Charlotte
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
The Charlotte Bobcats dropped their ninth game in a row, losing 97-92to the Boston Celtics last night. The superstars from both teams exploded late in the game: Emeka Okafor, scoreless in the first half and often timid because of early foul trouble on the defensive end, corralled a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds and also had a game-high five blocks to power the Bobcats on both ends of the floor, but Paul "Fourth-Quarter" Pierce scored 14 of his game-high 33 points in the final period, mainly on free throws, to ice the game.
Jason Hart led all players with 10 assists, ably replacing the injured Brevin Knight in the starting lineup. Keith Bogans sparked the team with his scoring off the bench, notching 12 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and one absolutely spectacular weak-side put back of a missed free throw, in just 20 minutes of action. Primoz Brezec was two rebounds shy of a double-double with some impressive jump-shooting from about 12 feet on either baseline. Brezec's former European teammate and current Celtic Jiri Welsch, meanwhile, played just 11 minutes and scored just 5 points.
Gerald Wallace had much of the duty guarding Pierce, though head coach Bernie Bickerstaff did mix it up a lot at that position. In addition to Bogans, he also deployed Jason Kapono for some duty. Everyone seemed to think that the best way to defend Pierce is to outscore him. Combined, Bogans, Kapono, and Wallace scored 28 points in 62 total minutes of action (obviously there was overlap). Pierce scored 33.
Steve Smith perhaps could have been a more wily veteran stopper but Bickerstaff did not call his number the whole game, probably to give him some time off to recover as he was only recently activated from the injured list and played just six minutes in their previous game on Sunday.
NEXT GAME
The Bobcats (8-30, fourth in the Southeast, still a half game above Atlanta) travel to take on the league's hottest team, the Chicago Bulls (21-19, third in the Central), who are riding a four-game winning streak and are above .500 for the first time since 1998. The Bobcats desperately need a win if they are to avoid a 10-game losing streak. The game is slated for Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 8:30pm Eastern. The game will be broadcast on C-SET and NBA League Pass.
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INJURY UPDATE
Jahidi White(shoulder), Theron Smith(knee),Tamar Slay (foot) are all parked on the injured list.Brevin Knight(ankle) did not play in last night's game.
Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press writes inThe Bradenton Herald: Things got testy between the Bobcats midway through the second quarter when Hart spent much of a timeout yelling at Brezec.When Hart wouldn't calm down, coach Bernie Bickerstaff tried to restore order. "I'll tell you what you're going to do," he said to Hart. "You go sit over there and argue." Hart somehow sweet-talked his way out of trouble, and he and Brezec both returned to the game. "That was the most selfish basketball game that this team has played," Bickerstaff said. "Everything that happened, we responded personally. Guys were open, and we were concerned about ourselves as individuals." Hart was not available for comment after the game, and Brezec blew off the argument. "We're good, that happens," Brezec said. "Some of that stuff is positive. We just can't sit on the bench and pretend everything is all right."
Paul Nowell of The Associated Press writes inPhillyBurbs.com: Time is running out before the city's new NBA arena opens its doors, and the Charlotte Bobcats have yet to reach a deal with a corporate sponsor that wants to slap its name on the $260 million sports and entertainment complex.With nine months remaining before the lights are switched on, a naming rights deal has not materialized - something that must weigh on the mind of Bobcats owner Bob Johnson, who as the founder of Black Entertainment Television developed a reputation as a marketing whiz.
Rick Bonnell ofThe Charlotte Observerwrites: The Charlotte Bobcats are fundamentally flawed right now because their fundamentals are loaded with flaws.You don't break an eight-game losing streak by making two of eight free throws in the fourth quarter. Or by giving up four straight offensive rebounds to allow the Boston Celtics a possession of nearly a minute. Or with one teammate shouting at another throughout a timeout. All that described the Bobcats on Tuesday night as they bumbled their way through a 97-92 loss to the Boston Celtics. This was their ninth straight loss, and the most troubling.