Clifford takes coaching advice from Jordan, Ewing

The Charlotte Hornets snapped a 14-year drought in the playoffs Saturday with a little help from two Hall of Famers.

Hornets head coach Steve Clifford revealed after their 96-80 Game 3 victory that team owner Michael Jordan and assistant coach Patrick Ewing got in his ear about playing rookie Frank Kaminsky.

"When you have two first ballot Hall of Famers … and they both say, 'Post Frank,' (heck), you have to post Frank," Clifford told reporters after the game.

True to their word, Kaminsky delivered once Clifford decided to give him the ball. The Miami Heat were using a small-ball lineup that saw the 6-foot-4 Dwyane Wade checking the 6-foot-11 Kaminsky. Clifford normally likes to run fluid offenses that involve plenty of passing, but when presented with such a tantalizing matchup, he made an exception.

Kaminsky would go on to score 11 points over a key five-minute stretch in the third quarter to blow the game wide open.