Charlotte Bobcats vs. Sacramento 1/18/10

Bobcats squeak past a pesky Kings squad at the Cable Box to notch their eighth straight home victory and fifth straight overall.  The team is a game over .500 in mid-January.  Final Score: 105-103  Boxscore here.

Running Diary Recap:

First half can be summed up simply as: Gerald Wallace.
19 points on 5-9 with 9-9 from the charity stripe.  Two blocks, three boards and a steal.  Bobcats up by twenty plus points for most of the half.  Damn.  If Crash isn’t an All-Star this season, then the All-Star game is a joke.*
(*Insert Bill Walton Voice for emphasis)

As some of you may have deciphered from my PF trade column yesterday, I’m not a big fan of Tyson Chandler.  Why even bring him back?  NaGana Diophammed is a nice little Under-The-Radar platoon.  No reason to ruin a good thing.

Anybody realize that Paul Westphal is coaching the Kings?  What?  Were Bill Fitch and Dick Versace booked?

Classic Boris Diaw sequence between 5:30-5:00 in the 2nd quarter:

1. Slow on weak side switch, lazily fouls Kevin Martin for an And 1.  (Should have clobbered him Anthony Mason-style or at least Kurt Thomas-style)
2. Martin misses the freebie, Felton finds Diaw on the perimeter during the resulting fast break: Three Point Swish.
3. Boris out position as the Kings push the ball the length of the court, offensive rebound Sacramento.
4. Boris replaced by Derrick Brown.

Brown, btw, was spectacular in the first half.  7 points in 6 minutes and two of those came on a rad Everybody Loves Raymond assisted Phi Slamma Jamma.

2nd QTR, Raymond has 8 assists in the first half.  Is he winning me over?  In reggie language, “methinks he is.”

Also early in the second, DJ nails a long two after the ball loops around the rim and finally drops.  Steve Martin and DC4THREEEEEE! wax nostalgic about how WarDell never needed these new soft Spalding rims to knock down shots.  I get as misty-eyed as Ron Green, Sr. at an Arnold Palmer/Andy Griffith Charity BBQ.

FINAL SECONDS, 2nd QTR, Spencer Hawes with a throwdown putback to send the game into halftime.  I finally figured out why I keep thinking “Spencer Hawes” is a professional wrestler:

• a. He looks like some local dude that works dark matches when the WWE tours through the midwest.  All he’s missing is some “tribal” tattoos** criss-crossing his rhomboids down to his wrists.  **BONUS NOTE: I was just informed recently by a good friend that this style of tattoo is affectionately known as a “Turd Jacket” amongst the serious Ink community.
• b. The name “Hawes” sounds a lot like “Hoss” which, of course, is one of Jim Ross’s favorite descriptors of large human beings.  “Oh my gawd King, that hoss Spencer Hawes just Turd Jacketed Jon Brockman right onto his spine!!!“

3RD QTR, Tyreke Evans at 6’6″ is just unfair.  If he and Derrick Rose are the future at PG, then the Bobcats need to unload Augustin right now.  Immediately.  Take anything for him.  Anything.  Even a Turd Jacketed Jon Brockman.

3RD QTR, Stephen Jackson a non-factor thus far with 2 minutes to go in the third with four fouls and nine points.  Sacramento goes on a 14-0 run.  Strangely, for the first time in franchise history, I’m absolutely not in the least bit nervous at this.  Bobcats have turned into one of those good teams that’ll toy with you at home.  I like it!

And just like that, the run is broken up by a MONSTER Derrick Brown MAN-DUNK to take us into the 4th.

Bobcats playing their third game in 72 hours by the way.  AND THEY’RE STILL TRAPPING like an obsessed college team making a run into the Sweet Sixteen.  Wow.  Nice effort.

Oh crap.  7:29 LEFT IN THE GAME and Gerald is down, staring at his ankle.  Not good.   Andreas Nocioni just pulls a Tully Blanchard by stepping on Crash’s heel and then nails a three that cuts the Bobcats lead to ten.  Ouch.  Then nails another one a minute later to cut it to three.  Tyreke cuts it to one and I’m catching up on my nervousness at light speed.  How important is Gerald Wallace to this team?  You’re seeing it right now.

4:30 to go in the fourth, Gerald Wallace back from the locker room and Raymond nails a three.  Udrih fires back with a long two–that’s later deemed a three.  What happened to the 24 point cushion?  What’s the deal with the King’s and massive comebacks?

3:02, Crazy series ending with a Stephen Jackson fast break “Goal-tended” hoop that has Westphal acting like Bobby Heenan on the sidelines (I promise that will be the last 80s wrestling reference in this 2010 NBA game recap).  Meanwhile, Dell Curry is insisting that this is the time of the game when Raymond Felton wants the ball in his hands.  I’m more than a little scared.

2:00 – 1:12, Jon Brockman screws up Every Which Way But Loose (then again, he did get Turd Jacketed in the spine) culminating in a offensive goal-tend.  Raymond comes through with a huge running layup after JAX whiffs on an easy basket and the Cats are up by four.

:24, Tyreke with a sweet sweep to the hoop for his 34th point.  What’s this guy’s ceiling?  Durant?  Lebron???

FINAL SCORE: 105-103. Raymond came through.  I’m going to reserve comment on this.  For now.

Enjoy the win Bobcats Fans.

-ASChin