The Cleveland Cavaliers still remain to be the only team in the league with 50 or more wins. The Eastern powerhouse has been on a victorious path over the last 13 games. But tonight, that pristine streak was in jeopardy at the hands of the Charlotte Hornets, a team with just 14 wins in the season. They fought back from an 11-point halftime deficit to give the Cavs a huge scare.
But how often can it be said that the best team in the NBA this season got lucky? Or at least that they found it incredibly difficult to get past the Hornets. The one aspect of their game that saved them was the free throw disparity.
In the 118-117 win against Charlotte, the Cavaliers went to the free throw 51 times. The only team with more attempts in a game this season was the Philadelphia 76ers when they played the Raptors. For the Cavs, Donovan Mitchell led this surge, going to the charity stripe 18 times in the game.
goodnight from charlotte! #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/LDDh1AaFa0
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 8, 2025
The Hornets as a team got three more free throws than Mitchell. And while it wouldn’t be fair to say free throws were the only reason the Cavaliers won, to the fans that’s exactly what it looked like.
Fans accuse the NBA of favoring the Cavaliers
Fans couldn’t believe their eyes watching a systematic Cavaliers offense breakdown against the Hornets. The NBA’s top-sed averages the most points per game around the league. Yet, if it wasn’t for their work at the line, one thought crossed the fans’ minds. “The Cavs had 51 free throws tonight. The best team in the league needed the refs to beat the Hornets,” a fan wrote.
Despite the alarming difference, Hornets coach Charles Lee didn’t feel the officials were to blame. He thinks the pace of the game as well as the players’ tricks to get to the line are difficult to manage for the referees. “I think the refs have a really tough job. They’re not going to get it right on every play. I think they’re honestly trying their best,” Lee explained.
But while Lee does think the pace of the game is tough to handle for the official, he was still looking for “consistency”. Tonight, even a marginal increase in the Hornets’ free throws could have enabled them to pull off a stunning upset. Sadly that wouldn’t be the case. “Cavs saved by refs against hospital hornets” another fan mentioned.
Fans would have found some solace were the free throws well distributed. However, of the 51 free throws, the Cavaliers got 20 in the fourth quarter alone. In a one-point loss, that would end up being the game changer. Hence, fans weren’t pleased with Tony Brothers. “Tony brothers might be the worst ref in NBA history- look at this ft disparity for the Cavs game” one of them expressed.
Ironically, even with the frequent trips, the Cavaliers gave the Hornets a lifeline towards the end. Donovan Mitchell missed two clutch free throws with five seconds remaining on the clock. Sadly, without a timeout remaining, Bridges had to heave a 50-footer to try and win the game. The star performer tonight couldn’t get that to fall.
Nonetheless, it was an amazing effort by Miles Bridges and the Hornets. The result though left a fan thinking “This Cavs and Hornets game is so rigged for the Hornets of course,”. Given the Charlott Hornets shot the ball better and even had fewer turnovers, it’s easy to see why the fans would feel so.
What matters at the end of the day though is the Cleveland Cavaliers found another way to win. Even when their offense fell apart from all ends, the team’s unrelenting pressure somehow got the job done. But the Hornets shouldn’t feel gutted. They forced the best team in the NBA to rely on some dark arts. For a franchise suffering from key injuries and nowhere near the playoff picture, they put up a valiant fight.
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