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BOSTON — The carnival ride known as the LaMelo Ball was slowing to a merciful crawl with 7.3 seconds left when a teammate said Wednesday it was painfully close to his fourth career triple-double.
It’s the hyperactive power that powers the Charlotte Hornets, and as soon as Ball finds out he needs another rebound — just one more! – started the engine, chased the Celtics’ last misfire, and went to the locker room with the stat sheet officially filled.
Was that final kickback unrequited? Sure. Was it really necessary, by Ball’s own admission, to have his own teammates chasing this? Of course not. Was it a fitting footnote to another fun evening courtesy of the rest of the Eastern Conference teams, the Ball and Hornets? resident entertainment group? Absolutely.
“I’m enjoying the process with these guys,” said Hornets coach James Borrego. 111-102 wins over the Celtics. “They drive me crazy and they’re going to put a lot of gray on me. But that’s why we do it – just to see that growth. ”
Many teams in the east finished the first half of the season with mediocre records, a development known diplomatically as parity. Still, after watching their first playoff game since 2016, the Hornets are gaining some momentum. They share their balls. They run the court. They are learning to defend. They play with style.
“Everyone is free-playing,” Ball said.
And there’s a little question, Ball, NBAs reigning rookie of the yearis the new face of the franchise and has a lot of room to grow. That might be the scary part. He had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 turnovers on Wednesday. It was impossible to know, or even predict, what he would do next. It wasn’t boring.
“When the ball is in Melo, you always have to be looking, because if you don’t, it will kick the ball out of your head,” said Hornets player Terry Rozier, who was the game’s high scorer with 28 points.
In his second season, Ball is one of the rare players that is impossible to miss and draws attention to the tips of his fingers. against the Celtics fluorescent shoes — a green sneaker on her left foot and a pink on her right — features a design inspired by the animated television series “Rick and Morty.”
And of course, he had his colorful basketball brand from the start. He passed Celtics’ Dennis Schroder for the layup. He threw a jump pass from a gun maze to Mason Plumlee for an undisputed dunk. He rose for a kind of highly inventive (and possibly mis-advised) 360-degree buoy and sank both free throws by making contact.
The game was just a few minutes ago and the ball seemed to be coming out of their hands. It was Ball at its most fascinating.
The problem with Ball’s liquid basketball is that even he sometimes has trouble controlling it. There he was, making a pass across the court and out of bounds. And it moves the pivot foot for a trip. And dragging a defender onto the field after making an incorrect three-pointer. And he knocked a few zip code balls off his feet from the basket.
“I have to live with some of that,” Borrego said, adding: “I have to let him be Melo, be creative, and live in this evolving world. But there must also be some awareness from him: ‘Okay, I just tried. It didn’t work. Be firm now.’ ”
As for Ball, he considered his turnovers to be correctable.
“Just missed little passes,” he said. “It’s not like a legal turnover where you get ripped off right on the court.”
There are so many talented young quarterbacks in the NBA, a roster led by two 22-year-old players: Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies. Doncic has already been named a two-time All-Star, and Morant has entered the debate as an outside nominee for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award.
Even so, getting used to the league’s nightly grind is a process even for the most precocious players, and 20-year-old Ball is no exception. Before embarking on boot camp, Borrego identified a few points of emphasis for Ball. Borrego wanted the quarterback to develop as a leader, to approach his job as a professional every day. He wanted him to develop as a game manager, to understand the time and the situation. He also wanted him to improve as a defender, to anticipate rather than react.
Ball’s shooting remains a work in progress – he’s been 5 of 15 off the field against the Celtics and hasn’t shot more than half of his shots in any of the last eight games – although his 3-pointers have improved since last season. As for turnovers? Ball worked to reduce them as well, which is hard work considering how many hands the ball is in.
In a way, the Celtics had to be prepared for the Hornets’ fast-paced style, with two more teams playing recently – the Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Pelicans – ranked among the league leaders in quick breaking scoring. However, Celtics coach Ime Udoka said the Hornets “take the situation to another level”.
On Wednesday, Ball was at the center of it all. In the third quarter, he found Rozier on three consecutive 3-pointers – the second quarter after Ball recoiled his own miss and saw Rozier behind the arc. Then, with just over two minutes left in the game, Ball fired a three-pointer of his own to secure the win.
Before Friday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Hornets have won six of their last seven games, pushing their record 25-20. Ball said he has big goals, such as “trying to change the culture, bring winning here.”
Fun night? Playoff pressure? Everything seems achievable, including one more rebound.
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