Game 13: A 115–107 loss to the Cavaliers… featuring Birdsong’s Wake Up Porter
A 19–6 deficit, a quick comeback, three entertaining quarters, and a fourth quarter collapse. Sounds about right for November.
The focus for the Hornets’ first game on national television in the 2017/18 season of course was on their opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers. No one talks about Charlotte (this is something Hornets fans are used to), but we had the return of Nic Batum and some flashy jerseys to focus on, so that was nice.
And we had a chance in the game on Wednesday night. Yet again, that chance was wasted in the fourth quarter, but also again, there’s positives to build on and it’s early in the season. Yes, I’m a Hornets optimist: my mug is half full.
The team didn’t show up in the first minutes of the game and were quickly down 14–4, and then 19–6 before Cliff called the team’s first timeout. Fans could’ve expected they’d be in for a long night at that point, but the boys in beautiful old-school teal pinstripes rallied as Kemba, Nic, and Dwight led a 13–0 run to tie it at 19 immediately after the timeout. (See, this team can be fun.)
That back and forth game lasted throughout the first three quarters, as Charlotte led by as many as eight before the halftime whistle, and Nic’s return really proved he’s the offensive spark we were missing over the 0–4 road trip.
Best play of the game too? Kemba putting LeBron on skates.
Of course, that fun lasted until the fourth quarter when shooters went cold and Buzz City was outscored by just enough to keep the final minutes from being exciting. This seems to be a trend. Baby LeBron put up 31, MKG led the Hornets with 22, and the team fell at home 115–107. Bleh.
Before we move on to the beer, I wasn’t sold on the reincarnation of the classic Hornets jerseys… until I saw them on the court. Man, those are wonderful. This is the year I finally get a Kemba swingman (or whatever they’re called now), and it’s definitely going to be in teal pinstripes… unless of course Monk has himself a Rookie of the Year season when it’s all said and done.
On to the beer. For Wednesday’s 8pm start, I went with Birdsong Brewing’s Wake Up Porter. I’m a big fan of dark beers, especially porters, and I went in with high expectations. I also like coffee and vanilla, the flavors that make up the base of Birdsong’s brew.
Here’s how they describe it: “Our Wake Up Porter is an irresistibly smooth brew with locally roasted coffee and fresh vanilla beans. We use Central Coffee Co.’s Sumatra Lintong coffee and carefully chosen specialty malts to create a warm foundation and light body. Madagascar vanilla beans lend a subtle sweetness on the finish that you’ll notice at the end of every velvety sip.”
Velvety, coffee, vanilla… yeah, that was all there. But for me, it didn’t click, or at least it didn’t work as well as NoDa’s Coco Loco. Maybe it was the coffee aftertaste, or the “warm foundation,” or the mild carbonation, or the slight bitterness… who knows. It just wasn’t for me.
As I mention on my ranking page, it’s also quite possible that I didn’t love this one because of the way the fourth quarter went… none of this is professional or objective or anything anyone else should base their choices on. Ha. It just isn’t the Charlotte porter for me.
I’m giving it a 6/10 Muggsy rating: still drinkable, decent for the style, but too much coffee to throw off the needed balance.
The Hornets travel to Chicago to take on the super-struggling Bulls on Friday night. The 2–10 team is in a tailspin to start the year and is likely playing for the lottery after losing some big pieces in the offseason. They’ve lost five in a row (which… familiar), but their talent level is nowhere near Charlotte’s, and this should be a win for Buzz City. If it’s not, there might be bigger questions asked of Cliff and his boys come Saturday when they return home to face another struggling team in the 5–8 Clippers.
Nice jerseys, a good performance against a good team (until the fourth quarter), and a mediocre beer still made for a fun Wednesday night of Buzz City basketball. Here’s hoping we can get some wins over the weekend so everyone can stop panicking. Buzzzzzz.
