern Conference, and who knows, they could possibly be a lock to capture their first ever division title in the 25-year history of Charlotte NBA Basketball, dating back to the franchise's inception in 1988.

Everyone in Charlotte is anxiously waiting to see what the Hornets will do after a successful 2013-14 campaign when they were known as the Bobcats, and "The Hive" will be alive again on Wednesday, as the Hornets welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to Charlotte.

Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)

Saturday: Memphis Grizzlies @ Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Sunday: Charlotte @ New York Knicks(7:30 p.m.)
Next Tuesday: Charlotte @ New Orleans Pelicans(8:00 p.m.)
Next Wednesday: Miami Heat @ Charlotte*(7:00 p.m.)
*-Southeast Division Game

NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.

30 Teams in 30 Days: Indiana Pacers

Our ongoing "30 Teams in 30 Days" series brings us back into the Eastern Conference after a long stay in the Western Conference over the last couple of days.  We resume the Eastern Conference portion of this series with a look at one of the teams that is always a contender in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers, a team that could give the league a run for their money in the 2014-15 season.

Last season's record: 56-26(1st in Central Division and Eastern Conference; Def. ATL 4-3 in Eastern Conference 1st Round; Def. WAS 4-2 in Eastern Conference Semi-finals; Lost to MIA 4-2 in Eastern Conference Finals)

Head Coach: Frank Vogel(5th season, 167-100 overall with IND)

Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse(18,165)

Website: Pacers.com

If you had the Indiana Pacers taking the Central Division on paper, then you knew that they were a team with depth and size, but we all know that games aren't played on paper, they play it on hardwood, and many Pacers fans knew this.  Behind the solid play of Lance Stephenson, who was the center of attention of what would happen to him in the off-season, and of course, the supporting cast behind him, Indiana did indeed capture the Central Division crown, and landing the number one overall seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs last year, finishing up with a 56-26 mark.

Indiana did this without Paul George, who was out for the season, and the postseason, and after getting past the Atlanta Hawks in the 1st round, and Washington in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, Indiana was staring down at it's final hurdle: The Miami Heat.  It was an epic series for both teams, but Miami got the best of Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Then, this past off-season, Lance Stephenson decided to leave the Pacers and sign with the Hornets to bolster their lineup this season down in Charlotte, but that didn't stop Indiana from getting Paul George back after an extended period of time, and just recently, they signed Frank Vogel to an extension, after all he has done in his short time as the head man in Indiana.

Things are looking up for the Pacers this upcoming season, and they will always be one of the prime teams in the league, and in their own division, with rivals in the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, and yes, the Cleveland Cavaliers again, now that LeBron has decided to rejoin the team again, and this team could be a dangerous threat to win it all, but we shall watch and see how they'll do this upcoming season.

Upcoming team previews in the "30 Teams in 30 Days" series:

• Saturday: Chicago Bulls
• Sunday: Milwaukee Bucks
• Monday: Detroit Pistons
• Tuesday: Cleveland Cavaliers
• Wednesday: Toronto Raptors
• Thursday: Boston Celtics
• Next Friday: New York Knicks

Hornets Extra - Preseason Edition: Wizards vs. Hornets

Preseason Game #2: Washington Wizards(2-0) vs. Charlotte Hornets(0-1)

Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina

Friday, 7:00 p.m.

Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)

The Charlotte Hornets preseason schedule will take them to Greenville, South Carolina on Friday night, when they face John Wall and the Washington Wizards.  Charlotte is 0-1 on the preseason, after dropping a 106-92 decision to the 76ers last night in Philadelphia, while the Wizards are 2-0 on the preseason, with wins coming against the Bulls in Chicago on Monday, and Wednesday in Jacksonville, Florida against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Scouting the Wizards

The Washington Wizards were one of the surprise teams to make the NBA Playoffs last season, with a 44-38 mark, good enough for the team to get the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, before being eliminated by the Chicago Bulls.

Many are expecting the Wizards to come out of the gates again, depending on the health of each and every single player on their roster, including John Wall and Bradley Beal, two of the best players on their roster.  Washington enters the match already winning 2 preseason games, on the road in Chicago on Monday, and defeating New Orleans back on Wednesday in Jacksonville, and they look for a 3-0 start in Greenville, South Carolina on Friday, when they take on the Charlotte Hornets.

Scouting the Hornets

Charlotte is coming off a tough-luck loss back on Wednesday in Philadelphia, losing to the Sixers by a 106-92 mark, but the game did have several bright spots for the Hornets in the loss, and that was Gary Neal coming off the bench to lead the way with 14 points, while Lance Stephenson made his presence known by finishing with 13 points along with Kemba Walker.

The game in Greenville, South Carolina on Friday is technically a "Home" game for the Hornets, as they will play Washington at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena(formerly the BI-LO Center).  The last time that the Hornets played a preseason game in Greenville was back in 2000, and they also played there in 1999. For those interested in attending the game in Greenville, directions to Bon Secours Wellness Arena will be listed at the bottom.

Upcoming Hornets preseason game schedule(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)

Monday: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Wednesday: Detroit Pistons vs. Charlotte(11:00 a.m.)%
Friday: Charlotte @ Washington Wizards(7:00 p.m.)
October 19th: Charlotte @Chicago Bulls(7:00 p.m.)
%-Denotes Cool School Field Trip game for middle school students

NOTE: All Hornets preseason games(with the exception of the 10/15 game) can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.

DIRECTIONS TO BON SECOURS WELLNESS ARENA

From Charlotte: Take I-85 South to exit 51, merge on I-385 North to Greenville.  Once in Greenville, take East North Street to Beattie Place and make a right onto North Church Street.  Make a right on Manly Street and the Bon Secours Wellness Arena will be on your left.

Hornets Extra - Preseason Edition Recap: 76ers 106, Hornets 92

92

106



Last night was somewhat a tale of two halves for the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers in their preseason match-up at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the first half was somewhat a good half all-around for the Hornets, but when the second half came, the 76ers jumped out to a good lead that they put together at the half and they never looked back, as Philadelphia(1-1) held on to defeat Charlotte(0-1) 106-92.

The loss did provide some bright spots from Charlotte, as Lance Stephenson made his much-anticipated debut in a Hornets uniform, as he finished the night with 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field in the loss along with Kemba Walker, who had 13 points as well on 5-of-12 shooting, but the leading scorer on the night for the Hornets was Gary Neal, who came off the bench to lead the team with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting.  As a team, the Hornets, in their first preseason game in 12 years, finished the night with a 36.8% average from the field, despite being out-rebounded by the 76ers 53-50.

Over on the Philadelphia side of last night's scoresheet, newcomer Tony Wroten would lead the 76ers in scoring with 15 points(6-of-10 shooting), while another newcomer, Casper Ware, came off the bench to add in 14 points, as Philadelphia finished the game with a 42.2% field goal percentage on the night to get their first preseason win on their schedule.

Tomorrow night, the Hornets will take on John Wall, Bradley Beal, and the up and coming Washington Wizards in Greenville, South Carolina at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena at 7:00 p.m., before taking the weekend off to prepare for Monday's game against the Orlando Magic at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Hornets Extra: Hornets finally get the man they wanted in Stephenson

While you were sleeping last night, many of you had the same thing I had dreamed about over the last few weeks, and that dream was of course, the opportunity of seeing Lance Stephenson in a Charlotte Hornets uniform.  Then by the time everyone in "Buzz City" woke up this morning, our dream, and wish, finally came true, as the team and Stephenson came to terms on a three-year deal.

To us, it was kinda like watching a cloud of teal smoke coming from the chimney of "The Hive", Time Warner Cable Arena, when we all knew the signing was going to happen in the first place, after we missed out on a chance to bring Gordon Hayward to Charlotte, that was until the Utah Jazz matched our offer and thus keeping him in a Jazz uniform, but that didn't stop us from signing Marvin Williams and also signing Brian Roberts, who interestingly enough, played with the Hornets(now Pelicans) in New Orleans, and is back with the Hornets this time around here in Charlotte, last week.

A lot of us see this signing of Stephenson, who spent the last four seasons with the Indiana Pacers, is a another example of proving why Hornets owner Michael Jordan, general manager Rich Cho and head coach Steve Clifford are working on building a formula for success with the Charlotte Hornets, and some could possibly compare it to what John Schuerholz and Bobby Cox did during the Braves domination of the National League during the 1990's, and yes, Billy "Moneyball" Beane and what he's done with the Oakland Athletics over the last few years, not to mention yes, Jerry Jones and his Cowboys dynasty in the early 1990's, but I won't get into that detail anytime soon.

As a fan of this franchise, dating back to the original Hornets run from 1988-2002, and the 10 seasons of the Bobcats from 2004-14 and now beginning my second stint as a Hornets fan again, this signing is something we all hoped that would solidify the Charlotte Hornets position as possibly, an elite team in the Eastern Conference, joining the ranks of Cleveland, now that LeBron James is back home again, New York with Carmelo Anthony, and Miami, with the "Big Two" of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.  Now, when you take a closer look at the Hornets, with Stephenson joining Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller, Noah Vonleh, and P.J. Hairston, they may potentially be the talk of the NBA once the 2014-15 season starts, and some of the experts could predict that Charlotte may be a top-4, or maybe top-5 team in the Eastern Conference with Stephenson now in the fold, and this signing was indeed what we truly wanted from this organization because after all, it was us, the fans of Charlotte NBA basketball, that wanted the Hornets name back home in the first place, and with the signing of Stephenson, this may take the Hornets one step further in their plan to be a contender, not a pretender, in a competitive Eastern Conference here in the NBA, and that would make us "Born Ready" to see what will happen next for this Hornets squad in the months to come.