What a strange game.

The first half of the game was relatively even, but in the 3rd quarter things became amazing.

The third was complete domination by the Bobcats, in fact it looked a little like this pic.

In that quarter they outscored the Kings 34-13 behind some of the most stifling defense and amazing offense that we’ve seen from the Bobcats all season.

Rick Bonnell’s take on the 3rd

After the third quarter, anything seemed possible. Coach Larry Brown, hardly one to throw false praise at his team, said that might have been the best they’ve ever played in his 1 1/2 seasons with the Bobcats.

In that quarter the Bobcats outscored the Kings 34-12, holding Sacramento to a pitiful 5-of-20 shooting from the field. And the Kings were no better on defense, allowing the Bobcats to shooting 12-of-20 and take nine trips to the foul line.

Fueled by that amazing 3rd, the Bobcats managed to open up a 25 point lead early in the 4th, but then they took their foot off the gas and it all fell apart. The Sacramento Kings behind Kevin Martin and Omri Casspi cut that 25 point lead down to 4. In the 4th, the Bobcats missed 13 straight shots, missed free throws, played lackadaisical defense (Boris) and generally undid all of the good that they had done up to that point in the game. It was nerve wracking, frightening and painful to watch at times, but the Bobcats survived, and a win is a win.

I’m glad we don’t have to play these jokers again this season.

Gerald Wallace was the star of the game with 38 points, 11 rebounds, 12 free throws, 2 steals, 2 blocked shots, he sold popcorn and did tax accounting during timeouts… He had everything covered. In addition to his good work in the game, he also had some very good comments following the game. Paraphrasing here, he said that the Bobcats stopped being aggressive and started trying to protect the lead. I think our good friend TheBeagle’s thoughts are spot on won this subject

Aside from the win, that comment by GW was the best thing to come out of the game….I mean he’s so right. I know Larry is a disciple of the Great Coach Smith, but the pre-shot clock college game is light years away from the 24 second shot clock in the NBA….when you call of the dogs with a full quarter to go, you’re not only playing with fire, you’re asking for the opposing team to make it closer.

All in all a win is a win and I’m glad that we don’t have to deal with the Kings any more this season

On to the TrailBlazers

I don’t get Boos.  Unless I’m the one booing.  I can only remember booing referees and not them personally but the calls.  I could see booing a guy like Big Baby Davis.  Oh I’m sorry, he wants to be called Glen now.  Basically any Celtic deserves a boo anytime they make one of those plays that they’ve been known for.  Ray Allen in a walkoff, Big Fatty in a walk off.  Not because of the shot but because of the reaction.  The “Ohhh yeah, just as I expected.  I am just too cool to do anything but fist pump” or the “Ohhhhhhhhhh!  I am so excited I can’t even run on my own, I will push off of somebody, I don’t have time to check if the push off person is a kid!”

Those deserve Boos.  A guy coming into the game, one particular guy touching the ball, no, I’m sorry, you don’t get to boo.  Maybe if you’re Philadelphia, which makes you completely allowed to be an obnoxious person in general but particularly when we’re talking about sports.  But really, you can’t just give a guy what for by way off a “B” followed by a very long “oooooooooo” because of who he is.

I cannot think of a single guy, NBA, NFL any of it that that as soon as I see him I think “No, I don’t like you, the only way to vocalize this is through an extended non-word.  I shall BOOOOO ye.”

All this comes on the heels of last night’s tremendous determination shown by the fans in Golden State.  Strong and consistent boos for Stephen Jackson.  He was booed in the layup lines, he was booed every time he touched the ball.  I get it.  A guy demands a trade from your team and gets one.  It’s your perogetive but I just don’t get it.

Basketball, I’m learning this more and more, is a business.  There is so much money and a guy needs to feel like he’s in his place.  It’s all business and not a statement on a guy’s relationship to a fan base.  Stephen loved it in Golden State, he just wasn’t fitting into their plans on the court and wasn’t feeling things were going the way he wants and expects.  He demanded a trade, it’s not his fault that the Warriors got Vlade Radmonovic and that’s about it since Raja Bell elected for season ending surgery.

I couldn’t believe the fans in Charlotte booing JJ Redick last week.  We’re Charlotte folks!  We don’t have enemies at this point.  Oh, what’s that?  This just in, all those folks booing were huge Douc-sorry, Carolina fans and don’t like JJ because he went to Duke and scored lots of points.  He plays for Orlando folks.  Why not boo somebody who it would have effect on?  Dwight Howard at the free throw line maybe?

You boo to make your disdain heard or to effect some one’s night.  You can boo a guy like Michael Vick in Atlanta, to the rest of us, he’s just a bad dude and he doesn’t mean that much anymore.  Although, the superman touchdown back in ’03 or whatever was total BS.

My point is, unless the guy made a terribly bad call (Dick Bavetta), threw a punch, fought with fans in the stands (see Detroit Mr. Jackson), or killed dogs and ruined your franchise, make a great reason for your boos.  Stephen Jackson has played for 5 teams in the league after a lot of traveling outside of it.  JJ Redick plays for Orlando now, not Duke and all he did at Duke was play the way you would expect any North Carolina player.  Don’t hate but if you do, have a good reason.

The last time a star Warrior was traded to Charlotte for almost nothing and returned to Oracle Arena in Oakland, he was given a hero’s welcome. This time, the Warrior fans had little love for their former swingman. You see, Jason Richardson not only didn’t want to be traded, but he was somewhat upset to be traded. Stephen Jackson, however, isn’t one to keep his mouth shut, and he let it be known that he wanted out of Oakland immediately if not sooner. So when he came back, the rabid fan base in Oakland quickly forgot all the heart, passion, and energy he played with and bombarded him with more boos than Jake Delhomme has ever had. But in the end, it didn’t matter. Captain Jack came to play, as did his First Mate and the rest of his Crew.

After a slow start, losing the first quarter to the Dubs 28-24 and being down by 5 in the middle of the second, the Bobcats asserted themselves, entering halftime up 6 and leading by as many as 21. The Stephen Jackson and newly-named All Star Gerald Wallace duo combined for an evenly split 60 points (almost 50% of the team total) and 17 rebounds, 13 of which were Wallace’s. 6 Bobcats were in double figures (Jackson, Wallace, Boris Diaw, Raymond Felton, DJ Augustin, and Flip Murray) and both Wallace and Nazr Mohammed grabbed double digit rebounds. The Bobcats utterly dominated the Warriors on the boards, grabbing 48 solo and 13 team rebounds to the Warriors 32 solo and 9 team, which comes out to a +20 mark. This was with center Nazr Mohammed playing just 16 1/2 minutes (despite those 10 rebounds, along with his 6 points) and backup DeSagana Diop recieving a DNP-CD. This meant Boris Diaw spent most of his night at the 5 spot, scoring 12 and pulling down 6 rebounds. DJ Augustin put in 14 points on 5-7 shooting, including 3-5 from 3 point range, along with 6 assists. We even had a Gerald Henderson mohawk sighting, for a brief 2 1/2 minute period where he scored 1 point. All in all, a stat sheet-stuffing performance, putting the Bobcats back above .500 at 23-22, tied for 7th in the East.

Tomorrow night the Bobcats play the Kings in Sacramento. Let’s just hope Crash stays away from Andres Nocioni if possible. Tomorrow is also DeSagana Diop’s 28th birthday, which could signal extra playing time if the game isn’t close.

Notes: Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia sat courtside. He grew up 30 minutes away from Oakland and is a good friend of Stephen Jackson….Bobcats color analyst Dell Curry spent the second quarter on the Warriors broadcast talking about his son, Stephen, who nearly had a double double with 22 points and 9 assists….Acie Law didn’t play against his former team….former Bobcats Cartier Martin and Vladimir Radmanovic came off the bench for the Warriors, scoring 4 and 6 points, respectively. Ex-Bobcat Raja Bell is out for most of the season with wrist surgery….After winning just 1 road game to 14 losses in 2009, the Bobcats are now 4-3 outside Charlotte in 2010. They are now ahead of Milwaukee and Detroit for 4th worst away record in the East, 7th worst overall….The Bobcats could reach 12-4 for the month of January if they win tomorrow. I think that’d be a franchise best.

That’s right.  All the hate, and I mean allllll of it, while warranted, is somewhat moot.  The Bobcats need Tyson Chandler back in the line up if they want to be successful and sustain some level of established improvement.  It’s not that he brings so much himself, it’s what he allows the defense to do.  I made fun of the “article” I found via some website, via his website, which was a rehash of an article Rick Bonnell wrote.  And I will give Rick credit here, as much as I give him crap, he was right about this weeks ago.

Never was this more evident than last night against the Phoenix Suns.  The Suns as a team are 2nd in the league in 3 pointers made.  Last night was no exception, shooting 15 of 34.  The % isn’t that far off but the attempts are up from their season average of 22.

While the Bobcats are still tops in the league for opponent points per game, they are 2nd in opponent three point attempts.  While a lower percentage shot a team that has a good night shooting threes can really hurt your winning ways.

It’s not that the ‘Cats are being killed from behind the arc, it’s just one more thing to keep an eye on.  Gerald Wallace isn’t able to swat as many attempts.  Stephen Jackson isn’t getting as many steals.  They have to put a hand in the face of a guy like Jared Dudley or Aaron Afflalo.  You can tell that Gerald is just worn out.  He’s help D for the inside guys, he’s cover D for his guy, he’s fly in put your hand in his face for outside shooters.  It’s no coincidence he was 0 for 6 with no free throw attempts entering the 3rd quarter Saturday versus Orlando.

So, is it bad defense or spread too thin?  You have a guy like Raymond who is among lead leaders in steals per game.  Gerald with his abilities on both ends and Stephen Jackson who is lockdown as well as a ball hawk.  Boris Diaw?  Hmm, never known for defense and as the guy sitting beside me on Saturday said “Has he put on weight?”  Yes, he certainly has and he’s not defending the perimeter the way I’d expect from a guy who ran point in Atlanta.

Nazr Mohammed is only about 2 inches shorter than Tyson Chandler.  He’s far less athletic and less adept at blocking shots and clogging the lane.  Naz has one thing that Ty doesn’t: a presence on the offensive end.  Nazr can hit shots and play with his back to the basket, he can stick with an offensive rebound to find the best way to score it.  However, defensively, he is lacking and not glaringly, it’s the small things.

You won’t see Nazr or Diop, wait did I just mention Ghanna Diop?  Side bar: Diop is the biggest waste of size in the NBA other than Greg Oden.  DeSagana just can’t hack it at this level.  He had strong years on Dallas as that extra body beside Dirk, Nash and Howard but the guy couldn’t play as a legit center in anything but a game with no one above 6’8″.  I’m sorry, he just can’t.

Back on point: Mohammed and Diop don’t roll out on screens, they don’t cover the pick and roll particularly well and they don’t have a commanding prescence on the defensive end.  We need Tyson.

Tyson Chandler has allowed guys like David West or Boris Diaw to freelance on D when the opposing power forward isn’t known for an outside shot.  This frees up everyone else to create turnovers, fast breaks and all manner of chaos for the other team.

Other than the strong showing, it takes the foul trouble and the subsequent concentration on how the game is being called off the minds of players and coaches.  Tyson may pull down 3 fouls before halfway through the first but the other 4 guys on the court aren’t.

This brings me to a larger point: We need a HEALTHY, CONSCIOUS Tyson Chandler.  The guy who looked lost through the first 10-15 games can stay behind the bench in street clothes.  The athletic jumping, blocking, put-backing, moving anchor or goalie as Bonnell put it, is what is needed.

This is a team of streaky players, passionate guys who have been strenuously coached and worn on since August.  It’s a game of ebb and flow and part of this has to be a shift back to defense first and that means Tyson Chandler in the middle.  Wins will come, have come but they will be easier and more interesting for the guys on the court if things shift back.

Please Tyson, be nice to your foot.  I know we all feel stress but this reaction has worn out it’s welcome.  Come back and show us why we traded our first overall and greatest known player for you.  DO IT!

The Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Phoenix Suns in OT behind Stephen Jackson’s 30 point game which included a massive 3 pointer to tie it up with 19 seconds left in regulation. In lieu of a lengthy recap ( on my way out of the way out the door to work ) I present to you hilarity from last night’s game thread:

• It’s sad. Diaw is so good when he actually wants to be =
• UPS got fouled twice, I want him to learn to take the ball up stronger. I’ll give him a 1/2 on that facial.
• If Diaw had the drive of most D-Leaguers, he would be an all star.
• I want Dudley back =(
• I’d still rather have him then Diaw, but yes Ray Allen and Jared Dudley can get AIDS and die together.
• I want to add Vince Carter and Aaron Afflalo to list of players who don’t do shit until they play the Bobcats…
• C’mon Bobcats, dont let the refs rob you of a victory
• “Boris Diaw is a great shot blocker…”…no
• I *heart* Flip Murray
• Thank you basketball jesus, another road win for the Cats!!!
• Wow. That was one fucking amazing game. Holy balls. I love you Stephen Jackson, in every non-homo way possible.

Let’s keep this winning feeling going on Friday against Golden State!