STEVE CLIFFORD NAMED EASTERN CONFERENCE COACH OF THE MONTH
Hornets Coach Wins Award For Second Time After Leading Charlotte To Franchise-Record 13 Wins
April 1, 2016 – The NBA announced today that Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford has been named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for the month of March. It is the second career Coach of the Month award for Clifford, who led the Hornets to an Eastern Conference-best 13-3 record and an NBA-best 5-1 road record in the month. Charlotte’s 13 wins also set a franchise record, eclipsing the previous high of 12 done three times previously, while the team’s seven-game win streak from March 1-12 was the longest in Charlotte since a seven-game streak during the 2001-02 season.
In addition to having the best record in the Eastern Conference, the Hornets ranked second in the conference and fourth in the NBA in points per game during the month, averaging 109.2 points. By contrast, the team held its opponents to an average of just 100.6 points per game, the fourth-lowest in the Eastern Conference and sixth-lowest in the NBA. The differential of 8.6 points per game was tied for both the largest in the conference and the second-largest in the NBA.
During the month, the Hornets beat the Indiana Pacers on March 4 by a score of 108-101 to complete a season-series sweep of Indiana for the first time in franchise history. Charlotte earned a 125-109 win over the Houston Rockets on March 12 to extend their win streak to seven games. On March 17, the Hornets overcame a 15-point second half deficit on the road against the Miami Heat to earn a 109-106 victory. Charlotte beat the San Antonio Spurs 91-88 at home on March 21, erasing a 23-point deficit to record the second-largest comeback in franchise history. The 100-85 road win on March 29 against the Philadelphia 76ers earned a franchise record for wins in a month and the best record in the conference by pushing the team’s record to 13-3.
Clifford, who previously earned Coach of the Month honors in April 2014, is only the fourth coach in Charlotte NBA history to win the award and becomes the first to do so multiple times. With the March 7 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, he moved into third place on Charlotte’s all-time wins list. Clifford currently sits at 119 wins for his career (119-119, .500).
