Here are a few off-the-cuff comments from the Hornets' 102-94 loss to the Magic at home, with a particular focus on Kemba Walker's scoring explosion:
Clifford understands, of course, there will be losses, but he also found Charlotte's Saturday defeat particularly vexing.
"Approach is everything, and whether you have two nights off or you get home at 3 in the morning from the night before, you have to have the right approach. And obviously we did not," lamented Clifford, the Hornets' second-year coach. "For three quarters, it was mistake after mistake. We had two or three guys who just had nothing in terms of concentration nor intensity with intent to play good in an NBA game, and it cost the whole team."
The coach didn't stop there.
"That is the difference between the good players and poor players -- guys who can get themselves ready to play regardless of the situation," he said. "I don't care how old or young you are, you have to get ready to play, that is what the great ones do, and we did not do that (on Saturday)."
Walker (career-high 42 points) couldn't agree more with Clifford's assessment.
"He's 100 percent right," Walker said. "He's a great coach and he sees things from the sidelines. I agree with him. He sees it all. That can't happen. I know we had back-to-back games, but still. This is the life we chose and we have to bring it every game. And tonight, we didn't."
The Hornets, in the opinion of shooting guard Gerald Henderson, have had these type of issues all season.
"I can't say we've been a great team this year in starting games," Henderson said. "We've been inconsistent with that. He mentioned us being ready to go one night -- like Milwaukee -- and then the complete opposite tonight.
In his fourth season, Walker notched his 42 on 15 of 31 shooting -- marking the seventh time in 10 games he's scored at least 20.
The greatest component of the hot streak lies with the shooting.
Walker has never been confused for being a good outside shooter. But during the aforementioned 10-game span, the point guard shot 46.2 percent from the field, while averaging 22.8 points.
Just how hot was he Saturday night?
Walker scored 19 points in the third quarter alone (7 of 9 shooting). At one point, he had scored 20 out of 23 team points over the third and fourth quarters.
Moreover, he racked up 35 in the second half. His career high going, heading into Saturday, was 35.
"I had a great game, but it wasn't enough," Walker said. "I was just taking my opportunities. The ball kept going in and I kept shooting more. Honestly, a lot of my shots were good shots. I wasn't forcing them."
Clifford praised his undersized point guard.
"(Walker) was phenomenal," he said. "I think he can be a cornerstone player for teams that can go deep into the playoffs because of his competitiveness. He just has a competitive spirit that is contagious to me. He played 42 minutes back-to-back, he didn't want to come out and he kept us in the game. He was terrific."
Charlotte will continually be on the postseason edge, due to its rough start (injuries, brutal schedule, etc.). And the club will have to contend with teams like Orlando (12-21) for those final playoff slots.
Heading into Saturday, the Hornets stood just four games out of the final playoff spot and five games from the No. 7 seed -- making the home defeat doubly painful.
This also marks the second time the Magic have beaten the Hornets on the road. On Nov. 21, Charlotte blew a 23-point to Orlando and eventually lost, 105-100.
2: The number of Charlotte players that scored in double figures (Walker, Al Jefferson -- 14).
"He is far from 100 percent, but he does not want to come out because if we have a chance to get in this thing, then we have to win these games this month." -- Steve Clifford on Al Jefferson
