MIAMI – It was 11:20 p.m., and Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford had slipped out the back door of his news conference and marched out to his seat on the bus. He had the dome light on, his ear to the phone and history's greatest NBA playoff closer on the line.

“Michael was happy,” Clifford told the Vertical, “but …”

A little later on Wednesday night, as his players waited to be whisked away from an improbable Game 5 victory on the shores of Biscayne Bay, Clifford was back outside and trying to get his mind on Game 6, the biggest of his coaching career.

Yes, Charlotte owner Michael Jordan had been thrilled about the first road playoff victory of his ownership regime, but Clifford nodded with complete agreement now.

“He knows Friday is going to be a lot harder,” Clifford told The Vertical.

Only a week ago, this would’ve been hard to imagine: After leaving Miami with brutal losses in Games 1 and 2, the Hornets left American Airlines Arena on Wednesday night in a most improbable way: Holding the franchise’s first road playoff victory in 14 years, clutching a 3-2 series lead against the Heat.

“Now, we’re there,” Clifford told The Vertical. “We’ve got to put one good game together.”

It was a testament to Clifford’s program, the way he gets the most out of players, the way they truly love playing for him, that the two players at a postgame podium on Wednesday night were Marvin Williams and Courtney Lee. All these postseason nights, all these superstars on winning teams, who would imagine that pair could be the winning partnership for an NBA road playoff victory?

Clifford thought about it for a moment, and laughed: “Hard and smart. Two hard-playing guys who put team first.”

Lee missed a breakaway layup in the final minute, and yet still found a way to win the game: an offensive rebound and 3-pointer in the final seconds to punctuate the 90-88 victory. In the winning locker room, Al Jefferson turned to Lee and said, “He misses a layup and goes down and hits a [expletive] three. I’ll take it.”

This is a star league, but Clifford is winning in the playoffs without one. Yes, Kemba Walker is an excellent point guard, but he’s the kind of player who’ll make an All-Star team because the coaches will reward him for winning. Charlotte general manager Rich Cho assembled shooters and versatility, working with Clifford to transform what was the worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA a year ago. The Hornets survived the loss of forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who had signed a $52 million offseason extension.

All the new players, including Nic Batum and Jeremy Lin, showed up in September to start working with the returning players. They were veterans, knew the NBA, and they kept telling Clifford: “No one’s picking us for the playoffs, but we’re going to be better than they think,” he told The Vertical.

Outside of the bus, Clifford said: “In this league, the biggest part of it is this: If they have the confidence when they look around the room to know that if they play well, they can win, well, I don’t think there’s anything more important than that.”

His teams rebound, honor defensive assignments and coverages, and forever stay disciplined on defense. They share the ball on offense, too. “They see how much Cliff put into this job, how well-prepared they are because of him, and they want to give it back to him,” associate head coach Patrick Ewing told The Vertical.

As the Los Angeles Lakers search for a new coach, the issue of the NBA coach’s role in recruiting free agents is rising again. There’s a belief that coaches have something to do with the recruitment of free-agent stars, and that’s largely a myth. Money recruits talent. Strong front offices and ownership with a history of great player-personnel decisions and a commitment to winning recruit talent. Geography can recruit star talent. Coaches? No, this isn’t college basketball.

Truth be told, the impact of a coach for superstars is minimal. The Kevin Durants, the LeBron Jameses – they are the system. Whatever the coach runs, it’ll be adapted to them. What’s more, the stars know the coaches are disposable. That’s why LeBron James never blinked, nor needed to meet David Blatt upon returning to Cleveland. James could get rid of him – and did.

Nevertheless, coaches like Steve Clifford and Portland’s Terry Stotts and Utah’s Quin Snyder can have tremendous value for smaller-market programs. Player agents know those coaches increase players’ value, get the most out of them and that creates value for the next contract. In that way, Clifford has developed into a weapon for Charlotte.

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