30 best shots in NBA Playoffs history
By John Buhler
14. Alonzo Mourning in winning time versus Boston Celtics: 1993 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 4
The Charlotte Hornets made an outstanding selection with their No. 2 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, taking center Alonzo Mourning out of Georgetown University. Mourning would go on to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame mostly for his stellar play for years with the Miami Heat.
Before taking his talents to South Beach, Mourning hit the biggest shot in Charlotte Hornets history. Keep in mind that Charlotte was still an expansion team in the early 1990s. The Hornets had not qualified for the NBA Playoffs until year five as an organization in 1992-93.
Charlotte faced the Boston Celtics in the 1993 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Up 2-1 in the best-of-five series, Charlotte had its opportunity to knock off the Celtics on a Larry Johnson try in the final seconds. The Hornets benefited from getting another stab at it with a little over three seconds on the clock.
Mourning would get the rock at the top of the key and hit a falling down two to end the Celtics’ season. The Hornets would advance with a 104-103 victory to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Though they would lose to the New York Knicks in five in the next round, the buzz was alive in the hive.
The Hornets would make the Eastern Conference Playoffs a handful of times before being relocated to New Orleans. Charlotte got an expansion team in the form of the Charlotte Bobcats, but it wasn’t the same. Since the NBA came back to the Queen City in 2004, Charlotte has only made the Eastern Conference Payoffs three times, losing in the first round in all three series.