The visiting locker room inside AmericanAirlines Arena was nearly silent on May 1, save for the bursts of elation echoing through the hallways every time the door opened.
Inside these walls, the stench of missed opportunity lingered like bad cologne trapped in an elevator. The most successful season in modern-day Charlotte Hornets history—48-34 record, three playoff wins—had collapsed amid losses in Games 6 and 7 to the Miami Heat.
But as Hornets players dressed for their final bus ride of the season, pockets of optimism began to blossom. As rough as the ending was, the journey was equally sweet.