Charlotte Hornets driving all over Miami Heat

The Charlotte Hornets have taken control of their series against the Miami Heat with relentless drives to the rim.

With a 90-88 win over the Miami Heat in Game 5, the Charlotte Hornets are now just one step away from their playoff series win in 14 years. The Hornets have now won three consecutive games against the Heat, doing it with defense and a relentless dribble drive attack.

Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin have been averaging 11.6 and 11.2 drives per game in the series, respectively. That is an enormous increase for both players over what they did during the regular season. Their ability to get into the paint and score, draw fouls, or collapse the defense and kick to open shooters has been an enormous part of Charlotte’s resurgence. Nearly a quarter of the points the Hornets have scored in this series have come directly from drives by Walker or Lin, either through their own scoring or assists they’ve made off of drives.

Those numbers are even more amazing when you consider that they are putting them up against the Heat, who were one of the best teams in the league this season at defending against drives. Miami allowed the seventh-most drives per game during the regular season, but funneling penetration towards Hassan Whiteside in the middle was part of their defensive structure and his impact was felt once the ball got into the paint. The Heat allowed the third-lowest field goal percentage on drives this season, and the fourth-fewest points per drive. If you compare the three data points — Charlotte’s regular season offensive drives, Miami’s regular season defensive drives, and what Charlotte has done to Miami’s defense in the playoffs — the difference is striking.

Charlotte is smashing their regular season marks in every category. Heat fans will obviously start by point out the discrepancy in free throw attempts, with the Hornets nearly doubling their per game total from the regular season. Officiating has been a serious bone of contention in this series, but Charlotte is also completing nearly 10 more drives per game than they did during the regular season. Looking at the free throws attempted compared to their number of drives, the increase is not nearly as large. While they may be benefiting from some extra calls around the rim, they’re also keeping the pressure on the referees with the sheer number of times they’re getting to the basket.

The Heat’s season is not over quite yet. Their losses in Games 4 and 5 were by a total of six points and a hypothetical Game 7 would be played back in their own arena. There are plenty of adjustments and rotational tweaks to be made. If Miami wants to escape this series and move on to the next round, figuring out how to keep Walker and Lin out of the lane should be priority No. 1.

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