Minnesota Timberwolves at Charlotte Bobcats 4/8

[ziggy]

With the T-Wolves in town tonight, this is a good opportunity to christen the newly named Time Warner Cable Arena with a win. ( If you're looking for a nickname for the new arena, I think that The Cable Box (http://www.bobcatsplanet.com/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,70/topic,5666.0) is the current favorite) :)

You can view tonight's game on Fox Sports South :rock:

Guys, this is a win tonight, Right, Right,RIGHT? Bueller... Bueller... Bueller.

[Dead_Real]

Yep it's likely we'll get a W tonight I'm pretty sure our guys want to come out focused and make up for that subpar outing Saturday night.

Watching a Hi-Def broadcast Bobcats game for a change will be greatness as well.

[ammofan]

YES WE WILL WIN TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!

[CMc$]

My Fox Sports South is the Best Damn Show . . . . Not the Bobcats game.

SportsSouth is a show on Joe Johnson.

Is this just the Charlotte area seeing these games on FSN South?

[ohara831]

My Fox Sports South is the Best Damn Show . . . . Not the Bobcats game.

SportsSouth is a show on Joe Johnson.

Is this just the Charlotte area seeing these games on FSN South?
__________________________________________________

Same with me here in the Upstate of SC! The Braves play on SportsSouth tonight later. What the heck is going on?

[Dead_Real]

I'm in Raleigh and the game is on my FSN channel

[BIGCatBobcat]

Well I'm quite happy so far. the T-Wolves are hapless. Did you realize we are 10-10 since McInnis was released? FSN is good for several reasons, not the least of which is we don't have to put up with Best Damn everynight now.

[MattD]

huh, sorry guys, upper sc should be getting this game... sports south is another one, its channel 70 something i believe. Ours is running joe johnson too.

we are handling them

can we go undefeated in the cable box this season? I think its very likely.

[MattD]

nazr got taken out. makes sense as he was leading us in scoring, assists, and rebounds. damn you sammy

[MattD]

ah yes, naturally with one shot left Ray takes it himself from the top of the key...

[Dead_Real]

Our lead 32-17 going into the second quarter.

[CMc$]

My Fox Sports South is the Best Damn Show . . . . Not the Bobcats game.

SportsSouth is a show on Joe Johnson.

Is this just the Charlotte area seeing these games on FSN South?
__________________________________________________

Same with me here in the Upstate of SC! The Braves play on SportsSouth tonight later. What the heck is going on?


I'm upstate too. Spartanburg to be precise. If I look in my TiVo guide channel 27 is listed as FSN South - Western NC. So in my eyes that is even worse. I guess we're getting Asheville's FSN region, which I would think would still be Bobcats' market.

Why can't FSN South be FSN South? I was excited about watching games on a regular basis. Maybe they'll phase us in for next season, who knows? I doubt it.

This region of SC (which was crazy about the Hornets) will still be oblivious about the Bobcats. We can't watch them on TV . . . still.

[MattD]

nazr is showing what hes got. beasta!

[Dead_Real]

I guess at Half time they are going to go over the break down on where you can view the games if your not in Charlotte or Raleigh if they do I'll make sure to post it.

[ohara831]

Well, I should get the SportsSouth games they show when the Braves are not on. But the Fox Sports South is just screwing us over here in the Upstate. Damn, I'm only 1 hr from Charlotte, and the damn team wont show any love. You know, I get several of the Hawks games on SportsSouth during the Season. I wonder if the Upstate is getting thrown to the Hawks? Hell, thay are 2.5 hours away, 2x as far as Charlotte. Why the heck is going on? Do they want us Upstate Bobcat fans to be Hawk fans? Sure seems like it.

[Dead_Real]

Well Fred Whitfield didn't say much that we already didn't know basically that fans in North & South Carolina would get all of the Bobcats games on FSN South and some on their sister network Sports South.

[ohara831]

He's a damn liar as far as the Upstate of SC is concerned. He should get his facts straight before speaking and getting our hopes up!

[MattD]

well maybe its just a getting adjusted thing, there could have been just as many pissed off braves fans, just wait until they get the schedule all figured out.

[Dead_Real]

MattD your in Raleigh or Charlotte?

[MattD]

charlotte-- in the city

but damn our third quarter breakdown really is a talent... aruhhghgsldhf

[MattD]

return of the dual point guards

[CMc$]

I know the season is in the toilet, but its still funny that only about 4 of us are posting about the game/being able to watch it/etc.

I guess when Whitfield said SC he meant Rock Hill and thats it. Or maybe we'll get a select portion.

The weird thing is . . . is that I can understand if tonight's game was scheduled for SportsSouth, not having it on, because of the Braves, but tonight's game is FSN South which at the last time I checked was a special documentary on some boxer that looks like it was made 15 years ago. That lends me to think that they'll be no Bobcat love going on from Gaffney down to Spartanburg down to Greenville.

I would also assume that lots of Western NC is going without televised Bobcats games if we are. from probably due west of Hickory.

Can anyone else who is watching the game update us on where you're watching? I'm just curious.

[CMc$]

charlotte-- in the city

but damn our third quarter breakdown really is a talent... aruhhghgsldhf


They should have a special promotion for every home game. The 3rd quarter is The Biscuit Breakdown. They pick a section in the arena and if the Bobcats score less than 15 everyone in that section gets a free biscuit.

Trouble is, over the course of a season, that would be alot of biscuits.

[BIGCatBobcat]

Matt looks good Nazr looks good, of course JRich looks good. Mek looked ok, Ray is depressed or something. I would be too if I had to play out of position with a midget running the point. Seriously Sam don't screw us in this game as well as the next by playing too many guys too long. Sounds impossible but somehow he does it. Othella, DA, seriously fellas, did you not get the non-tanking memo? Even if you do sit out we arent going to lose automatically. Get off your ass and let the starters get some rest.

[BIGCatBobcat]

that might have been too harsh. You never know how hurt these guys really are. But could someone take DA to buy a new suit?

[MattD]

my fucking god! make your free throws!!!!!!!!

[MattD]

if we lose this game... it will be all rays fault. Doing too much and taking a bad shot, then missing two freethrows

[Dead_Real]

Damn Minny has a chance to take the lead Felts pulled a Memphis Tigers in OT right there :mad:

[Dead_Real]

LMAO I can't believe he threw it out.

[MattD]

seriously... we dont deserve this game. whatevs. damn lucky. all they had to do was pass it to jefferson on the block, either a foul or a layup

[CMc$]

I'm following the game through the nba.com live updater. Now that's entertainment folks.

Was there any defense at all tonight? Freaking ubelievable score for Minn. vs. Charlotte.

[Dead_Real]

Closer game than I expected with how we looked in the first I thought this would end up being a blowout but reguardless a W is a W Rich was on fire.

[CMc$]

Closer game than I expected with how we looked in the first I thought this would end up being a blowout but reguardless a W is a W Rich was on fire.




The other night on NBA shootaround (i think that's what it was), Stephen A Smith showed his true "im an idiot" colors by saying not one, but two great things.

1) J Rich has been a bust in Charlotte. He hasn't done a thing.
2) Sam Vincent needs another year. It's too soon. Get him some better personnel and he'll be fine.

I've been meaning to post these gems for since last Friday but I kept forgetting.

[Dead_Real]

Closer game than I expected with how we looked in the first I thought this would end up being a blowout but reguardless a W is a W Rich was on fire.




The other night on NBA shootaround (i think that's what it was), Stephen A Smith showed his true "im an idiot" colors by saying not one, but two great things.

1) J Rich has been a bust in Charlotte. He hasn't done a thing.
2) Sam Vincent needs another year. It's too soon. Get him some better personnel and he'll be fine.

I've been meaning to post these gems for since last Friday but I kept forgetting.

seriously called him a bust for our team? why am I not surprised Smith is a fucking idiot.

[ohara831]

I saw that Smith comment. I did not hear the "bust" part, but I did hear him say "what good did it do?" which is essentially very similar to saying it was a bust. He said we needed to get J-Rich better talent around him, which is true. The one correct thing he has said about Charlotte.

Ray and CDR went to the same school of FT shooting. What a turd for missing them both. I bet he was crapping his pants after that.

How did Foye turn it over at the end? Was it good Defense by us, miscommunication from a fellow Timberwolve, or did Foye just screw up?

[Dead_Real]

Ohara bad pass from Foye tried a wrap around pass to his teammate who wasn't paying attention and the ball just went out of bounds.

[MattD]

foye just threw it out of bounds on a bad pass... lucky. I talked to Stephen A. earlier this year, he basically hates anything the bobcats do, from the nazr trade to the jrich trade, to loving sam vincent so I wouldnt worry about it.

Most of MJ's moves have seemed to be okay even if Smith trashes them

[ohara831]

Smith has hated MJ because of all the years he destroyed his beloved Knicks when he played with the Bulls. I got news for him. Now, we're gonna start destroying his Knicks as Bobcats!

[ziggy]

We stole that one.
We survived a goofy off balance jumpshot with about a minute to go by Ray. We survived 2 gagged free throws and we somehow survived a 40/10 night from Al Jefferson. I don't feel all that good about this win, but I'll certainly take it.

CMC$ - I watched the game on FSN cable channel 40 tonight here in the Charlotte area. It was on that channel even though the guide showed that something else was going to be on.

[ohara831]

Ziggy: Here in the Upstate of SC, our cable provider is Charter Communications. CH 40 is Disney and my soon to be 8 yr old daughter watches that for her Hannah Montana fix each day. for us, Fox Sports South is CH 27 and SportsSouth is 61.

I'm just getting a very bad feeling that this deal does not include SC for Fox Sports South. Hopefully we get it on SportsSouth tomorrow evenings game. But if the Bobcats are trying to run off their SC fans, they figured a way to piss us off.

I wrote Michael a letter on the BobcatsReport site and hopefully he will read it. I want to know why the organization is saying SC will get these games and then we did not. I mean, we are only 1 hr from Charlotte and we are 2.5 from Atlanta. But for the past few yrs, those 2 channels have been linked to the Hawks, Braves and Thrashers. I'm fearful that SC may be being sacrificed to the Atlanta teams, which to me is completely stupid of the Bobcats to agree to in any deals. They are cutting out a very large market if they do something like that.

[TheBeagle]

I'm following the game through the nba.com live updater. Now that's entertainment folks.

Was there any defense at all tonight? Freaking ubelievable score for Minn. vs. Charlotte.
No. No defense. I was in Keetch-seats so I got a good view of everything happening down on the Bobcats bench end, and there was no defense. There was some hustle, I'll give them that, but no defense, aside from a Ryan Hollins block in the 2nd quarter, coming over from the weak side. Yes, a win is a win, but the T'Wolves were begging to be blown out during the 1st half, but due to lack of focus, good rotations, it didn't happen, and that seemed to fire them up after the half somewhat. Looks like even Whitman is better at halftime adjustments than "coach." Best moment of the game from my vantage point was Ford and Mokeski storming off to the tunnel after Jefferson's wide open miss at the end; I swear from the look of disgust, the shaking of their heads, and the speed at which they marched to the tunnel, all because the D screwed up so badly to give Al such an open look, you'd've thought he made the shot....that was classic!

Another funny moment was Gerald and DA giving Matt hell for bobbling JRich's crosscourt pass for a potential open three before losing it out of bounds.

Another interesting tidbit, Ford, on at least two occassions, had to remind "coach" to make subs at different situation. "Coach" stands at half court and Ford yells out "hey" and points to Emeka, and "coach" looks like 'oh, yeah', and motions for Mek to check on for an offense/defense sub late in the game. Hell, that makes me wonder what our record would be without Phil on the sidelines.

Also, I got to catch "coach" kissing ass. After the end of the 1st quarter, after the TWC rep, and the FSN South rep addressed the crowd(who were very loud in giving them applause, which I was impressed with) at center court, they and Whitfield went towards the Bobcats tunnel, and "coach" with clipboard still in hand, goes over to all three of them and shakes their hands, and said a quick word to them. That was both funny and pitiful....I mean, he knows his job is in jeopardy, so he's doing whatever he can to get in the good graces is what it appeared to me.

Overall, the guys seem to have really really good camraderie, joking with each other, especially GW and DA. Even Mek made it a point to go over to all guys coming over to the bench for a timeout, when he was not in the lineup and giving them fives and pats on the head. Maybe Mek has made a decision already about his future, and he's finally found some peace on the court.....i dunno, but the body language is much improved from say, 2 weeks ago or so.

All in all, surprisingly good turn out, maybe even shockingly so for a random Tuesday night game against a team that has no real appeal to the average fan (watching Big Al go off for 40 was a treat though....thankfullly not 42), and with the Bobcats eliminated from the playoffs. I don't know what the paid attendance was, but it looked like a good 13K or so showed up. I was really expecting the lowest attendance of the season, but they showed up and were loud, enthusiastic, and saw the first win in TWC Arena.

[timang]

this is a case of "they lost the game" and not a we "won the game". am i right or am i mistaken? ???



still a win though :)

[Muttley]

Even Mek made it a point to go over to all guys coming over to the bench for a timeout, when he was not in the lineup and giving them fives and pats on the head. Maybe Mek has made a decision already about his future, and he's finally found some peace on the court.....i dunno, but the body language is much improved from say, 2 weeks ago or so.


Having noticed Mek's occasional stadoffishness (yeah, that's a word), I wonder if he had previously confused some players' compliance (ie- Raymond) with "Coach" as agreement that that's the way things should be run. I'd think that Mek's smarter than that, and maybe it just took him a while to turn around. Then again, maybe he just had his mind wrapped up in some other personal stuff. One thing's for sure, though, that slam and move Mek made at the end of the first half shows that something's changed. He wasn't doing anything that aggressively a few weeks ago. I hope new-Mek stays around for a while.

[Muttley]

From ESPN's recap of the game (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=3337004):


After Foye's turnover, Matt Carroll, who scored 22 points, hit his first free throw, but Vincent told him to intentionally miss the second with 1 second left.

The Timberwolves quickly got the rebound and a timeout with 0.7 seconds left.

"I was a little nervous doing it, but it worked," Carroll said. "I was surprised only three-tenths of a second went off."


We could have been up by 3 instead of 2 and he tells him to intentionally miss it? Someone explain how you don't just play it safe with the free throw, then just deny the 3 pointer.

No wonder that shot went so far right. (I think Matt should have hit the FT and then acted like he meant to miss it, but failed.)

[TheBeagle]

From ESPN's recap of the game (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=3337004):


After Foye's turnover, Matt Carroll, who scored 22 points, hit his first free throw, but Vincent told him to intentionally miss the second with 1 second left.

The Timberwolves quickly got the rebound and a timeout with 0.7 seconds left.

"I was a little nervous doing it, but it worked," Carroll said. "I was surprised only three-tenths of a second went off."


We could have been up by 3 instead of 2 and he tells him to intentionally miss it? Someone explain how you don't just play it safe with the free throw, then just deny the 3 pointer.

No wonder that shot went so far right. (I think Matt should have hit the FT and then acted like he meant to miss it, but failed.)
Yeah, Muttley; I left that out; that was definitely a set play. "Coach" called Raymond over, and Raymond went to Matt at the line and told him, and Matt had this quizical look on his face and I could read his lips saying, "I'll try it. I'll try it." I can see the thinking behind, and I agree more than 3/10s should've gone off, but I'm like you, why take the chance when you can get a 3 point lead and deny the 3 point line with 1 second left?

[Dunk]

From where I was sitting, it looked like J-Rich and Felton said something to Carroll and couple of times before and after he dropped that pass. Was he not running the right play or something? It looked to be a bit animated and Matt didn't seem pleased. I couldn't tell what was up.