LOS ANGELES _ Following the Charlotte Hornets this season has to be about managing expectations.
That's the reality of rebuilding around youth: There won't be many full games that make fans happy. But there should be a half, or at least a quarter, that signals what they aspire to be.
The first half of Sunday's 120-101 road loss to the Los Angeles Lakers qualifies. They played the way they'd been taught since mid-summer, and they finished that half trailing a Western Conference contender by a single point.
Specifically, they took the optimum shots. Thirty-eight of their 62 first-half points were scored either outside the 3-point line or at the foul line. That's how the NBA is evolving and the Hornets must adapt.
I'll never be confused with a math major, but the logic is easily understood: The most efficient ways to score are taking 3s and earning free throws. The best way to get to the foul line is attack the rim.
In contrast, the least efficient shot is a mid-range jumper. So coach James Borrego wants his guys to either drive all the way to the hole or step back outside the arc. Anything in between is doing what the opposing defense wants.
