Hornets blow out the Chris Paul led Clippers.. Advance to 4-0.

[PanthersUnited]

The Hornets are coming off a win in China against the Clippers a few days ago, this morning they had to play the Clippers again in China. Honestly, after the trip from Charlotte to China having to face a Clippers team that are finals favorites, I was expecting them to struggle. They struggled alright.. The Clippers that is.

It was a complete rout. Batum had a double double, Al Jefferson had a good stat line and Lin did what Lin does and put up points.

Oh and questions remained about the win in China since Chris Paul didn't play, well he played his usual starter minutes this go around and the Hornets still won handily.

Oh and incase you are wondering, the starters for both teams played regular starter minutes. The Hornets are 4-0 this pre season so far. There seems to be a different vibe to this Hornets team. I know it's only pre season but I have always got the sense this year's Hornets squad can be really good. While MKG is a good player, I didn't blink for one second after he went down thinking we are a lottery team.

I think gone are the days of the "Cardiac Hornets." The Hornets team of the past would go up big only to let the other team catch up and make it interesting, this year's Hornets seem more focused and confident and know how to maintain leads.

Final score- 113-71 Hornets

[Moose87Banks]

This game wasn't in LA. It was in Shanghai LOL

[Jase]

Preseason, sigh

[cdandi1]

It is clearly preseason...BUT you can see the difference in floor spacing by not having MKG and Henderson on the floor together.  You're also seeing the pressure off of Kemba and Al not having to be the primary scorers on most possessions (Batum).  Trying to temper excitement because its only preseason... but you have to be encouraged by what we've seen so far. 

[PanthersUnited]

Preseason, sigh

Pre season carries a little more weight in the NBA than NFL and is more of a reliable indicator.  FWIW in 2013/2014Hornets pre season record was 5-3 regular season record was 43-39 that year. Last year, pre season record was 3-5 and regular season record was 33-49.

[Lemory]

This team seems to gel more than last years squad. 

[TheWiz]

Preseason is good for guys who've never played together to develop chemistry. Im pleased with the effort... and the fact that putting the ball in the bucket is a priority. 

Say what you want about Jeremy Lin, but he's definitely not afraid to shoot. If he gets going, it opens up the floor for others to contribute. 

[Moose87Banks]

It really annoys me you didn't get that right at first.

[TheRed]

I know it's only preseason, but it's just nice to see the Hornets actually scoring points.

[Omega Atrocity]

Like I said in the MKG thread, I think we're going to be pretty decent this year, and this only makes me feel even more strongly about that. It's only preseason sure, but the NBA regular season is long and it's a much better indicator of how the year may progress than football (unless the team rests starters, which the Clippers did not). We're going to be much better this season than we were last.

[yasuhara2241]

Enjoyed watching the game this morning. Below are a few thoughts about this team: 

1. Love the ball movement! The ball is constantly moving. No more Alfense! Every once in awhile we run a play for him but not every single play!

2. Love the depth! We really do have a much deeper team than we have had in the past and it starts with the PG position. Lin and even Roberts have been playing very well. 

3. Love the 3 pt shooting! 10 players made a 3 today! Overall 14-25 from downtown (56%). Even Hansbrough made a 3!

4. Pleasantly surprised with Spencer Hawes. He is making me finally feel good for us not signing Biz. I was worried about this but man can this guy shoot and pass. He fits in perfectly with us. 

5. Love all of our new acquisitions! Batum, Lin, Lamb, Hawes and even Frank (who isn't playing too much) are just fitting into this team. I really feel great about the chemistry. 

Now before ppl say "It's only preseason." We played against their starters. We look sharp. You practice how you play and we are playing with energy and excitement. Oh and I think we killed that trade Lance for Hawes and basically Lamb.