Matthew Emmons – USA Today Sports Images
The New Orleans Hornets had to be looking for silver linings as they went into the last game of the NBA regular season on Wednesday night. They aren’t a team bound for the playoffs or a team that was ever really in contention for being in the playoffs. They’ve also been playing poorly over the past few weeks. They could have used a pick-me-up in their final game.
However, Wednesday held no causes for optimism as the Hornets dropped their game against the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 99-87. The only real positive that they could take from the game, in all honesty, is the fact that it signifies the end of a very rough season for New Orleans and they get to usher in the “Pelicans” era next year.
The Hornets were terrible on both ends of the floor against Dallas, shooting below 40 percent on offense and allowing the Mavericks to shoot over 50 percent. New Orleans also turned the ball over 19 times. The Hornets did hold a strong rebounding advantage, but that’s largely because they were missing so many shots and had more opportunities at offensive rebounds.
New Orleans has looked like a team in shambles over the last few weeks of the season, particularly on offense. They haven’t even gotten to see Anthony Davis, their star rookie forward, over their last three games of the season as he’s nursing a strained MCL. Things have just fallen apart for them at season’s end.
For the Hornets, though, this has been the storyline for them over the past few seasons. They have dealt with countless injuries and players underperforming and playing inconsistently countless times. For the sake of New Orleans fans and their young players, maybe this will change as the team re-brands itself next year as the Pelicans.
Cody Williams is a Senior NBA Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.
