Philadelphia 76ers (4) vs Charlotte Hornets (5)

First round match up.

 

Two power houses in the East that have had major changes in the franchise in terms of personnel in the past 18 months that have led them both comfortably in the playoffs and ready to go.  The Charlotte Hornets have on paper one of the best starting 5s in the league led by the young all cylinders firing star in Ja Morant but to get their have traded out all their depth and didn't have great injury luck throughout the season that led them only getting to the 5th seed to close the season which you wouldn't expect looking at the roster. The 76ers on the other hand have a team filled to the brim with young talents around their two wing in Paul George and defensive stalwart in Draymond Green. The second round king in Ben have this team transitioning into a much younger phase but that hasn't stopped them from finishing the season as the 4th seed in the East. An interesting match up for sure, lets see how it turned out.

 

Game 1: Charlotte Hornets 101 @ Philadelphia 76ers 108

 

Philadelphia secured the game 1 win at home by 7 points.  This game was a bit of a rock with neither team being super efficient and the leaders on each side in Ja Morant and Demar Derozan handling the majority of the scoring side for the Hornets and Paul George and possible 6th man of the year Jordan Clarkson providing that scoring punch.  The 76ers dominated the boards, points in the paint and bench points which is a recipe for disaster for the Hornets and the final score showed up.

 

Player of the game: Paul George 24/7/4 on 45/20/50

Game 2: Charlotte Hornets 102 @ Philadelphia 76ers 112

 

Saric got the nod as a starter for the Hornets in this one to try and spread the floor a bit against what was a rebounding dominance that happened in game 1. It did not help with Saric doing his best impression as a brick layer shooting 1-7 and allowing the offensively not inclined Draymond Green go off and score 22 points for the 76ers. 10 offensive rebounds to 2 in the favor of the 76ers was the difference as all stats otherwise were quite similar but Philly got up 13 more shots throughout the game. Ja got his but everyone else struggled on the Hornets side of things.

 

Player of the game: Ja Morant 43/2/7 on 56/30/92

Game 3: Philadelphia 76ers 107 @ Charlotte Hornets 101

 

Charlotte get their first crack at the 76ers on their home floor but unfortunately the home whistle couldn't get them over the line in this one. Kienrich Williams gets the start at the 4 for the Hornets after Sarics poor performance and shockingly also stuck it up with a 1-7 shooting performance, what are the chances. Philly had its most well rounded team play with 5 players scoring in double figures but old reliable Paul George also played a very well rounded performance that led the way with a strong third quarter ultimately sealing the game.

 

Player of the Game: Paul George 30/8/1 on 52/37/0

 

Game 4: Philadelphia 76ers 110 @ Charlotte Hornets 102

 

In a must win game for the Hornets to keep their series alive it was more of the same failing to break the 102 point scoring mark for Charlotte ultimately leading to their demise.

Playoff P might be a real thing but for opposite results in the NSL as he put up another fantastic well rounded performance to close out the series but the story for the 76ers was their young “star” in Jalen Green having his best performance of the season to close out the series. PJ Tucker got the start fir the Hornets at the PF position in what has been a revolving door in this series which is a move I liked but ultimately it was the lack of scoring and underwhelming play of KAT that led to the Hornets not being able to get the job done.

 

Player of the Game: Jalen Green 33/3/4 on 64/60/100

 

 

Not the result many would have predicted but the 76ers were able to close out the series in as short as time as possible knocking out the top heavy Hornets in 4. Good Luck Ben in the next round up against the Cavaliers.

 

Craig and his Hornets would have had much higher hopes than a first round sweep exit. With some soul searching to do and a new season always just around the corner there either could be massive changes to build around the stars or slight tweaks to try and find the right balance between star power and role players. Either way I expect Craig to come into next season bigger and stronger. Congratulations on a fantastic season.