How Charlotte Became the East's Hottest Team

This is not a typo: Charlotte is the East’s hottest team. So we talked to point guard Kemba Walker about his squad and his best season yet. 

- Brian Windhorst

We admit it. We’ve trafficked in this narrative too—that the Cavaliers were shoo-ins to represent the East in the NBA Finals. But then they fired their coach. And then LeBron started subtweeting. And then the losses began to mount. All the while? A plucky team down in Charlotte quietly won 26 of 36 games, leap-frogged six teams in the standings and rode the ascension of arguably the NBA’s most improved player, Kemba Walker. We sat down with the Hornets’ point guard to talk about the dark days in Charlotte, his patented step-back J and, yes, the playoffs.

You were so upset about missing the playoffs last year. This season the team clinched with seven games to go. What were your emotions after making it?

It’s a huge deal. I’m excited. I’ve been through a lot with the organization. We made the playoffs two years ago, but it felt like such a long time since we’d been back. Like years and years. It was a moment. We’ve battled back from a lot this year. We’ve had injuries. We had a seven-game losing streak. 

You’re the only guy from the ’11-12 Bobcats team, which set the record for having the worst winning percentage in history. Ever think about that time?