Court Vision: Hornets lose to Rockets, still fighting

By foxsports
Published

The depleted Hornets made Houston work for its 100-90 win in Charlotte Monday night.

1. CLIFFORD NOT DISPLEASED WITH TEAM

Following a winning record and a trip to the playoffs last season, there were very lofty expectations entering the season for the Hornets. Due to a variety of reasons, not the least of which involved injuries, Charlotte fell well short of its goals.

Even so, head coach Steve Clifford said it was a season where not all was lost.

"One, you don't want to make excuses," he said. "This league is about winning, particularly if you're a head coach. At the same time, you can't overreact to things unless you study why the things happen. 

"This is not a group, in my opinion, that didn't do well for lack of effort or intensity. I have seen how they work. You don't make progress in the areas that we have made if guys aren't committed to the right things."

Clifford cited how the team went from being ranked 26th in the league in defense to seventh, as well as despite Charlotte not being a very big team, how it lead the NBA in defensive rebounding as examples of how the team continued to progress during the season. 

"You don't rebound at that level with the guys of this size unless guys are putting a lot into it," he said. "Those are things to be proud of and those are things that you have to do to win in the playoffs."

2. HORNETS STILL PLAYING HARD

Through it all, the one thing you can say for sure is that the Hornets put forth intensity and effort, even if the games sometimes didn't reflect it.

That was never more evident than against Houston.

At one point, players playing for Charlotte resembled something you'd find in the D-League. Even so, they battled.

"At the end of the day, as a competitor, you always want to win," said veteran forward Marvin Williams. "When you play the best, you want to play your best."

Williams admitted that it hasn't always been easy, but he said that Clifford has held this team together and that the players played hard because of him.

"It was tough. Very, very tough," he said. "I don't think anybody expected it to go this way. But I felt like we competed with everybody and that credit goes to Coach Cliff. He pushed us to be our best."

3. RESERVES SHOWING WHAT THEY CAN DO

With so many injuries and the season all but over, numerous players that rarely saw the court during the season are getting major extended minutes these last few games. As a result, they're showing the front office of the Hornets what they can and can't do.

For instance, reserve guard Troy Daniels played 28 minutes against the Rockets. To put it in perspective, he played more minutes Monday night than he'd played all season since coming to Charlotte on Feb. 10.

He finished with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting.

"It's good to get out there and get a feel for the game," he said. "That's part of being a professional, you always have to be ready when your number's called."

First round draft pick Noah Vonleh played 22 minutes, but Clifford said he could very well get at least 30 minutes Wednesday night at Toronto in the season finale.

9 -- The number of free throws the Hornets made.

14 -- The number of free throws Houston's James Harden made.

"I don't want those guys to feel like they gave up on the season or like they didn't do a good job. It wasn't what we wanted, but there was a lot there to build on, also," Clifford said.

Follow Brett Jensen on Twitter @Brett_Jensen