{"id":229539,"date":"2026-04-13T10:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T10:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229539\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T10:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T10:06:26","slug":"hornets-recall-what-went-right-wrong-in-games-vs-miami","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/229539\/","title":{"rendered":"Hornets recall what went right, wrong in games vs. Miami"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s poetic justice. Or a cruel twist of fate.<\/p>\n

Either way, the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> find themselves matched up with the very same team that won the last postseason date at Spectrum Center. That would be the Miami Heat, which upended Charlotte in Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Playoffs when \u201cPurple Shirt Guy\u201d got Dwyane Wade riled up leading to a stomach-churning highlight reel for the ages.<\/p>\n

In order for the ninth-seeded Hornets to punch an official playoff ticket<\/a> and make the eight-team Eastern Conference field, they have to get past 10th-seeded Miami in the first round of the NBA\u2019s play-in tournament at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat locker room, those group of guys,\u201d coach Charles Lee said, \u201cthey love competing, they love doing it together. They have enjoyed every bit of this process and journey, and I know they are going to be ready to prepare for a Miami team and give it everything they have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which will be an arduous task given the Heat\u2019s recent success against the Hornets.<\/p>\n

\"LaMelo LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets reacts after making a shot while guarded by Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat during their game at Spectrum Center on March 06, 2026. Jacob Kupferman Getty Images <\/p>\n

Miami won the season series 3-1, resulting in Charlotte needing to finish one game ahead of the Heat to avoid having to win two outings on the road to reach the actual playoff field for the first time in a decade. Miami beat the Hornets by an average of 17.6 points, including a whopping 22.5 in their first two dates of the 2025-26 campaign.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a slight caveat in all that, though: Two of the four matchups between the Hornets and Heat took place in Miami within an 11-day span during the initial month of the season.<\/p>\n

Charlotte isn\u2019t the same team now as it was then, fueled by a turnaround that went from 4-14 to compiling the most wins since 2016.<\/p>\n

And the Hornets understand they have to tighten things up in a variety of areas to ensure the outcome is in their favor. Win and they move on to play at the loser of Wednesday\u2019s game between No. 7 Philadelphia and No. 8 Orlando on Friday for the right to meet the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in a best-of-seven series beginning Sunday in Michigan.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to start the game physical,\u201d Miles Bridges said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to be the physical team and have them match our physicality, because the times that we did lose against them, they came out and punched us in the mouth first. So, we\u2019ve got to punch them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Miles Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets dribbles the ball against Pelle Larsson of the Miami Heat during an Oct. 28, 2025 game at Kaseya Center. Megan Briggs Getty Images <\/p>\n

They also noticed something else.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ones that we lost, they were beating us to offensive rebounds, had a lot of points in the paint,\u201d Bridges said. \u201cAnd the game we beat them, we limited their offensive rebounds, we limited their paint points, and Tyler Herro had a tough time when we played.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we\u2019ve just got to make it tough for Tyler and Bam (Adebayo) and let other guys beat us.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s going to be of great importance for the Hornets to not freestyle defensively, instead focusing in on how Lee wants to guard the Heat. Lapses can\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to know what we are in, know what the coaches are talking about,\u201d LaMelo Ball<\/a> said. \u201cBe consistent and obviously just follow the game plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given he didn\u2019t get traded to Charlotte until February, Coby White wasn\u2019t around for those first two outings against Miami. But the veteran guard, who has postseason experience, has a good idea of what worked well for the Hornets\u2019 victory over the Heat in their last meeting back on St. Patrick\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s staying away from a grind-it-out type of flow.<\/p>\n

\"Coby Coby White of the Charlotte Hornets looks to pass while guarded by Kasparas Jakucionis of the Miami Heat during their game at Spectrum Center on March 06, 2026. Jacob Kupferman Getty Images <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve just got to use our pace,\u201d White said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be a tough game if we make it a half-court game. It plays into their favor because of all the weapons they have offensively, the length that they play with defensively, the physicality they play with. So, I think we\u2019ve got to use our pace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re a team that\u2019s going to be obviously well-prepared. They got a hell of a coach in Erik Spoelstra. So for us, we got to be honed into the details.\u201d<\/p>\n

Especially when it comes to trying to neutralize things on the interior.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey live in the paint, they live on the free-throw line as well,\u201d White said. \u201cSo, we got to play defense, stay between them and around but also playing defense without fouling is a big key. For us, it\u2019s just playing with pace, being solid on the defensive end. And I think we\u2019ll have a great opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Roderick Boone<\/a><\/p>\n

The Charlotte Observer<\/p>\n

Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he\u2019s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching \u201cThe Fresh Prince of Bel Air\u201d endlessly.
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