"Hornets Rerun" | Charlotte vs. Atlanta, First Round - 1998

Thank you to everyone who joined (even for a little bit) last night as I watched the 51-31 Charlotte Hornets take on the Lenny Wilkens-led Hawks. I relived this 1998 NBA Playoff game in Atlanta, with Anthony Mason, Glen Rice, and Vlade Divac spearheading Charlotte’s efforts. It’s fascinating to see the distinct playstyles from this era of basketball and how the Hornets managed their offense.

Not sure if this occurred last night during the livestream or on the download/processsing of the video from Substack, but the screen-sharing stopped showing near the end of the first half. While this isn’t the entire video of Game 4, this edited video is manageable to watch and still includes all of my relevant commentary from the first half.1 The second half was much better for Charlotte as Anthony Mason took over in the 4th quarter and took it to Dikembe Mutombo to help seal the series.

Since the video is just from the first half, I will share some of my thoughts:

Player Notes

Anthony Mason

• Favored the left side of the floor, especially with his post-ups

• Did a good job of attacking the rim and drawing fouls

• Initiated the offense frequently, and his drives are difficult to stop

• Mutombo had no answer for Mason in the final period

• Atlanta had to double him a lot at the baseline, and he made them pay with his passing

Glen Rice

• Finished with a quiet 26 points

• Had some back-and-forth moments with Steve Smith in the 2H

• His defense and physicality get overshadowed by his shooting prowess when discussing his impact in Charlotte

Vlade Divac

• Played through foul trouble in 2H

• His passing and cutting from behind the arc were timely

• He was much more talkative and combative than I remember

David Wesley

• His passing was outstanding

• His 1-on-1 defense vs. Blaylock was rough in the 1H

• His defensive anticipation as an off-ball defender was notable