This week’s primetime preview sees the hot-streaking 5-1 Boston Celtics visit the 4-3 Charlotte Hornets live from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina on TNT at 8 p.m./7 p.m. CST.
The Celtics, or should I preface, the multifaceted core of point guard extraordinaire Kemba Walker and third-year Celtics Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward, started their season on the rockiest of beginnings after their throttling at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers who have, at times, looked like the penultimate defensive juggernaut of the Eastern Conference.
Since then, it’s been nothing but success for these new-look Beantown ballers. A five-win streak in the East is startling enough, especially with a new starting five.
And with the statistical accolades being obtained by the likes of Walker, Tatum, and company (such as Kemba scoring the most points through five games in franchise history, or the Celtics having the only trio of Kemba, Tatum, and Hayward to average over 20+ ppg. for the entire duration of their six-game season in the entire NBA) these Eastern contenders have to like – better yet, love – their situation and how Walker has seemingly plugged into this starting lineup with a sense of chemistry already conjured up.
Tonight, the mood inside the Spectrum Center will transform to a more somber color, since this is the first time that they will not rile up in glee and anticipation to watch their favorite 6’1 guard tear up the opposition on Hornets home ground, but rather appreciate in retrospect, as they watch Walker return to the place he called home for eight years of his life.
Walker expects to receive a warm welcome and positive reception the minute the Celtics take the floor during and after shootaround, but we’ve often witnessed mixed reactions for homecomings that fans initially conceived to be sincere. The boos will reverberate – that’s a given. But just how much, if any, dismay is to be delivered to their former franchise cornerpiece that built up this franchise from the ground up, is the question just waiting for its answer.
Now, onto the competitive aspect of this matchup. The Charlotte Hornets are no easy out as once theorized before this season began. This team’s attacking mindset has drastically changed from the time they gave away Walker to the free-agent market.
The Celtics will have a bunch of defensive adjustments to make as the night goes along, considering that the Hornets are one of the best perimeter-scoring teams in the entire NBA. They opened their 2019 campaign by setting a new franchise precedent, knocking down 24 threes in a game, and that should say just what they are capable of producing early on this year.
Third-year guard Devonte Graham has been a diamond in the rough for Charlotte this year, averaging a team-high 17.3 points per contest while also dishing the rock for another team-high 6.5 assists a game. Just behind him is the former (and seemingly excommunicated) Terry Rozier, who is putting up the best numbers of his career, now with a broadened minutes schedule. PJ Washington has been an impressive rookie for the post-Kemba Hornets, especially from deep.
The rookie, while at Kentucky, didn’t knock down more than six threes his freshman year, but blossomed into a dual sharpshooter and rim slasher his sophomore season, nearly leading his Wildcats in 3PT percentage. In his first season, it’s more of the same as a Hornet. He shoots over 46 percent from three-point range and also leads his team in steals.
This will be a pretty good game with a bunch of storylines on the table for NBA fans to enjoy – Terry Rozier’s revenge on the team that ousted him at last season’s end, the probable reunion of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and the show that Kemba Walker will put on for his old home team.
The Celtics are seven-point favorites to scoop up a win tonight, but in this league, you just never know who is destined to perform at an optimal level on the national stage.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez, USA Today Sports
