Hornets celebrate first postseason home game in 10 years by handing out 'Protect the Hive' T-shirts

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — You think the Charlotte Hornets were starving for a home postseason game?

It’s been a decade since the Hornets hosted a postseason game, and the team is doing what it can to celebrate the accomplishments of Kon Knueppel and LaMelo Ball and generate excitement among its fan base.

Prior to Tuesday night's play-in tournament game against the Miami Heat, the Hornets placed a black “Protect the Hive" T-shirt on each of the 19,444 seats in Spectrum Center.

“I expect it to be lit,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said of the atmosphere.

The Hornets need to beat the Heat and then defeat the loser of the Wednesday night’s Orlando-Philadelphia game to qualify for its first playoff series in 10 years and snap the longest drought in the league.

"My wife was actually able to go to the (Carolina) Panthers’ playoff game and I remember her calling me ... and she’s like, ‘This is insane! People are going crazy! This town is ready for a winning team, playoff atmosphere!'" Lee said of the Panthers' first playoff home game in January after seven seasons of missing the playoffs. "So that was exciting to hear. And so I expect a very similar environment here.”

The Heat-Hornets game is a sellout.

“We have an exciting, young team that has earned this moment and brings an energy that’s fun to watch and easy to rally behind,” Hornets president of business operations Shelly Cayette-Weston said. “Protect the Hive represents the connection between our team and our fans at the highest level.”

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