Adrenaline.
The Charlotte Hornets beating the Boston Celtics in the fashion that they did last night had me reacting physically to every basket, steal, dunk, etc.
It was one of the most ethereal basketball games I can remember viewing as someone who has followed the team for as long as I have.
And for good reason: I’ve never seen the Charlotte Hornets win a playoff series.
So for the Hornets to go to Boston on the second-half of a back-to-back (especially knowing the airplane troubles they had the night before), and not only win, but do so in an overwhelming matter - that was special.
It means something to me, man.
This season has been incredible for so many reasons. The turnaround (4-14 at one point), the explosive new rookie (Kon Knueppel), the third-year breakout (Brandon Miller), the new franchise center (Moussa Diabate), and the engine of it all (LaMelo Ball).
That’s Hollywood.
For so long, the Hornets would be in the wrong place at the worst time. They’d draft the worst possible option, lose players (including the franchise GOAT) in free agency, and refuse to try to win on the margins.
And even when they’d show an ounce of promise, there would be something that messed it all up: money woes in the Bobcats era. The salary cap spike in 2016-17. The entire 2022 offseason.
I say all this for one meaning: enjoy the journey. The Hornets are currently playing a brand of basketball that feels “freeing” to many. It’s the type of basketball that gets kids interested in watching the sport consistently. It’s the type of basketball that brings back fans that couldn’t take it anymore after the years of losses compounded.
It’s the type of basketball that renews your love for the game.
I, myself, had begun to grow apathetic towards Charlotte basketball after some time. There’s only so many 20-win seasons you can take before you begin to tune in less, to pay less attention.
Enjoying the journey isn’t just about cherishing the wins, it’s about feeling the roller coaster ride that is a season of professional basketball.
We’ve already seen the lows from this Charlotte team - they started 4-14, faced a ton of injuries early on, and it looked to be yet another lost year for the franchise.
They weathered the storm, and as a result, I think we’ve gotten a season much more rewarding than the average barely-over-0.500 record would suggest.
I was born in 2002. I’ve never known the feeling of watching the Hornets and actually expecting them to win against other competent basketball teams. That’s a special feeling.
There will never be another season like this, whether it’s the beginning of something great, or just a one (half) season wonder.
A closing thought.
There’s a few tweets that have stuck with me after the win against Boston. It’s the reason I’m writing this article right now. It’s the reason I’m pleading you to enjoy the journey.
Ashley Mahoney tweeted this on Wednesday night - and it hit me like a brick wall.
I’m sure many have had a similar thought come across their mind over the past two months. I certainly have.
Nobody knows what this team will accomplish over the next few months, years, or decades. Anything can happen.
Enjoying the journey isn’t about the wins. It’s not about the losses. It’s about finding and feeling community in your own manifestation. It’s about feeling the emotion that comes with those wins and losses.
We will be seated for all of it.
And at the end of the day, live for the moments that the journey gives you, not the results. Everything else is extra.