one of the most fun Hornets seasons we’ve ever had.

We open with a play-in preview against the Miami Heat. Miami took the season series 3-1, has the more proven playoff infrastructure, and has broken Hornets fans’ hearts before. But does Charlotte have the better roster this time around? And with both of us heading to the game, how are we feeling about the matchup?

Then, we give out awards for MVP, Most Improved, Best Newcomer, Most Heartbreaking, Best Moment, Love of the Week, and Heartbreak of the Week.

We talk LaMelo Ball’s superstar season, Brandon Miller’s efficiency jump, Moussa Diabate’s impact, Kalk’s ridiculous finishing and shot blocking, Kon Kneuppel’s huge year despite his recent shooting slump, and why Tre Mann and Tidjane Salaün left us feeling the most conflicted.

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We break down what, if anything, has gone wrong for the Hornets lately, starting with a closer look at Charlotte’s heavy reliance on the three-point shot. Even though the Hornets rank near the top of the league in both three-point attempts and makes, we explain how that kind of shot profile can create more variance and make the offense feel unstable when the looks stop falling.

We also dig into LaMelo Ball’s recent play, focusing on shot selection and overall offensive balance. The Hornets have generally been better when he takes fewer shots, and over the last 12 games his shot attempts have gone up while his assists have dipped. It is not a panic segment, especially with Charlotte still going 7-5 over that stretch, but it is a real conversation about whether the offense has gotten a little too LaMelo-heavy. We also touch on the growing number of people on the LaMelo bandwagon.

Later, we check in on the standings, with the Hornets sitting at 39-36 alongside the Heat while the Magic continue to stumble as well. Charlotte has had some tough losses, but so have everyone else in the race, and the 8 seed is still right there for the taking.

To close the show, we hand out Love of the Week to Liam McNeeley after his 10 points in 11 minutes and make the case that the calls for more of his minutes may have been right all along. We also give Love of the Week to Kon Knueppel for his performance in the Knicks game, which might have been his best game of the year.

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New Episodes Every Wednesday