Bobcats Charlotte Bobcats @ Cleveland 10/31/09
More of the same tonight at the Q as the Charlotte Bobcats follow up a solid first half effort with only 13 third quarter points and lose to the Cavs 90-79. Box score here.
1. Find somebody who can score by December 1st and the Bobcats make the Playoffs
The Bobcats played very well in the first half, negating Lebron James and held Cleveland to just 45 points per half. In the second half, Lebron, Mo Williams and Delonte “Have You Seen This Boy?” West got hot and the Bobcats started playing Hot Potato again, unsure as to who should be shooting the ball and when. This has to stop in order for the Bobcats to be taken seriously. Charlotte did a great job of forcing turnovers (17) but committed just as many themselves by taking errant shots or passing the ball two or three too many times. Cleveland’s Mo Williams led the way for the Cavs with 24 points (including 5-8 from downtown) while the ‘Cats were lead by Vladimir Radmanovic off the bench. He scored 12 points.
The Bobcats had a very good chance of stealing this game in the third quarter when both teams started slow and if they’d had someone whom they could have gone to consistently for offense they probably would have. I’m starting a list right now of scorers who could be available to help now. Thus far: Rip Hamilton, Monta Ellis, Michael Redd. Please send me anymore that you could think of.
2. Silver Linings?
Gerald Henderson played well tonight. He played 18 minutes and guarded Anthony Parker and Delonte tight on defense but his best play was during a second quarter Cleveland fast break when the rookie raced down the court and pulled a ’05-’07 era Gerald Wallace monster stuff on 6’9″ J.J. Hickson. The Sequel came out of nowhere and just threw it back. Play of the game for the Bobcats. Henderson’s shot selection was mixed (went 2-4 from downtown but 1-4 from in close) but he finished with 11pts and 3rbs. Not a bad third game in the NBA.
After a shaky start, the Radman finally resurfaced as Vlade dropped 2 of 3 from beyond the arc and played his sneaky good defense mostly against Anderson Varejao. Speaking of Varejao, the Cleveland broadcast color man calls him “Andy” but does so in such a voice that he basically mimics Morgan Freeman’s “Redd” character from The Shawshank Redemption. I kept waiting for him to go all sentimental and reflective, “My friend Andy never had the most skill or the most athleticism but devil-be-damned he hustled and that’s what kept him in the League.”
3. On Second Thought, Maybe Raymond Isn’t The Man
After two quality starts to begin the season, Raymond struggled against the Cavs turning the ball over 8 times against just three assists and the team played visibly better when D.J. Augustin came in and took over late in the third and into the final frame. I’m not “hating” here. If Raymond could develop a consistent three pointer, he’d be every bit as good as Mo Williams, especially if he was on a team like the Cavs. For the time being however, the lack of respect the opposing teams have for his jumper makes him a liability in the half-court set.
IN CONCLUSION:
Nothing new here. Bobcats play comparatively stellar Defense but can’t score on offense which leads to turnovers which leads to easy buckets by the other team which leads to Charlotte being forced to shoot itself back into the game which is something that they are currently not configured to do.
Cross your fingers Bobcats fans, let’s hope that MJ and Ron Higgidy Higgins got the memo and are working on bringing in reinforcements before it’s too late.
Next up is Brook Lopez and the Nets at the Cable Box on Monday night. Dr E will tweet you there.