Charlotte
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Charlotte Bobcats have concluded their franchise's first-ever preseason with a four-point margin of victory over division rivals the Atlanta Hawks, beating them 93-89. They survived a 31-pount outburst by Antoine Walker and a 17-point contribution by Al Harrington to win with a very balanced scoring attack: while no Bobcat scored more than 15 points, there were five Bobcats in double-figures. The Bobcats won on the back of their passing (24 assists vs. 18 for the Hawks) and defense (10 steals and 4 blocks vs. 5 steals and 3 blocks).
No Bobcat played more than 28 minutes while Atlanta seemed to be a lot more focused on getting minutes to its stars. Walker and Harrington combined for 84 minutes. Charlotte won every quarter except the fourth where they scored just two points less than the Hawks.
Steve Smith logged the most minutes for Charlotte, going for 28 minutes. The 35-year-old, 13-year veteran schooled 18-year-old Hawks rookie Josh Smith by making three straight jumpers coming off of screens, and then going back on defense to block the rookie's shot.
NEXT GAME
Charlotte (3-4 in the preseason) are ready and waiting to start their inaugural season. They will face the Washington Wizards (3-4 in the preseason, one game remaining), who were responsible for two-thirds of Charlotte's preseason losses. The first ever regular season game for the Charlotte Bobcats is next Thursday, November 4th, at 7:00pm Eastern. The game will be broadcast locally on C-SET and nationally on NBA League Pass.
TEAM NOTES
Head coach/GM Bernie Bickerstaff says he is still trying to sign Gerald Wallace. He has only a couple of days left to do so. If the two can't agree on a long-term deal, Wallace becomes a restricted free agent after the season.
INJURY UPDATE
Jamal Sampson(recovering from dental surgery) has missed the last two exhibition games.
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: Charlotte Bobcats coach-general manager Bernie Bickerstaff continues discussions with Gerald Wallace's agent, hoping the guard will sign a contract extension.Bickerstaff said he spoke with agent Rob Pelinka on Wednesday and while there's no deal yet, he isn't discouraged about getting something done by a Sunday deadline.
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: It's been a virtual chant for Bernie Bickerstaff: "Time and situation ... time and situation" he'd call out at practice, at timeouts and in just about any late-game situation.This week, "time and situation" registered on Bickerstaff's Charlotte Bobcats. They won their last two exhibitions, managing leads by working the clock, reaching the foul line and out-thinking the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks. Wednesday they wrapped up preseason with a 93-89 victory against the Hawks. That made them 3-5 in exhibitions and left Bickerstaff believing they can now finish games when the real season starts Nov. 4 against Washington.
Scott Ostler ofThe San Francisco Chroniclewrites: Incidentally, the NBA has informed the Charlotte Bobcats that Primoz Brezec cannot be sold without a prescription.
The Associated Press writes inThe Charlotte Observer: Charlotte guard Gerald Wallace was ejected for picking up two technical fouls in the third quarter.The first came when Wallace tussled with Harrington on a held ball. The second came two minutes later when Wallace taunted Harrington after blocking his shot.