Bobcats fall to the Celtics in the season opener tonight 59-92.
1. It is often said that a good defense beats a good offense but tonight the Bobcats added a new wrinkle to that old chestnut: An ATROCIOUS OFFENSE will eventually infect your great defense and render it moot.
When five players who should be either THIRD or FOURTH OPTIONS play hot potato with the basketball for 24 seconds, NOTHING good can happen. Players who aren’t naturally turnover prone BECOME turnover prone and that is what happened to the Bobcats tonight. The Bobcats 18 turnovers don’t even tell the whole story. Bad or errant shots also lead to long rebounds, fast breaks and easy points for the opposing team and there were plenty of bad shots against the Celts. The ‘Cats went 23-74 from the field and shot 50% from the charity stripe. Everyone played horrible save for a few solid minutes from 2nd Rounder Derrick Brown and little-used center Nazr Mohammed. Yes, it was that bad.
2. BRIEFLY in Celtics news:
Paul Piece is awesome, Ray Allen is still the best shooter in the game, Garnett’s “INTENSE” Act is TIRED, and Rasheed Wallace has the easiest job of his entire career: Stand around the three point line and launch trifectas over the arms of smaller defenders. With Cleveland looking bad thus far, it’s gotta be Boston and Orlando as the top teams in the East without a doubt.
3. Remember how everyone was saying that Stephen Graham was the next “George Lynch?”
What they meant to say was that he was the next “David Lynch,” a surrealist who believes that just because he wears Michael Jordan’s number, he deserves as many offensive opportunities. Graham is a player who at most should be playing 5-8 minutes in spot defender duty. Tonight he played 29 minutes, taking 11 shots, making 2 and, as a “defensive-ace” is often to do, registered a whopping -33 plus/minus. He also started.
4. Remember how everyone was saying that D.J. Augustin should be the starting Point Guard?
Yeah, we’ve all said it and he looked like a starting PG tonight: A PG who should be starting for an Offensively-Disabled team. One point, four assists, 0-5 from the floor. Raymond-fanatics can take a little solace in the fact that Felton’s -1 plus/minus easily ousted D.J.’s -30 but that’s largely unfair because while Augustin was suffering on the court through the Celtics 3rd Quarter DEMOLITION, Raymond was enjoying a comparatively peaceful time in the locker-room having 15 stitches sewn into his mouth.
5. Was Larry Brown using this as a statement game?
Remember that this kind of thing happened last season too. Bobcats begin their season on the road in Cleveland and get blown out by the Cavs. They continue to start slow, Larry whines to the front office and eventually gets his wish for a roster overhaul and the team finishes strong. So as it is VERY clear that this team can’t score (and before you start with the “It’s only one game” rhetoric, I’ve watched a lot of basketball in my life and this monstrosity didn’t strike me as a “bad game” so much as it did “this team isn’t built properly”). I’m still optimistic about the season but Coach Brown is going to have to go into full persuasion-mode in order to bring in a FIRST OPTION like a Monta Ellis or whoever else is out there. Wonder if Bonnell still thinks that a healthy Iverson would’ve ruined the team?
Only one game, against a very good opponent. Nonetheless, I'm very, very concerned about this team.
What did Larry Brown whining really do last season? Is this team better off because of it? You got a bloated payroll and not good enough to make the playoffs. If you are not going to make the playoffs, be bad enough to have a good draft pick.
jesus. there were several teams in the league that had 59 points in the first half. OVER!!!!!
This was miserable outing for the team. I'm not sure what would heal the gaping offensive wound with the cats. Stevie Graham got a few too many shots up. Did anyone else notice how he travelled every time he caught the ball? I don't think the refs called it but he consistently catches a pass with an extra step.
The team passed the ball around like they were afraid of their Coach more than their opponent – who are a great team that took it easy.
The Hornets game was on at the same time so it was a good chance to see the comparison of Okafor and Chandler. Btw, the Cats could really use Chris Paul. Ray and DJ aren't even close.
Lastly, was there an "overrated" chant coming from the crowd when Gerald Wallace was at the line? Do people actually recognize a Bobcat? I think that's a victory that the team can take away from this game.
I agree that KG has gotten tired. I mean the whole "anything is possible" was a little to sportscenter cliche. What a douche and to think I argued with Coach Dove about KG. As for the 'Cats, maybe Tim Legler was right. Did I just say that? Where has Hersey Hawkins gone?
Mike- is it at all possible that the problem is that the team needs Graham, Felton, Lex, etc to play at such a high level when in reality they either can't play at that level or just aren't ready. I mean David Wesley if i remember correctly came off the bench and lit the Hornets up for like 45 and then he was a solid player for at least a couple seasons, not 1 player on that roster has had a breakout performance followed by a solid consistent showing. Unless you count consistently inconsistent but that doesn't count.
rich-
I understand your frustration but from a talent perspective, the team is better than it was 18 months ago. The problem is that they are maybe 4-6 games better but in borderline salary cap hell.
One proven scorer would do wonders for the team. Iverson would've been perfect but they passed for some unknown reason.
Hopefully the front office can negotiate a deal for a first option like Rip Hamilton or Monta Ellis.
One more thing:
Wouldn't the Grizzlies make an ideal trading partner for the 'Cats? Western conference bottom dwelling team that's way too offense heavy. Pretty much the antithesis of what the 'Cats have going.
Since the Grizz owner doesn't want to pay Rudy, wonder if the two teams could swing a Gerald Wallace for Rudy Gay swap? Maybe use Raja and Marko Jaric, Stackhouse or Iverson to even out the money.
mike, this should cheer you up .http://www.bobcatsbreak.com/?p=166
Insult to Injury:
Emeka Okafor 18pts, 10rbs on 8-14 shooting.
Tyson Chandler 0pts, 6rbs on 0-5 shooting.
That brutal loss gave the fans a lot of fuel for frustration. I think these comments provide a great outlet for venting, and there is plenty of that to go around.
While MJ and Bob Johnson have been MIA during the off-season, everyone put faith in Larry Brown to make this team work. It was great to hear him take the responsibility of putting such an inept team out on the court of Garden. It really does fall on the Coach when it's this bad.
Remember that nearly all of this team has been acquired by LB's requests. He can't pretend that he ever expected the ownership to pay the dollar-per-dollar luxury tax on anyone else, so this is the team that he must have planned. This was Brown's bed and he's got to sleep in it. Let's see how this "Play The Right Way" thing takes off. Last night was the worst imitation of Pro Basketball I've ever seen.
In perspective, I'm ready to give Bob Johnson some slack. Yes, he is a pretty lame owner and he started the club in the worst way. But, this guy has shelled out about $70 million dollars this year for a team of players that couldn't muster 60 points in a full game of basketball. The Sting would have gone out there and played the Celtics for way less than that.
1) "it(really)is only one game."
2) the celtics are awesome.
3) Bell & Murray were both missing.
4) The cats were looking okay until Raymond went down.
5) #3 & #4 means that the cats were missing 3 out of 4 of their best guards during the atrocious stretch from late 2nd through the 3rd.
6) Monta Ellis was -12 plus/minus for GS yesterday.
7) Things can not get worse than last night so it will surely improve.
It’s only one game.
Everybody needs to chill out. The Cats have 81 games left and I am sure they will play a lot better.
We never needed chandler did you see okafor play he scored more points than the bobcats third quarter !
We need a new front office but Larry Brown can stay im starting to think its Micheal Jordan. MJ messed up the Washington Wizards to that tells you something.
I thought Gerald Henderson and Derrick Brown played well for their first real NBA action. The rest of the team however….ouch.
i think we (as fans) are overreacting a bit.
it was freaking Boston. borderline NBA Live STACKED caliber, and we are the (should be) resurging bobcats. a team with more problems than Whitney Houson, Kanye West, and Brittney Spears combined.
so yea, it was an ugly game. but i dont think this was a foreshadow to anything. we will start slow and end strong. lets see how Tyson does after he gets back in rythym and has some LB teaching on offense.
The only thing worse than scoring 31 points in a half… is scoring 28 in a half. Hey they out sucked themselves in one night!
Could have used a little bit of AI's scoring, wouldnt ya say?
I know this is a little late, but I just read that AI comment. WHAT? Yea AI is exactly what that team needed last night because they still had a tiny shred of effort and chemistry. He would have made sure that didn't last long.
if chemistry means scoring 59 points than ya. and AI is the definition of effort.
John-
Couldn't have said it any better myself.
ahhh.. my bad. here it is:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId…