On Friday night in Uptown, the Charlotte Hornets had the opportunity to knock the veteran Miami Heat out of the playoffs, which would have given the Bugs their first playoff series victory in 14 years, and set them up to play the winner of Toronto-Indiana — the Raptors are currently in the process of self-fulfilling a really sad prophecy.

Neither team played especially well — foul trouble and injuries have derailed this series from having some of its top performers involved in high-leverage situations (Nicolas Batum’s injury, Hassan Whiteside’s foul trouble).

Whiteside was unstoppable at time on Friday — 5 of 7 shooting, 4 demoralizing blocks, 111.7 points per 100 possessions — but Game 6 will be remembered as a classic Dwyane Wade takeover performance.

The Heat actually had a negative point differential with D-Wade on the court: according to NBA.com, Miami had a net differential of -1.9 points per 100 possessions with Wade on the floor. However, looking at isolated numbers like that doesn’t tell you much without context. Wade was obviously a monster in the fourth quarter; the Heat scored better than 1.1 points per possession with him on the court. He also buried three huge shots: two miraculous 3-pointers — his first connection from deep since last December — and a turnaround fading jumper with Courtney Lee, who has done a terrific job defensively, cloaked all over him — that turned out to be the dagger in Charlotte’s back, too.

If not for Wade’s absurd heroics, Kemba Walker would’ve stolen the show. It’s great having Nicolas Batum back in the lineup, but he’s clearly hampered with foot/ankle issues, and just isn’t the same player he’s been all season for Steve Clifford. He’s also questionable for Game 7 after playing less than 15 minutes in Game 6. Batum had some nice moments during game action, which was impressive considering that he was playing with a bad wheel and got basically no sleep following the birth of his child around 1 a.m. Friday morning (congrats, by the way, Nico!).

(Note: Batum was spotted warming up earlier this morning; he’s expected to play about the same amount today as he did on Friday.)

So just like old time, the burden is falling squarely Walker’s shoulders. Kemba’s a much improved player this season, and he was dynamic in Game 6, but with a gimpy Batum, and Jeremy Lin struggling and in foul trouble, way too much was asked of Walker. I was having flashbacks to the past two seasons; when Charlotte needed a bucket, it basically came down to, “Kemba, please go score.”

Oh my, did have ever score. Walker, who finished 14 of 30 from the field and drilled four 3-pointers, will never back down from a challenge. He relentlessly drove the ball, too. Check out his shot chart, courtesy of NBA.com — he had 17 attempts at the rim:

Walker produced big time, despite frequent attention from Miami’s menacing defensive duo: Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson — both long-limbed rookies bent on making life for Kemba miserable.

The former UConn Husky scored 14 of Charlotte’s 20 fourth quarter points, while playing all but one minute that period. Kemba, according to Basketball-Reference, had a usage rating of 44.4 percent in Game 6. This means nearly half of Charlotte possessions with Kemba on the floor (he played 39 minutes, mind you), resulted in a turnover, field goal attempt, or a foul drawn by Walker. That’s far too high; during the regular season, Kemba posted a career-high usage of 26.5 percent.

Charlotte’s lost at Time Warner Cable Arenas just 12 times all season — they blew their chance to end Miami’s campaign in North Carolina on Friday.  Now, they’re down in South Beach for a closeout Game 7 early Sunday afternoon. If Walker’s going to receive help igniting the offense, it’ll likely have to come from reserve Jeremy Lin, who has played well for chunks of the postseason, but struggled in Game 6. Lin was only 1 for 8 from the field, with six of his eight points coming from the charity stripe. The Hornets scored just .85 points per possession with Lin on the court. His production, especially in the pick-and-roll, has to jump back up.

Get ready, folks. This should be a good one.

The power of the 3-pointer knows no bounds. In Game 5 of a hotly contested first round series between the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, the NBA’s newfound discovery of this calculus was on full display. Miami outscored Charlotte in the paint (48 to 34), on second chance points (12 to 5) and in transition (13 to just 4). The Heat also attempted and made more free throws. But it wasn’t enough to overcome Charlotte’s decisive advantage from beyond the arc, which was the catalyst for Hornets prevailing 90-88 on the road in a thrilling game down in South Beach.

The Hornets were able to win two off the first four games of this series despite being unable to find their footing from deep. That, however, changed in spectacular fashion Wednesday night. Charlotte splashed 12 of their 24 three-point field goals (Miami was 5 of 18), and that’s why this series is headed back to North Carolina with the Hornets up 3-2, and having a chance to close it out Friday night in Uptown.

In the first four games of the series, Marvin Williams struggled: he shot just 19.4 percent from the field, and connected on only two 3-pointers. Charlotte won two of those contests, but Steve Clifford needed his power forward to get going, and Williams answered the bell. The former Tar Heel connected on three of his four 3s, and led the Hornets with 17 points, including a courageous three-ball with 3:07 left in regulation that gave Charlotte an 85-84 lead.

That shot came as the result of a beautifully-designed out of timeout play. Kemba Walker, who suffered another off night shooting (4 of 18), headed up the court, and initiated pick-and-roll action with Cody Zeller. As Walker dribbled to his strong right hand off the screen, Zeller set a pin-down screen to free Williams — defended closely by Luol Deng — at the top of the key for a relatively open look. Bang, three points. According to inpredictable.com, that shot improved Charlotte’s win probability by 16.6 percent.

While it was nice to have Williams hooping on the offensive end, for the second straight game, Charlotte received some unexpected contributions from backup center Spencer Hawes. The man who rocks a man bun played nearly 15 minutes Wednesday night, and in that time, Miami scored a lowly .51 points per possession.

Hawes wasn’t the only Hornet who dug in defensively, though. The Heat scored .90 points per possessions last night — a number that would better San Antonio’s historically great defense. Zeller, for the third straight game, was phenomenal on the defensive end; Al Jefferson has held his own at times against Miami’s Hassan Whiteside, but Zeller’s strong two-way play is a necessity. On plays at the rim defended by Hawes and Zeller, the Heat shot just 2 for 9 (22.2 percent).

Nicolas Batum, who missed Games 3 and 4 while nursing injuries to his foot and ankle, returned. For the first time all season, Batum came off the bench — Clifford once again started a big frontline, including rookie Frank Kaminsky. Batum looked incredibly gimpy throughout the game, especially in the first half, but he made several high-leverage plays for Charlotte, including assists on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter — one to Jefferson, one to Zeller.

Again, Batum doesn’t appear to be that close to 100 percent, but he hit two just massive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and he was a part of Charlotte’s best lineup that played more than 3 minutes together last night. Batum-Walker-Hawes-Zeller-Jeremy Lin posted a net rating of 34 points per 100 possessions during 8 minutes of action, per NBA.com.

Lin was heroic for Charlotte in Game 5, too. He couldn’t find his shot, but his playmaking was critical — handing out a team-high seven assists. Miami, however, did punish Charlotte at times when Lin was matched up with a bigger guard — in particular, Dwyane Wade.

This was as close to a vintage D-Wade performance as you’re going to get in 2016. Wade bullied his way into 25 points, and was wildly efficient near the rim: 7 for 10 around the basket. Wade got his — and dished out four assists — but Charlotte made him work for his production. The Hornets, in classic Clifford fashion — congested the paint and forced a bunch of turnovers, including five from D-Wade.

Charlotte’s best defender of Wade this series has been Courtney Lee. Since his arrival at the trade deadline from Memphis, Lee’s been a steadying force on this roster: a low-usage wing, who can defend three positions, run the occasional pick-and-roll, but mostly spot up for catch-and-shoot 3s. He also made the play of the game last night, too.

With around 30 seconds remaining in the game — Heat up 88-87 — Kemba drove into the lane off a Zeller screen. He was corralled by Whiteside and forced into a difficult pull-up two. Walker missed, but what happened next would determine the game: as the ball caromed off the rim towards Miami’s Joe Johnson, Lee — who was stationed in the corner — sprinted towards the rock. Lee snatched the free money, dished to Lin, who gave it right back to Lee. With 25.4 seconds remaining, Lee rose up and buried a 25-foot game-winning 3-pointer.

It took Charlotte 14 years to win a playoff game; they’ve now won three straight, and have Miami on the verge of elimination. Game 6 will take place Friday night. The Hornets would be wise to finish this off on their home floor — where they’ve gone 32-11 this season — and not risk a potential Game 7 back in Miami.

Last week in NBA circles on Twitter, there was a lot of back and forth on who should win the Sixth Man of the Year award. The race was wide open, and you could’ve made a case for almost a dozen different dudes. If I had a vote, I would’ve cast it for Andre Iguodala; ultimately, Jamal Crawford of the Clippers won for a third time — just edging out Iggy.

During these discussions, however, there was little to no chatter about the Charlotte Hornet’s top sub, Jeremy Lin. The product of Harvard has been terrific during his first year with the franchise, and that continued Monday night in Charlotte, when Lin erupted for 21 points (on just 10 shots) in an 89-85 victory over Miami, which levels their first round affair at 2-2.

(Note: Lin finished 7th in voting for the honor, receiving one first place vote, courtesy of Sherman Hamilton of NBA TV Canada)

Once again, the Heat outplayed the Hornets in the first quarter. Luol Deng continued his one-man assault on these playoffs with 10 points in the opening frame; Deng constantly went at whichever Hornets big was tossed in his direction — Frank Kaminsky, Cody Zeller, whatever. Steve Clifford deployed the two traditional big men look again last night for the vast majority of the game, moving Marvin Williams to small forward. And for the second straight time, it worked.

Everything changed in a blink during the second quarter. Charlotte trailed Miami 26-19 after the opening period, but the Hornets bench helped lead a roaring charge back. Over the next 14 minutes and 33 seconds of game play, Charlotte ripped off a 38 to 13 run, culminating with an Al Jefferson layup that had Time Warner Cable Arena rocking. Charlotte led 57-40, which was their high-water mark.

Lin played a little over nine minutes in the second quarter; during that span, the Hornets scored 123.4 points per 100 possessions, and held the Heat to a meager 49.8 points per 100 possessions. Kemba Walker was special during this quarter, too. With Kemba on the floor, Charlotte scored at a rate of 1.38 points per possession.

For the game, the Hornets were +17 with Lin on the floor.

While Miami built a house out of bricks during this period — shooting 3 for 19 — the dual-point guard lineup of Walker and Lin (sounds like a decent law firm, for the record) raced away in the opposite direction. The two speedsters wrecked havoc in the pick-and-roll game and in transition, combining for 55 points and just four turnovers (Walker scored 34 of those points, making him the first Hornet to score 30+ in a playoff games since Baron Davis in 2002). That combination of controlled aggression is incredibly difficult to harness, but Charlotte’s guards worked their magic Monday evening.

Lin and Kemba shared the court for 26 minutes in Game 4; in that stretch of time, Charlotte outscored Miami by 14.5 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. The Hornets continued to struggle from beyond the arc — making just 4 of 17 3-pointers — but these two were so deadly efficient in pick-and-roll action that it prevented Charlotte’s offense from cratering.

All night long, Walker and Lin were impervious to the conservative one-man zone schemes Miami utilized. In their coverages, Heat big men were sinking under these ball screens; this is done in an effort to coax the ball handler into settling for a jumper. Charlotte, however, was having none of that. Kemba channeled his inner Russell Westbrook and went right at Miami’s bigs, while Lin got into the paint at will. Walker scored 11 consecutive points during the fourth quarter.

When Miami’s Hassan Whiteside hits the bench, a light goes off for Lin, attack. For the second straight game, the Hornets were without forward Nicolas Batum — a fearless playmaker who has a knack for finding open shooters. In his absence, Lin has more than stepped up, which should benefit him financially in about two months: Jeremy has a player option at $2.2 million next season. However, if he declines that option, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency as one of the league’s elite backup point guards.

After the game, Clifford couldn’t have been more proud of his team for figuring out a way to score points. So I’m not going as far as to say Charlotte’s solved Miami’s pick-and-roll defense, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some adjustments when this series swings south for Game 5.

Lin wasn’t the only substitute to have an impact on Monday, though. Zeller has embraced his role of coming off the bench now. By some metrics — offensive (111.2) and net rating (39.7) — Zeller was Charlotte’s best player in Game 4. These contributions were necessary because once more Marvin Williams struggled: 0 of 5 shooting, 0 points — his second game with no points this series (he has 14 total points through four games). Zeller was strong defensively as well.

On Miami’s end, they need to summon the energy they brought late in the third quarter and the early part of the fourth quarter — when they rallied furiously to make the contest a one-point affair at 62-61 — for an entire game. Goran Dragic, who spent most of the game missing in action, started making things happen, including a massive 3-pointer as Miami clawed their way back into the game.

It’s also clear that they need Deng to remain productive, and to be more than just a first quarter catalyst. In 20 minutes of action during the second and third quarters, Deng was just 1 for 8 from the field; Miami was -11 during that stretch, too.

Charlotte mostly ignored rookie Justise Winslow when Miami was on offense. Winslow, who is already a sensational defender, has a ways to go offensively. The Hornets stashed their slowest defender on Winslow, and for most of the night, that worked. Heading into the fourth, Winslow was 0 for 5 from the field as he tried to shoot over the top of Charlotte’s relaxed defenders. However, in the final period, Winslow attacked this coverage, driving right into the body of Hornets defenders, James Harden style. He was a perfect 3 for 3 from the field, including a corner 3-pointer. This is something to monitor in Game 5.

Finally, it’d be remiss to write a recap of this game without mentioning Courtney Lee, who once again brought productive two-way play. Lee played a team-high 41 minutes; he also led the Hornets in distance covered (3.06 miles), according to NBA.com’s player tracking. Lee was everywhere defensively — contesting a team-high 12 shots, including eight 2-pointers. Most pertinent, though, Lee collected a super important offensive rebound with 58 seconds left, then on the next possession, following a Kemba miss, Lee sprang for another rebound and drew a foul on Deng. C-Lee then made two free-throws, which put the game on ice.

The first two games of this series were ugly for the Hornets. But after last night’s thrilling home victory, Charlotte’s evened this series at two games apiece. Game 5 is Wednesday night in South Beach. See you there.