Charlotte beat Miami on Saturday, 96-80 in Game 3 of their opening round series—it’s now a 2-1 lead for the Heat. During the Hornets’ huge 18-0 run that broke the game open (see video below) rookie Frank Kaminsky scored nine points in six minutes, posting up the likes of Joe Johnson and Justise Winslow.
Kaminsky finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds in 35 minutes of action—a breakout game in the playoffs for the rook. How’d he do it? By posting up more, on the advice of assistant Patrick Ewing and owner Michael Jordan.
The story, from Justin Verrier of ESPN.com:
Two days ago, Charlotte Hornets associate coach Patrick Ewing approached head coach Steve Clifford with a suggestion about rookie Frank Kaminsky.
“We got to post Frank some,” Ewing told him, echoing a point he had made several times in the past.
“And he’s right,” Clifford said after the Hornets’ 96-80 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 3. “And I always go into the game thinking we’re going to post Frank, and I don’t always get to it.”
A day later, Clifford said he “communicated” with Hornets owner Michael Jordan.
“I’d think about posting Frank some,” Jordan told him.
Again Clifford agreed.
“You have two first-ballot Hall of Famers and you average four a game [in college] at Maine-Farmington, and they both say, ‘Post Frank?’” Clifford said. “Hell, s—, you’ve got to post Frank.”
