CELTICS 101  BOBCATS 78

There’s a point in nearly every television documentary about popular bands or sports story where the group hits “rock bottom.” Last night’s defeat to the Boston Celtics reserves may be that point for the Charlotte Bobcats. While their home arena was filled with green shirts, only the most devoted Bobcats filled the remaining seats. The “casual fans” were at home watching a broadcast called the Final Four.

The Bobcats had no intention of winning the local support of college basketball fanatics. Actually, they helped support the old argument that college kids play with more “passion” and intensity. For Charlotte area basketball fans, the Pro-versus-College debate could have possibly been solved had their favorite UNC Tar Heels not played so poorly in their loss to Kansas. Though both teams were delivered big losses, the Charlotte Bobcats lost to a Celtics line up that featured no stars.

For the Boston Celtics, Saturday’s game reinforced their dominant position in the league. They finished with a huge margin of victory without playing Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, or Ray Allen. Meanwhile, the Bobcats look to be on track for their first regression in their franchise records. In most pre-season estimates, those who saw the Bobcats finishing in the low-30 wins range believed that it would be due to a rising strength of teams in the East. Well, the East didn’t get much better. Chicago disappointed, the Heat fell apart, and Atlanta won the games that Charlotte should have won. In an optimistic view, the loss to Boston should be seen as the lowest point for the franchise as it finishes the 2007-08 season. In a retrospective documentary the Bobcats would turn things around with a few strategic changes to go on to accomplish some level of success as a franchise.

Note: The recent success of the Davidson Wildcats in the NCAA tournament brought a lot of attention to Stephen Curry and his great scoring abilities. His shot is reminiscent of his father’s near flawless form. Dell Curry was incredibly consistent as a long distance shooter and a fan favorite for Charlotte basketball fans. So desperate to put faith in another shooter, Charlotte fans began to sport the jersey of Matt Carroll. Perhaps they cheer so loudly because he’s the latest Great White Hope with Morrison injured. Still, no one can overlook the multiple slump periods that have hit Carroll this season. After signing a long term contract before the season, it looks like the Bobcats are stuck with an inconsistent shooter.