Miami Heat

Focus turns to key offseason as Hornets fall to Heat in Game 7

Published May. 1, 2016 3:23 p.m. ET

foxsports

Three thoughts after the Hornets' 106-70 loss to the Heat on Sunday, which gave Miami a 4-3 series win and brought an end to Charlotte's season.

1. Rough Ending Shouldn't Sour Strong Season By Hornets

Steve Clifford and Co. increased their win total by 15 year over year and among Eastern Conference teams, only the Raptors had more victories than Charlotte's 30 after the All-Star break, and from Feb. 1 on, the Hornets' 25-9 mark trailed only the Warriors and Spurs.

Amid that run, Kemba Walker proved himself to be among the league's best at his position, Jeremy Lin starred in his role off the bench (11.7 points and 3.0 assists per) and Al Jefferson was a vital piece off the bench. Charlotte also accomplished all this with former No. 2 overall pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist playing in just seven games due to injury, and Jefferson also missing time with an injury and suspension.

It was a strong season by the Hornets, and it's one that is followed by major uncertainty as Jefferson, Courtney Lee, Lin, Marvin Williams, Nic Batum and Tyler Hansbrough are all free agents.

A number of those players will have their share of suitors, and prioritizing likely means a focus on Batum, Lee, Lin and Williams. Batum proved a valuable compliment to Walker, freeing up the Hornets' best weapon and providing strong wing play (14.9 points and 6.1 rebounds), and has likely positioned himself to earn a max contract offer. Lin was the most effective he'd been in years, Lee shot 39.2 from distance with the Hornets (compared to 37.0 in Memphis before the trade) and Williams shot 40.2 on 3s in hitting a career-high 152.

Given Clifford's emphasis on the 3-point shot and ball movement, they would all seem to be worth keeping. While Jefferson is a throwback to the Hornets' old style of play, he showed his value vs. the Heat and Whiteside, increasing his points to 14.8 after 12.0 in the regular season and shot nearly 70.0 after shooting 64.9.

The Hornets may be on the cusp of breaking into the East's elite, but it may hinge on their ability to keep this core together. It figures to be a very telling offseason in the Queen City.

2. A Point Guard Took Over ... And It Wasn't The One You'd Expect

Walker drove in the third quarter, player and team in need of some kind of spark. Instead he was greeted by Hassan Whiteside, the Heat big man notching his second block of the game, and only furthering the frustrations for Walker, who had his worst game of the series when the Hornets needed him most.

Walker missed nine of his 11 shots -- including three 3-pointers -- and finished with a mere nine points, 13 less than his series average, on 3 of 16 shooting. His struggles were further magnified as, for the first time in these seven meetings, Goran Dragic outplayed Walker.

Dragic scored 14 per in Games 1-6, shooting 42.3 percent from the field, but he dominated in the series finale, scoring 25 while hitting at a 64.7 clip and added six rebounds, four assists and a block.

It's a level of confident play out of the six-year veteran that's meant almost certain victory for Miami. They are 10-2 when he scores 20 or more points, while the Hornets dropped three of their last five when Walker scored 10 or less.

3. Third Quarter Proves Costly For Charlotte

Courtney Lee hit a 3-pointer with 3:35 left in the first half to cut the Heat's edge to 44-40, but by halftime the Heat were up 12 (54-42), and they entered the fourth quarter up 30.

The Hornets starters -- including the aforementioned Walker -- struggled to get anything going, shooting 13 of 42 from the floor and it was truly evident during Miami's domination in the third quarter.

Walker led off with a 16-footer, but Charlotte missed its next eight shots, and it wasn't until Waker's 3-pointer at the 3:47 mark -- a span of 12 attempts by the starting five of Walker, Jefferson, Frank Kaminsky, Lee and Williams -- that one of the Hornets' five five broke through.

The Heat held a 29-11 edge in the third, which amounted to the Hornets' lowest output of any point in this series. Credit Miami's defense as they blocked five shots, four by Whiteside and one by Dragic (three of the were on Walker) as they limited the Hornets to 5 of 24 shooting in the quarter -- and 31.3 overall -- and kept Charlotte from the effectiveness in the paint that led it to a 3-2 series lead.

Basically, little that put the Hornets on the brink of advancing went their way in Game 7.

Follow Cory McCartney on Twitter @coryjmccartney and Facebook. His book, 'Tales from the Atlanta Braves Dugout: A Collection of the Greatest Braves Stories Ever Told,' is out now, and 'The Heisman Trophy: The Story of an American Icon and Its Winners' will be released Nov. 1, 2016.