Locked on Hornets

On the boards, on defense and beyond the three point line, Courtney Lee did it all in the closing minutes of Game 5 on Wednesday night to put the Charlotte Hornets one game away from the series win they covet. Hive Talk Live PLUS Justin Verrier is covering the Hornets for ESPN.com he stops by with his take on an assignment that could go a little longer than expected.In-depth analysis of Nicolas Batum's return, Miami's defensive adjustments and the thrilling end to Game 5We've got post-game and practice sound from Coach Clifford and more.

On this alarm...Do you even need an alarm after that game?! One of the most exciting endings in Hornets playoff history goes Charlotte's way. Our analysis of the many great storylines from this instant NBA Playoffs classic.

Leigh Ellis, co-host of The Starters on NBATV and wildly popular The Drop podcast, stops by to drop some analysis of this series and the playoffs at large.

On this alarm...Nic Batum injury update....MJ releases a statement on HB2...the Hornets are having success getting to the line. What does that do for their game and will it carry over to Game 5?

Games 3 and 4 were dramatically different in score and style and that played right into the hands of the Charlotte Hornets. They used aggressive rim attacks and opportunistic defense to counter the adjustments the Miami Heat made to take away the three point line and dominate the paint. Now the series shifts back to Miami where the biggest question will be how Miami reacts to having their defense shredded by Charlotte's Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin. Will they back off their pressure defense and will the three ball return to the Hornets arsenal of offensive weapons? Listen for our analysis of Game 4 and our preview of a pivotal Game 5. PLUS Nata Edwards from WFNZ and the Mic Check Podcast joins with his thoughts on some controversial comments by local product turned Heat star Hassan Whiteside after Game 4For the first time, the NBA is publicly releasing "Hustle Stats" exclusively for the 2016 NBA Playoffs. We'll tell you what stats they are keeping and how the Hornets have fared so far in this series.Sources tell us local Miami grocers are selling out of tin foil. A select group of Heat fans are breaking out conspiracies to explain away two straight losses. We explain why they are fools.

On this alarm...the Hornets scratch and claw their way back into this series. How did they do it and is it something they can pack with them as they head back to Miami.

On this alarm...the Hornets get a historic playoff victory, can they make it two and climb back into this series with the Heat...plus another game of Over/Under.

On this alarm...UPDATE on Nic Batum's injury and status for this series...we play Over/Under game 3 edition.

Game 2 left me sitting on the couch staring blankly at the television. I reached over for my laptop and silently wiki'd "Nihilism." Yep. That's the philosophy I was thinking of. The Hornets played with more aggressiveness, more intensity, somewhat better discipline on defense and they made the adjustments to their offense that they needed to based on what the Miami Heat threw at them defensively. None of it really mattered because the Heat went into NBA Jam mode and hit tough runner after tough turnaround. Helping us with another autopsy is Justin Verrier, he's covering the Hornets side of thing for ESPN. We'll discuss how the Hornets will move ahead if Nicolas Batum cannot continue in this series after suffering another ankle injury. Hive Talk Live PLUS We try to answer some burning questions that fans are asking after Game 2, like....How have the Miami Heat schemed the Hornets out of shooting 3 pointers and how has that affected the team's approach on offense?What happened to Marvin Williams? Can the Hornets continue to play Frank Kaminsky?After game 2, Steve Clifford defended his strategy in this series so far and challenged the meaning and efficacy of "making adjustments." Was the question fair? Was Clifford's response reasonable?

On this alarm...the Hornets lose game two 115-103 and possibly lost one of the key members of their offense in the process. How has Miami been able to take away the Hornets' ability to shoot three pointers and how has that trickled down into the rest of their game?

On this alarm...our interview with Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer recapping game 1 and previewing game 2. What adjustments will the Charlotte Hornets make to even this first round series.  

Shocking. Appalling. For the love of Luol that's holy! The Charlotte Hornets get blitzed in Miami and we're here to try and diagnose the murder. Jonathan Jones, writer for the Charlotte Observer, is in Miami covering the series and he joins us with an update on the confidence of the team, the strategy moving forward and the health of Kemba Walker. Hive Talk Live PLUS Nata Edwards, host of the Mic Check podcast, joins with what he's seeing and hearing from fans after the Game 1 collapse. Where is the panic meter set?The top five things we learned from Jeremy Lin's pre-playoffs Reddit post and where Jeremy Lin finished in the Sixth Man of the Year award votingNick Denning is back with a NBA Playoffs edition of What's Happen'n Around the NBA.

On this alarm...the Hornets announce their home game promotions...can the Hornets bounce back in game 2...should the Hornets stay aggressive on defense or cool the jets?

On this alarm...the Charlotte Hornets get torched in Miami, what went wrong...should Steve Clifford make a change...more 2016 NBA playoffs analysis.

On this alarm...news on the 2017 All Star game front plus we team up with Queen City Hoops for a Charlotte Hornets playoff edition of their 5 on 5.