CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – Monday night’s game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Detroit Pistons had fans talking.
As the Hornets looked to extend their winning streak to 10 games on Monday, Feb. 9 against the Pistons a brawl broke out resulting in four players being ejected.
Fans said despite the brawl during Monday’s game, it’s fun going to games at the Spectrum Center, and they’re hopeful the Hornets keep the momentum going for the rest of the season.
Read –> 4 players ejected after benches-clearing brawl in Charlotte Hornets game
Its all anyone can talk about in the radio booth at WFNZ.
“I think the fact that they were ready for that fight, no pun intended, is encouraging to all the fans,” said Colin Hoggard, the co-host of Charlotte Sports Today
For life-long Hornets fans, the buzz around the team is something they’ve been waiting for.
“[It was the] longest line I’ve ever seen to get into the Spectrum Center, which was great,” said Aaron Shropshire with Charlotte Sports Today. “You know, it’s like, wow, people are really excited about this team.”
“The team really needed a spark and needed a boost and a drive coming off nine wins,” said Baryn Spry, the operating partner at The Local. “Then showing that, that shows a lot of heart and a lot of passion for the game and that’s really something this team has to have.”
While the fight on the court isn’t necessarily what people wanted to see, for people at the game, it showed a passion from the players and coaches they hadn’t seen before.
“For a long time has been a doormat stood up to the number one team in the Eastern Conference said, no, we’re not going to back down,” Hoggard said.
“Most people in our section were really just cheering, honestly, because we’ve never seen this type of passion from this team,” Shropshire said.
Spry says the team’s hot streak couldn’t have come at a better time. He’s made sure the hive mentality is on full display at The Local in Uptown just steps from the Spectrum Center.
“The Hornets fans have always been good to us, us being that close, us being home of the Crown Club, you know, the Charlotte Hornets fan club. It’s been great to us,” Spry said. “Obviously when they’re coming on a nine-game win streak and they’re, you know, flying around getting to the ball and everything, that’s when we really see the uptick in people.
Spry said the Hornets’ hot streak combined with the Panthers’ short lived playoff run means big business for the restaurant.
“That was a huge, huge uptick in business, especially for a dry January month, where usually that’s one of your slowest months out of the year,” Spry said. “Then now with this Hornets going on, I’m expecting that to carry all the way through February and really continue to tick up and get us through winter time and back into the spring.”
He isn’t the only fan buzzing with excitement.
“This team feels like something new. Feels like something, like a page is being turned,” Shropshire said.
“None of these guys, these Hornets have played in the game as a Hornet quite like the one that we saw last night, and the fans were there for it and I think the players were too,” Hoggard said.
They hope the fight continues all the way to the playoffs.
“The city needs hope. The city needs hope to come together and really drive our sports fans up,” Spry said.
The rematch with Detroit is April 10 and its safe to say it will be the hot ticket in town for all Hornets fans.
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