Paul's steady hand shows most for Hornets in close games

When something happens year after year, can it really be a fluke?

With that in mind, perhaps we need to revisit the notion that the Hornets shouldn't have as many wins as they have.

With their one-point victory in Portland on Monday, the Hornets are 14-3 in games decided by five points or less this season. Combine that with a 1-7 record in games decided by 15 points or more and you have a team with a negative point differential (-1.2 per game) and a winning record.

heir point differential says the Hornets should be 20-25 at this point, yet instead they're 25-20. The Hornets sit in eighth place in the Western Conference, but statistically, three of the teams behind them in the standings are better.
As it has been written in this space before, the Hornets' record is the most inflated mark in the league.

But this is not new. The Hornets have had a winning record in close games every season since they drafted Chris Paul, and they've had inflated records in four of those five seasons. Only in 2007-08 did they win fewer games (56) than their point differential said they should have (58).

In total, the Hornets are 67-33 (.670) in games decided by five points or less in Paul's four-plus seasons. Only the Mavs (75-32, .701) have a better record in close games in that span.