Kyrie Irving gets smacked in the face and Charlotte’s Kemba Walker gets two free throws. That play captures the essence of a First Quarter in which whatever could go wrong, did go wrong. The C’s began with five straight one-and-dones countered by five straight conversions; they closed with another five straight “empties” preceding a Smart J while the Hornets had six consecutive conversions prior to missing a buzzer-beating heave.
That added up to a 15-point hole that appeared insurmountable with Irving joining H&H on the shelf.
Summative Equation:
Bos – 41 Conversions + [5 “Stripes”] {9 treys “minus” 4 missed FT’s “equals” 5 stripes}
Char – 45 Conversions + [-8 “Stripes”] {6 treys “minus” 14 missed FT’s “equals” -8 stripes}
Expected Outcome -- -4 Conversions + [+13 Stripes] = C’s win by 5 points
Actual Score: Boston 90, Charlotte 87A quick 10-2 Q2 start – four consecutive conversions – cut the deficit to single-digits.