The Hornets built a reputation of resiliency throughout the 2020-21 season. Whether in wins or losses, the Hornets rarely laid down in contests.
That’s what made Tuesday’s loss to the Pacers as shocking as it was disappointing. From the opening possession until the final buzzer, Indiana dominated. It took less than four minutes for the Pacers to take a double-digit lead that they never let slip.
By the final buzzer, the Hornets had been bullied, embarrassed and sent home for the season with their tail between their legs, falling 144-117.
“Obviously, we didn’t get off to a great start,” Hornets head coach James Borrego said. “There were very few high moments throughout this game. We just could not find our footing on either end of the floor. They were the aggressor.
“In a 30-point loss, there’s nothing that goes right,” Cody Zeller added. “If it was a close game, we could talk about a few things here or there but they just came out and punched us in the mouth and it was early on and it was throughout the whole game. It was disappointing because, obviously, we needed this one to continue our season but they were the more aggressive team. They played with a lot of energy. They had a lot of guys play well. I mean, nothing went right.”
Once a team that sat as high as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference during the season, the Hornets were a shell of themselves by season’s end. Injuries piled up, depth was depleted and Charlotte was on empty as the games increased in importance.
Five losses to close out the regular season foreshadowed Tuesday’s performance. However, in a win-or-go-home situation, the Hornets didn’t muster the energy to match the circumstances at any point on the night.
“I don’t have any answers for that,” Zeller said as to why the team lacked energy. “I don’t know. Especially in a big game like this, it’s disappointing because, obviously, win or go home. So you would think that’s when we have the most energy. Any amount of energy that you have left, you should be able to leave it out there. It’s disappointing, but I don’t know. I don’t have many answers for that.
“They just played like they wanted it more,” Miles Bridges added. “Nothing else to it. They bullied us. There’s nothing else to say. I mean, everybody watched the game.”
Doug McDermott got the Pacers off to a sensational start with 14 points inside the first five minutes. Indiana’s All-Star, Domantas Sabonis, was 1-of-5 from the field in the first quarter. Focused on closing off the paint, the Hornets dared the Pacers to knock down 3-pointers. Indiana responded with seven first-quarter threes.
“A lot credit to them for coming out with a lot of energy,” Zeller said. “In a big game like this, that’s what you got to have. And they came out right from the jump and kind of popped us in the mouth. So we were never able to recover from that.”
There was no run in response by Charlotte. The lead continued to grow throughout the game. With their season on the line, the Hornets did something that hadn’t done all season.
They rolled over.
“It’s tough to look on the positive side,” Bridges said. “I mean, we just got our [expletive] whooped today. There’s nothing else to it.
“They smacked us in the mouth and we didn’t respond…They played like they wanted to be in the playoffs and we didn’t.”
At every turn, the Pacers ensured the Hornets would not get back into the game. After each Hornets timeout, the Pacers kept the pressure on. After halftime, Indiana scored the first seven points of the second half. Even after the Hornets waved the white flag, Indiana pushed on.
“I think the group, at some level, felt overwhelmed,” Borrego said. “And it’s just my job, our job to try to keep the group poised and we tried to do that. But obviously, we didn’t respond the right way. Indiana had a lot to do with that so give them credit.”
It’s an uncharacteristic finish to a season full of so many highs for Charlotte. The young Hornets were full of youthful energy and parlayed that into a surprisingly productive season.
But beginning with LaMelo Ball’s wrist injury in March, the Hornets were dealt blow after blow. Malik Monk and Gordon Hayward went down in consecutive games two weeks later with Hayward never returning. Devonte’ Graham missed games intermittently down the stretch. Cody Martin’s sprained ankle at the start of May ended his season as well.
But it was Miles Bridges’ 11 days spent in health and safety protocols in the final two weeks of the regular season that felt like the straw that broke the camel’s back. While he returned like he never left, it was a blow the team never seemed to recover from.
So, while two players appeared on the injury report ahead of Tuesday’s game, the Hornets were a team running on fumes. At the same time, the youthfulness that brought them bundles of energy also gave them a naivety about the postseason that was exposed by the Pacers on Tuesday.
“We didn’t treat every possession like it mattered,” Bridges said of Tuesday. “I mean, they’ve been to the playoffs the last five seasons, the last six seasons. And it showed. We didn’t respond.”
The frustrating end to the season doesn’t negate the success of the season overall. The wounds were too fresh of Tuesday to reminisce on the highs the season provided. But Tuesday could easily serve as an inflection point for the Hornets program moving forward.
“These are the moments that you learn from and you grow from,” Borrego said. “For all of us, including myself. We got to get better and we will get better. But I’m proud of our guys overall and their effort this year. We put ourselves in this position and it’s a great learning moment for everybody. Next time we’re in this position, we’ll respond better, we’ll be better.”