Tag: Steve Clifford

Steve Clifford reveals how Bulls beat Hornets: ‘We couldn’t guard’

Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford spoke about what went wrong in their loss to the Chicago Bulls.

The Chicago Bulls traveled to Spectrum Center on Wednesday night for a game against the Charlotte Hornets – a team they’ve already played twice this month. Heading into the contest, Chicago was 3-0 against Charlotte this season, with two of the wins coming at the beginning of January.

It was more of the same on Wednesday night, as the Bulls walked away with a 117-110 win. The Hornets were up by as much as 10 points in the second quarter, but a fourth-quarter surge from the Bulls solidified a fairly comfortable win. Chicago simply had too much firepower for the Hornets to deal with in the end.

After the game, Hornets head coach Steve Clifford spoke about what caused Charlotte to lose, and it all came down to their inability to defend.

“We couldn’t guard,” Clifford said via ESPN. “They were just in the paint every pick and roll. … We’ve been having problems just because our principles are bad and stuff. But those guys are terrific offensive players. They played well, and sometimes that happens.”

Coby White led the way for the Bulls, tearing apart the Hornets’ defense all night long. He finished the game with 35 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists while shooting 12-of-22 from the field and 4-of-10 from behind the three-point line. He was also huge in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of his points in the final frame.

Chicago shot 45-of-87 (51.7%) from the field and 11-of-29 (37.9%) from beyond the three-point arc on the night, and the Hornets defense had few answers.

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Hornets coach Steve Clifford gives respect to Sixers star Joel Embiid

Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford gives his respect to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid after his dominant performance.

The Philadelphia 76ers put on another dominant performance on Saturday night. They never trailed the Charlotte Hornets and led by as many as 53 on their way to a 135-82 win on the road. The Sixers have won six in a row as they have taken advantage of the soft schedule.

Joel Embiid was once again dominant. The reigning league MVP had 42 points on a ridiculous 18-for-23 shooting and was 6-for-6 from the foul line. The big fella didn’t have to see the fourth quarter for the fourth consecutive game.

The Hornets didn’t have much of an answer, and coach Steve Clifford knows there isn’t much one can do against Embiid.

“He’s just such a dominant presence at both ends of the floor,” Clifford told reporters. “The dribble up ones, everything else we tried to double team, but when he just brings the ball up the court and plays one-on-one, there’s really not much you can do.”

Clifford is right about Embiid’s versatility. No longer are the Sixers just dumping the ball to the reigning MVP and letting him work in that area. Coach Nick Nurse and his staff are encouraging him to bring the ball up and make plays. He has done a phenomenal job of it thus far.

“He does it out of the flow,” Clifford added. “Centers are having to do something they normally don’t have to do. I feel like the only guy like that at all would be (Nikola) Jokic. He’s different and he’s great at it. Like I said, all the other stuff we tried to double-team – some of it worked, some of it did not. He crushed us, and I don’t know what you can do, to be honest.”

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Hornets coach Steve Clifford sees deeper, better Sixers team after moves

Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford sees a deeper and better version of the Philadelphia 76ers.

PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia 76ers are considered one of the improved teams in the NBA after their offseason moves addressed the team’s needs for toughness, depth and consistent contributions on both ends.

The team added De’Anthony Melton in a draft night trade in June, and they made quick moves in free agency by bringing in PJ Tucker, Danuel House Jr. and Montrezl Harrell.

Combine those additions with the existing talent led by Joel Embiid, James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, and the Sixers should be in title contention in the 2022-23 season.

The Sixers hosted the Charlotte Hornets in their preseason finale on Wednesday, and Hornets coach Steve Clifford sees an improved team.

“They’re deeper, to me, looking at them,” Clifford said before Philadelphia won 99-94. “They’ll have, now, more familiarity with James, so they’ll have that dynamic, but again, just watching these last couple games, I would say looking at it, I would agree with that.”

The Sixers are obviously a deeper and tougher team heading into the new season. Clifford and other NBA coaches see it. Time will tell if Philadelphia is actually an improved team out on the floor, but it appears it is on the right track.

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“Charlotte’s in a tough position with …

“Charlotte’s in a tough position with the (Miles) Bridges thing, they have (Steve) Clifford coming in, they’re in a position to rest things a little bit around LaMelo Ball. Hayward has two years left,” the exec continued. “If you want to give up [Tyler] Herro before you pay him and you want to move [Duncan] Robinson, you would have to add a pick, but those two guys and Omer [Yurtseven], that might be enough to get Hayward if the Hornets decide to reconfigure. It’s a short-term move for Miami, but they need to make their move now. You can play him at the 3 and go big or go small at the 4. He’s a guy they’ve had interest in before.”

Tyrone Corbin joins Hornets staff

Charlotte Hornets President of Basketball Operations & General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced today that the team has added Tyrone Corbin, Bob Beyer, Rex Walters, Bruce Kruetzer and Brian O’Connor to Steve Clifford’s staff. Additionally, the team has retained assistant coaches Marlon Garnett, Jay Hernandez, Nick Friedman and Norman Richardson.

Steve Clifford on what it’s like …

Steve Clifford calls LaMelo Ball ‘a great talent’

Steve Clifford seems excited to coach LaMelo Ball in his second stint in Charlotte.

The Charlotte Hornets finally landed their next head coach in Steve Clifford, his second stint with the team.

Clifford quickly emerged as a candidate for the job after Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson opted to return to Golden State.

In his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Clifford spoke on his offensive game plan, led by LaMelo Ball.

“Offense so much starts with playing to the strengths of your best players and he’s a great talent with a passion for the game and a flair for playing in the open court and we want to take advantage of that,” Clifford said of Ball.

Clifford noted that he plans to play with a ‘very similar emphasis’ on offense that the Hornets played with over the last few years of the James Borrego era.

Check out the full clip below.

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