Just a few days ago, we saw the Charlotte Bobcats play horrible basketball in Washington, D.C. but somehow come out with an overtime win over the Wizards, 95-86. There would be no overtime tonight, as the ‘Cats survived multiple attempts at a comeback by the Washington Wizards to win 107-96. The Bobcats earned their franchise-record 38th win, and are for the first time ever four games over .500%. The Wizards, however, set their own franchise record with their 14th consecutive loss. While it wasn’t pretty, it’s a win, and that means the magic number to make the playoffs is down to 7.

Suspended Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas showed up for his sentencing earlier in the day (30 days in a halfway house and community service, if you were wondering), but most of his teammates were nowhere to be found. Mike Miller scored just 10 points in 36 minutes and just three Wizards scored more than 10 points. One of them is D-League call-up Alonzo Gee, who replaced the injured Al Thornton in the starting lineup with 19 points, making him Washngton’s leading scorer. No Wizard had more than 7 rebounds, and they had shots blocked by the Bobcats 8 times. Believe it or not, Raymond Felton had two of those blocks to go along with his 19 points (on 8-10 shooting) and 11 assists. Felton said postgame that “we’re treating every game like a playoff game” and attributed his recent performance boost to “being at my comfort level.” But he was far from the only Bobcat to contribute. Gerald Wallace had 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals along with several crowd-pleasing dunks. Stephen Jackson dropped in 20 points, and Boris Diaw put out a 12/5/4 line. Tyson Chandler had 4 points, 5 rebounds and a block off the bench, but his post presence was more valuable than numbers can show. New Bobcat Larry Hughes had his best game in a short period, going 4-10 for 10 points with 3 rebounds. But perhaps the most encouraging stat of the game is playing time: No starter played more than 34 minutes, and league leader in minutes per game Gerald Wallace played just 32:28 with just as much effectiveness. While I doubt this will push Coach Larry Brown to rest the starters more, considering the poor play of the bench (outside Chandler and Hughes, there were just 11 bench points on 16 shots, and 7 turnovers from the bench), it’s at least a good sign for one night. Regarding the game, LB said “I wasn’t crazy about it, we turned the ball over too much, we got beat on straight line drives.” He’s also been keeping tabs on NCAA tournament action, saying “Hell, you can be Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s, Butler, it doesn’t matter, we gotta respect whoever we play…Sometimes, I don’t know if we completely understand that.”

Notes: The Bobcats led the whole game…Former Bobcat Earl Boykins did not play in a coach’s decision for the Wizards…Despite sitting himself in the previous game against the ‘Cats, Andray Blatche started and played 38 minutes…The Bobcats swept the season series with Washington 4-0…Two of the Bobcats’ next three games are against close rivals in the playoff race, Monday the 29th vs. Toronto and Friday April 2nd vs. Milwaukee…With the Bulls being inactive tonight, the magic number of Bulls losses and Bobcats wins is now 7, and the Bobcats could possibly clinch a playoff spot by beating the Bulls in Chicago next Saturday (april 3rd), though mathematically it could be as soon as the 2nd…Miami beat the Bucks tonight, placing Charlotte 1/2 game back of the 6th spot in the Heat but just 1 1/2 games back of 5th (Milwaukee).

The Chicago Bulls have traded troubled but talented forward Tyrus Thomas to the Bobcats for the expiring contracts of Flip Murray and Acie Law, along with a protected future first round pick (likely lottery protected and set for 2012), this according to Yahoo! Sports.

Thomas is 6’10 and 225 pounds and will fill a much needed spot at power forward on the depth chart behind Boris Diaw. The 23 year old went to LSU, and entered the NBA in the 2006 draft, picked 4th overall. Tyrus has shown promise in his first few years in the league but has battled with coaches and is considered to be headstrong. This season, in 23.4 minutes he is averaging 8.8 points and 6.3 rebounds. He will likely see those same minutes in Charlotte, as Flip Murray had been playing 21.6 minutes per game. Now that Murray and Law are gone, look for DJ Augusting and Gerald Henderson to see increased playing time, and possibly a D-League call up for point guard depth, maybe even a certain fellow named Dontell Jefferson. The only downside to this trade in the short term is it could take away already scarce minutes from Nazr Mohammed and Derrick Brown. The loss of a shooter in Flip would’ve been disturbing, but his shot has been so hot and cold it’s likely that between Stephen Jackson and DJ Augustin, he won’t be missed too much.

If anything else develops between now and three, we’ll be sure to let you know — stay tuned!

The mantra in our forums that we as Bobcats fans have is ILBIT ( for those unaware that means In Larry Brown I Trust ) but when you are in an end of game situation where you need to knock down a 3 to send the game into overtime, why on earth don’t you have Augustin or Radmanovic on the court? Can someone give me an answer to that?

Looking at the box score, one thing leaps out at you. The backcourt shooting, it was painfully bad with Felton shooting 5-17, Bell 3-12, Flip Murray 3-12 and DJ 0-2. When we shoot like that along with letting the likes of John Salmons drop 27 points on you, getting a win is next to impossible

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The playoffs back in those years between local NBA franchises were kind of fun.  The Hornets basically left town in 01-02, but that was my freshman year in college and anything cheap and different was awesome.  We got in to 3 Playoff games that year for $5 each, sure we were sitting in the top of the cavernous old arena but it was fun (covered sections and all), one of our favorite local bands, Weekend Excusion, would play pre-game in the parking lot and like I said, $5!!!  They won the first round series against Orlando and in the second round, the fate was sealed and the move was official.   It was still fun to go see those games and the Lakers were the cream of the crop, which makes it fun to watch the finals, even if it was NJ that were the sacrificial lambs.

The next year, I mean it was hard to follow because there was no easy team to root for.  Also, the NBA outlawed all NBA TV games in the Carolinas except nationally televised games.  This probably prevented a lot of people from following the Hawks or Wizards or someone but mostly, there was no regular viewing.  Playoffs came and went with the Spurs beating the Nets.  Whoopie!  Actually, that was the lowest rated finals until the ’07 finals, so no one really cared.

The next year they announced that we’d get a team and the owner would be this awkward little billionaire from Washington named Bob Johnson.  While we were waiting the NBA played on.  It wasn’t great but we kept up because these guys would be the competition next year.  Oh yeah, watch out league the BOBCats are coming.  Wait, did that guy name the team after himself?  Is Charlotte an area known for having Bobcats?  Other than the little bulldozers on the hundreds of jobsites in the area, not really.  It wasn’t great but Detroit played solid ball and beat the Lakers who became the Yankees of the NBA with Karl Malone and Gary Payton added to their crumbling, aging, argumentative roster.

The next year, finally we had NBA in Charlotte.  I had new roommates, we made sure to get C-SET, which sucked, except for Bobcats games.  Who would have thought a 82 game season could make a whole network?  Bobcat Johnson, that’s who.  5 years later and we’re still watching, it’s been a couple channel changes and 3 coaches, but we’re still kicking.

Anyway, the point is, this season was the best and closest for me to any postseason.  Missing it, legitimately, in the final week sucked.  Watching the playoffs this year feels cheap, hollow and honestly, I don’t care.  I don’t like any of the teams in it.  There is no underdog.  There is no great dynasty.  There is no supreme team that’s easy to hate but you want to see them collapse or something like those Lakers in ’04.  I’m not really even watching games.  Sure the Bulls/Celtics went 7 and 3/4 games but who cares?  I hate the Bulls for having the best luck ever in a draft lottery last year and we all hate the Celtics because they are the Celtics.

I’m a Bobcat’s fan.  I love the NBA, I love the players, I love the play and action but I am attached to the ‘Cats.  They aren’t in it, so why should I watch?

–BigCat Bobcat

Anyone who played Madden ’96 remembers 2 comments from John Madden “Hey…Heck of a Play” and “Gotta watch the snap.”  When the Bobcats won tonight all I could think was “Hey, heck of a game.”  Solid win, top to bottom.  As Larry Brown said post-game, “we’re playing at a very high level right now.”  The Bobcats got out to a pretty good lead to end the first quarter and really didn’t look back.  It got so good that Alexis Ajinca got in the game.  Lex the legs even got a tech when he got in a little shove back and forth with some crew cut scrub that Vinny Del Negro put in because it was just that over.  I knew it was going to be a statement game and it really was.  2 days off and then the Hawks at home on Friday?  Come on!  The way these guys look right now they might roll on through.
 
So here’s the big picture on tonight’s game:  Tim Thomas and Luol Deng were out.  Rumors were that Raja Bell might be out but he in fact started and had 10 points in the first quarter and all 18 of his points before halftime.  Whether or not he was still hurt or anything, not confirmed after the game by Larry Brown, but he’s probably still day to day.  How did he hit 7 of 11 and 2 for 2 from beyond 3, with a bad shoulder?  I don’t know, don’t care.  I appreciate the effort and the dedication.  He’s banged up, Wallace is banged up, Okafor tweaked his ankle last week.  It’s like I heard Brentson Buckner say on WFNZ “It late in da season.  Errrbody knee hurt.  Mek knee hurt, Gerald knee hurt, Diaw knee hurt, Ray knee hurt.  If yo knee ain’t hurt, you ain’t been playing.”  The lead was so cushy that the bench actually got some time in.  Everyone but Alexis Ajinca, Juwan Howard and Cartier Martin got double digit PT, and Cartier was less than half a minute short of 10 minutes.
 
Emeka Okafor is playing really well.  His first half enabled Larry to try Juwan Howard and Vlad and even a little bit of a small line-up.  The adjustments that Vinny made sort of held him back in the second half.  Rather than switching Brad Miller for Joakim Noah, he went with both and clamped down on Okafor.  Did I forget someone?  Oh yeah, Diop!  He Dioped it like it was hot, sorry.  I’m truly sorry for that.  Both forgetting his contribution (6 points, 5 rebounds and solid defense), and making that horrible, horrible reference to a 5 year old Snoop Dogg song.
 
Raymond Felton helped a pile as well with 18 points and 9 assists.  He and DJ Augustin have to be a very solid one/two punch for speed and for opposing PG and really the entire defense.  DJ had the 2nd most minutes to Ray but only 8 points and 5 assists.  The two combined for 4 turnovers, which isn’t horrible and a few passes that were stolen weren’t entirely their fault.  Mek still has stone hands and Juwan Howard wasn’t looking in the right direction.  Speaking of Mr. Howard.  His 3 minutes were quite uneventful, in any type of positive way.  It bothered me that the Bulls attacked his side of the floor while he was on defense.  The missed pass almost under the basket bothered me as well.  I know he’s great for veteran leadership but man, I think he’s lost 2 steps instead of just one for his age.
 
All in all, I feel really good about the win.  How can you not?  It was a 20 point win that ended up being 16, I don’t know why.  Maybe it was Alexis’s seeming embarrassment on the free throw line after almost coming to blows with Aaron or Alex or something with an “A” Gray.  I know Larry was smiling.  Hell, so was I.  Bring it Hawks!  I need to do some research on them and what they’re doing right now because I really didn’t care before we had a 4 game win streak for the first time in a year and them coming to town!

This is going to either be a hump the ‘Cats had to get over, or a disappointment.  One or the other.  If the Bobcats win tonight as they did Dec 16 at home, against Chicago, in Overtime!, they will break the 4 straight win plateau that has plagued them for a year.  They won 5 straight starting exactly a year ago yesterday.  Since then it’s been 3 to top out the streak.  I haven’t been to a game in weeks and I am just itching to see some live NBA basketball.  I truly dislike Chicago.  From Loul Deng, Kirk Heinrich, Ben Gordon and finally, Mrs. Basketball and chest pounding in College Ball, Joakim Noah.
 
Don’t get me wrong, Vinny Del Negro still rocking the mini-mullet gets me hyped up.  I want Derrick Rose to succeed just because I like good point guard play.  I loved them when MJ was there, but who didn’t?  I don’t like how they have stockpiled talent and high draft picks and still haven’t been able to do anything legit for the years since MJ.  I don’t like that their players are constantly debated in trade rumors then no one really significant gets traded (save Ben Wallace last year.  Speaking of….) I can’t believe some of the players they’ve tried to push as the face of their franchise.  Come on these uniforms won 6 championships in my formative years!  The greatest who ever played was drafted and player 95% of his career there.  I hope they come into town, intimidated because MJ might be there (he left early as did many of us in the last home game against Orlando), but more so intimidated by a team on a win streak, on the road, out west!
 
These Bobcats may have beaten 3 of the worst that the West has to offer but 2 of them were places they’d never, as a franchise, won at before.  Is this a new culture?  Have the ‘Cats turned the corner and are they making a B-Line for the playoffs?  (Like yesterday with “proof in the pudding” I need someone to fill me in on B-Line’s origin.)  Larry Brown has had 3/4 of a season and the entire summer league and preseason, with most of his “core.”  The rest of the main rotation guys have fallen into place and now, I want to see if they are ready for this.  When you read the national previews, it’s not about Chicago coming to see the hapless Bobcats or visiting Chicago’s favorite son in his awful new job, it’s about “Can these guys do it?  Can they make a run, a legit, 4th quarter of the season run into the playoffs?”  I can’t wait for tonight and as I hit send on this, we’re 45 minutes from tip off and itching to get inside that arena.  I hope I don’t return disappointed.
 
Hey Charlotte, get your spot while you can because we’re going to do something, starting tonight!  I mean, seriously, don’t you remember wearing headbands in the Barron Davis era?  Well get your mouth-guards ready!  Let’s go ‘Cats!