The Buzz around Charlotte is the Hornets are playoff bound

The Charlotte Hornets' odds of making the 2021 NBA Playoffs took a hit on Sunday night after a heartbreaking 112-110 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

James Borrego's squad is currently 33-35 and sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings. This puts the Hornets one game ahead of the Indiana Pacers for the vital top eight spot that gives you a little breathing room for the play-in tournament.

The Hornets may be down after a home loss to the Pelicans, but they're certainly not out. Here are three reasons why Charlotte could still be playoff-bound.

1. The Hornets are getting healthy

LaMelo Ball returned from injury on May 1. Not only did he return earlier than expected, he also came back playing at a much higher level than expected. The prohibitive Rookie of the Year is averaging 16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 steals since being reinserted into Charlotte's lineup.

Malik Monk also returned from a long absence on May 1. He is averaging 8.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game since returning. Monk provides the Hornets with an excellent three-point shooting option and a clutch scorer.

While it is unlikely that Gordon Hayward will be back before the end of the regular season, he has a real chance to return for the play-in tournament. Devonte’ Graham should be back any day now and Miles Bridges will clear COVID-19 protocol between May 14-18. The play-in tournament starts on May 18.

2. Boston is struggling

If the Hornets can remain in either the seven or eight spot until the end of the regular season, they will only need to win one of two games to make the playoffs. Currently, they would be playing the Boston Celtics ,where the winner of the game would take the seventh seed.

The Celtics have gone through a rough stretch of the season. They have lost seven of their last 11 games, including a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder who are literally trying to lose every game right now.

To make matters worse, on Monday the team announced that Jaylen Brown would be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a wrist injury. If the standings remain the same and the Celtics and Hornets face off for a single game to win the seven seed, this would certainly be a favorable situation for Charlotte.

3. The Hornets own their potential play-in opponents

It is extremely likely that the four play-in teams in the Eastern Conference will be the Celtics, Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and Washington Wizards. If that is the case, let us look at the Hornets' head-to-head record against each of these teams.

The Hornets went 1-2 against the Celtics. However, Jaylen Brown played and played well in all three of these games. It could easily be a different story without him. The Hornets went 2-1 against the Pacers. The Pacers are the biggest longshot of the four teams likely in the tournament. Charlotte is 2-0 against the Wizards with one game remaining on May 16.

The Hornets have a lot going their way towards making it out of the play-in tournament as either the seventh or eighth seed. The fact that they are still underdogs to make the final eight teams in the East is quite surprising, and I would jump all over their current odds before they change.