The Charlotte Hornets had a rough weekend. They went cold shooting in the second half against the 76ers, and it didn’t get any better the next day against the Celtics. Fortunately, they got some help from their competition, so the two losses don’t hurt them as much as they otherwise could have. We took our first look at the playoff race last week. Let’s see how things stand now.
5. Toronto Raptors (42-32)
Remaining strength of schedule: .488
The Raptors and the 5 seed were always going to be a long shot, but they seem fully out of reach at this point. They went 3-1 last week and have three games left to fluff their record against tanking teams. Unlike other teams in this race, they don’t seem susceptible to slipping up in those games, so 45 wins seems like their absolute floor. The Hornets would have to win out against a tough schedule to overtake them.
6. Atlanta Hawks (42-33)
Remaining strength of schedule: .549
Last week, we talked about the Hawks potentially falling back to the back against a tougher schedule. They also went 3-1 last week after stealing an overtime win over the Pistons in Detroit. They only have one game left against a tanker, so they’re going to have to earn their wins, but they’re playing good enough ball that it’s hard to see them full collapsing. The Hornets would have to catch absolute fire to catch them and safely make the cut in the top six.
7. Philadelphia 76ers (41-33)
Remaining strength of schedule: .508
The 76ers win over the Hornets on Saturday gave them the tiebreaker for the season effectively giving them a three game lead over Charlotte. They’re fully healthy and unsuspended for just about the first time all year, so you’d expect to see them start playing their best ball. At this point, they’d probably being doing the Hornets a. favor if they were to beat the Heat tonight. They play the Wizards next, and after a couple of tough games, get to beat up on the Bucks and Pacers to finish the season.
8. Orlando Magic (39-35)
Remaining strength of schedule: .521
This is probably the most attainable goal for the Hornets right now. The 8 seed would give the Hornets two chances to win one game to make the playoffs, and the second of those would be at home. The Magic are falling apart at the worst possible time. It turns out that 19 point loss to the Hornets on Dell Curry night was only the beginning. Their only win in the last two weeks was a narrow, hard fought win over the Kings. They’ve dropped a home game to the Pacers. And in perhaps their finest moment, they lost by 52 to the Raptors on Sunday night. None of their games look like sure wins at this point, so their free fall could continue through the end of the season. They do have the return of Franz Wagner potentially coming soon, but I don’t know if that’s going to come soon enough to save their season.
9. Miami Heat (39-36)
Remaining strength of schedule: .484
The Heat are running the same race as the Magic right now. They were also pummeled by the Hornets a couple weeks ago, and it was part of what’s become an extended stretch of losing. They are 1-5 in the last two weeks with a surprising upset on the road in Cleveland being their only win. The Pacers must be Hornets fans, because they only beat teams competing for those same playoff spots. They just took out the Heat on Sunday in a game in which the Heat scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. They have two games left against the Wizards. Everything else looks tough given their current form.
10. Charlotte Hornets (39-36)
Remaining strength of schedule: .524
After briefly climbing up as high as eighth, the Hornets fell right back to the same spot they were in last time we did this. While the last two losses are somewhat demoralizing, they did get a convincing home win over the Knicks to prove that every game is winnable. Up next is a road game against the Nets then home games against the Suns and Pacers. The Hornets can and probably need to go 3-0 in those games. If they do that, they can go 2-2 or maybe even 1-3 in that final four game gauntlet and still make it to the 8 seed.
