Detroit Pistons at Charlotte Bobcats 12/13

[ziggy]

Drive by game thread here guys...

I'm actually posting this from a birthday party at Monkey Joe's. Oh Joy.

Diaw, Bell, Singletary (not former Bear Mike) and Howard (unfortunately not Dwight) will be available for the Bobcats tonight.

Are we going to get a win?

If you'd like to spy on the enemy, check out these two blogs
http://www.need4sheed.com
&
http://www.detroitbadboys.com

... back to the party :hypo:

[G-Force for MVP]

the cats need a win badly i hope tonight they get it. also i hope all the new guys play well together.

Go Cats!!!

[Ampsportsduo]

Since I'm bored at work... here's a lil something to compliment the drive by...

Two teams shaken up by major trades face off tonight in at the Cable Box. Bobcats fans are hoping the additions of Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, and Sean SIngletary will prove to be the more beneficial of the two trades, as Detroit has not enjoyed the success they'd hoped for since they traded Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson.

The Pistons enjoy an 11-4 advantage all-time against the Cats, including the last five times the teams have faced. the Cats have not triumphed over Detroit in Charlotte, since 2006 when Nazr Mohammed was the starting center for the Pistons. The Bocats were led by Emeka's 18 points and Sean May scored 17 off the bench, going 7-10 from the field.

Detroit comes in with a record of 12-9, but having lost six of their last ten and four of their last five on the road. They're on the back half of a back-to-back, snapping a three game losing streak in a win over the Pacers last night in Auburn Hills. Richard Hamilton has been the leading scorer in the past two games for the Pistons, posting 29 and 28 points. On the flip side, Allen Iverson has been held below 20 points for the last ten games, the longest streak of his career.

The Pistons look different than the last time the Cats saw them. Coach Michael Curry has been trying to forge a new identity for the team, and has turned to a three-guard lineup that features Hamilton, Iverson, and young stud Rodney Stuckey playing on the floor together. This has forced Tayshaun Prince to the PF position and he's been struggling to adjust, scoring just six and eight in their last two games.

For the Bobcats, the three new additions from the JRich trade will be in unform tonight, as well as Gerald Wallace, who returns from leave following the passing of his grandmother. Veteran forward Juwan Howard should also be on the bench tonight.

And this one is being broacast on SportSouth in HD!

[TheBeagle]

Shall be there in a much better mood than last week's game. Not expecting a win at all, but look forward to the game nonetheless if not to see a more competitive game than last time against the Pistons, than at least to see the new "toys."

As long as the Bobcats fan outnumber the usual Pistons riff raff that shows up to these games wearing their outdated Billups jerseys, it should be a good night.

[bing!]

riff raff ... wearing ... outdated Billups jerseys
... they could really use a lengthy lesson in humility, huh ??

[Ghost Kat]

Prince at PF, not a good idea. He's not the athlete Wallace is...BTW is he back yet?

[spectre]

Prince at PF, not a good idea. He's not the athlete Wallace is...BTW is he back yet?

Pretty sure I read somewhere that he was back yesterday at practice, so he'll be starting tonight.

Also looks like there are already sopcast links for the game posted on the P2P forum!

[bing!]

atdhe link - HERE (http://albaaa.altervista.org/watch.php?id=101)
tvants link - tvants://tvants.ppnba.com/tvants/?k=aff49ce577ab1a577d8bfa104651969a
sopcast link(s) seem(s) to be offline atm.

[ohara831]

Detroit had a hard fought victory at home last night. Now they have a back to back and the back end is on the road. I smell a victory tonight for Charlotte.
Cats: 96 Pistons: 88

[ohara831]

Over on RGM, Big Slam mentioned that they announced that Crash will play tonight. But that on his way back from grandmother's funeral, found out his dad just passed and will leave tomorrow to go back to his family.

Dear God, that is so much heartbreak for someone to deal with, and he needs all our well wishes, thoughts and prayers.

[x2pacalypse]

Over on RGM, Big Slam mentioned that they announced that Crash will play tonight. But that on his way back from grandmother's funeral, found out his dad just passed and will leave tomorrow to go back to his family.

Dear God, that is so much heartbreak for someone to deal with, and he needs all our well wishes, thoughts and prayers.

holy shit....that's horrible

[spectre]

http://www.justin.tv/nhl28191

This one works.

That's terrible about Crash! My thoughts and prayers.

[docend24]

My condolences. It reminded me Walter's story a bit.

[docend24]

http://www.justin.tv/nhl28191

This one works.

That's terrible about Crash! My thoughts and prayers.If you find better one post it here please:)

[jdub28]

So its a quarter of the way through the season and I'm guessing they arent going to fix the fact that most of NC cant watch the Bobcats.

[Ghost Kat]

My stream is draggin

[millst2]

yeah, apparently.

The justin tv links suck, and thats what Atdhe is using also tonight.

[bing!]

So far the new deal isn't working out, 1-9 FGs, dreadful. Let's hope it's only temporary.

[MilZo]

Yeah ugly start
:(

[Dead_Real]

Thanks for the stream there is no sound but it's better than nothing

[bing!]

Rasheed with 4 blocks, mortifying.

[Ghost Kat]

They are just trying to get used to the new faces right now. I like when DJ goes to the basket, He may miss but he bring two defenders with him.

[tamburello]

We suck so badly. Bell and Diaw have no idea where they are now, but I don't blame anybody. This is inevitable.

[Dead_Real]

Only brightspot is Mek & Sheed having 2 early fouls

[bing!]

Bring on the reserves. They're badly needed. I'm so desperate I'd even settle for May, kay, the last bit's a joke.

[ohara831]

That was a pretty bad quarter of play by the Cats. Pretty bad quarter. 9 TO's in the qtr.

[Dead_Real]

This is Sam Cassell ugly

[Ghost Kat]

i dont know if i can watch the rest of this game:(

[millst2]

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Awesome,,

they just said " The Bobcats Lead the League on number of Frenchmen on the Team"

Who said we dont lead the NBA in something,,, boohyaww

[bing!]

Do you guys think tonight is shaping up to be their worst performance this season ??

[docend24]

We are actually tied with Spurs (Mahinmi is more D-Leaguer but still).

[ballwhore]

We get no respect at all from the refs...Why do I expect Morrison to hit every 3pt shot he chunks up? Then when he misses I get pissed..I guess I look at him like a field goal kicker..Hell if thats all they pay you to do give me at least 50%..

[MilZo]

Do you guys think tonight is shaping up to be their worst performance this season ??

Nah hopefully Iverson will let us back into the game. I'm pretty pissed at him for making that 3 but I still believe in him.

We need more points though.

[millst2]

well it definitely is shaping up to be a washout.

[MilZo]

We get no respect at all from the refs...

That's exactly what I was gonna say. I definitely get this vibe. Several guys were hacked going to the basket and instead of a foul it's a transition basket... Hard to overcome.

[millst2]

i hope coach brown clears diaw and bells heads a little. It seems to me they are thinking they are the saviours, the only answer to our record.

They need to slow down and quit trying so damn hard and quit turning over the ball so much.

[bing!]

Well, I'm quite pleased with Boris' play tonight, I mean, he can do a whole lot more, but this'll do, for now.

[millst2]

Well, I'm quite pleased with Boris' play tonight, I mean, he can do a whole lot more, but this'll do, for now.

Yeah more aimed towards bell.. 0 points 3 turnovers.

[ohara831]

Detroit had a hard fought victory at home last night. Now they have a back to back and the back end is on the road. I smell a victory tonight for Charlotte.
Cats: 96 Pistons: 88

OK. So how am I doing? Well, did not expect new guys to go 2/11 in the first half, nor the team shoot 32% while Pistons shooting almost 57%. Down 51 - 33. I'm going to read my ESPN Magazine on my throne for the next hour. That will be more entertaining. Dont think I can bear to watch anymore on-line right now.

[spectre]

Well, I'm quite pleased with Boris' play tonight, I mean, he can do a whole lot more, but this'll do, for now.

Me too! In 12 minutes he's pulled in 6 boards, had 2 assists, a steal and a block. I'm really liking the vision he's displaying.

Bell is struggling, but it's undertandable why they'd all be struglling after inserting 2 new starters.

[ballwhore]

Put D.J. in the f@$king Game! Hell at least he goes full speed even when he turns the ball over...

[ohara831]

Please put DJ back in the game!

[Muttley]

This game is terrible to watch, and it doesn't help that that feed's not very good.

I really hope practice fixes this. We're getting torched.

[ohara831]

Someone must have reminded LB that we drafted DJ and he's sitting on the bench waiting to play!

[ballwhore]

What a confidence breaker...One game you start me...One game you put me on the bench and only play me during garbage time..After showing he is capable of running the team and scoring...DJ has got to hate this..I bet he wishes he is traded

[Dead_Real]

This is Sam Cassell ugly
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/56/133260549_a2cf490ad8.jpg

[x2pacalypse]

wow comeback with the old crew in...just goes to show u once diaw and bell are on the same page as us, we can really win some games

...and for some reason brown put ajinca in for crunch time, he misses a shot, gets it, and gets it stolen away


good call coach...

[spectre]

^ Yeah Ajinca is killing our comeback.

[ballwhore]

damn.....damn.....damn....

[x2pacalypse]

wowww down by 5 with 2 minutes to go

[Dead_Real]

Who brought us back?

[countryboi]

this game just got very watchable

[Muttley]

this game just got very watchable

wow.

You said it.

[spectre]

Down 3!!!

C'mon guys, bring this thing home.

[ballwhore]

damn...damn...damn,,,,,

[BobCatsFanInTx]

The Bobcats lost this game but what a game they played. If this team plays like this every game from start to finish we will win a lot of games.

[BobCatsFanInTx]

If Juwan plays tonight who knows what kind of effect he has on the Bobcats.

[WarioVsMooChicken]

PG-Augustin
SG-Felton
SF-Wallace
PF-Mek
C- Ajinca or Hollins

Make this our starting lineup plz.

[Muttley]

Hollins was a beast at the end of that game! Complete refusal to let that ball go anywhere but the bottom of the net. Awesome. Too bad we couldn't get the win.

[countryboi]

this game shows me why hollins needs to be playing alot more

[ballwhore]

Every winning team has a Hollins..High effort guy that'll play d and dunk anything he gets his hands on...What about that damn Augustin...Awesome! Too bad we didn't get the win im just hoping LB gets a solid rotation in a hurry so we don"t have to try and stomach 20 plus point margins....Go cats!!!

[ohara831]

What a 4th qtr comeback. Just came up short, but a strong rally none the less. Shows that the team has heart and wont lay down. I like that trait!

[G-Force for MVP]

i went to the game and i was so mad sitting through the first half and even the most of the third. But it was a great comeback. don't get me wrong hollins alexis and the rest played there hearts out down the stretch but why wasent g-force or mek in the game?


Did anyone else catch the play where ajinca hit the ball off the detroit players leg and they called it detroit ball? That was some bull.

All in all i hope they can buuild from this and start getting some wins!!

[docend24]

PG-Augustin
SG-Felton
SF-Wallace
PF-Mek
C- Ajinca or Hollins

Make this our starting lineup plz.
I checked play by plays It was

Augustin
Felton
Morrison/Carroll
Wallace/Ajinça
Hollins

the run was 25-3 and then Sheed made the shot

What a moral boost for our bench. I wonder what Bell, Diaw and Singletary were thinking:confused::hypo::D

[Muttley]

Did anyone else catch the play where ajinca hit the ball off the detroit players leg and they called it detroit ball? That was some bull.

Saw that on the feed. Just another example of us not getting the right calls.

[docend24]

The momments when Crash was jumping at the baseline like a madman cheering for bench players were priceless.

[x2pacalypse]

I checked play by plays It was

Augustin
Felton
Morrison/Carroll
Wallace/Ajinça
Hollins

the run was 25-3 and then Sheed made the shot

What a moral boost for our bench. I wonder what Bell, Diaw and Singletary were thinking:confused::hypo::D

man's getting legit with frenchy's spelling

and yea i liked seeing wallace go crazy with cheering...shows he still loves this team, and i really want him to stay here

[docend24]

It's from realgm board - a some guy from France stopped by after draft and we realized (I guess I asked) that ç is actually typed as ALT+135. It was kind of a Frecnhie's nickname for a while there. So I still remember... :)

[G-Force for MVP]

i want to see more of ajinca

[Ghost Kat]

The momments when Crash was jumping at the baseline like a madman cheering for bench players were priceless.


I caught the very end of the end, I couldn't take that bad feed. I saw Wallace cheering and felt like we had a chance until that evil Wallace hit that three:ranting:

[Mustachio]

the refs suck again. I feel bad for Diaw and Bell... no one told them that when your a Bobcat things like traveling and 3 seconds get called on you even when you don't do it. Its like a badge for us.


but Ryan Hollins is finally...finally starting to realize the potential we've seen. Kid is getting better. Ajinca played pretty well tonight, for a rookie in crunch time. I like that, could have been better obviously, but i like what i see.

I have a feeling that this team will never be a serious contender until Wallace proves that he can hit open J's. I mean tonight he gets a pass because of the family stuff obviously and its just a terrible situation for him. but i really think we would be a great team to watch if Wallace would just nail some jumpers. as it is right now, I go ahead and prepare for the rebound. take some time Crash... get it all together and rejoin us when your situation allows.

[dav7z]

Got the chance to watch the game tonight with Beagle . He's a real nice guy and knows a lot about the game . Beagle all so introudced me to M Thompson another very nice guy who seems to know more about this team ,the players , coaches ,all the personal than i ever thought . He seems to be real imvolved in the organization . And one gets the feeling if stays involved the Bobcats will soon become a playoff team. I agree with Must about Hollins and AA both had nice showing and should be rewarded for thair energy and hard play. Hollins is really starting make a differance on the floor.

Look to see much better games out of Daiw and Bell . Give those guys some time.

[dnbman]

Just got back. I'm following Keetch's lead (though with less style) and am going to put observations in bullets:

* Met Beagle and Ampsportsduo. Both great guys. Amp gets extra points for coming to Bellacinos and chatting. Great to meet both of you guys!

* Diaw looks like he will be able to make a lot of contributions. He played a very high pick and roll most of the night, but looked good in a variety of situations. With chemistry and better conditioning, I think he'll be a great addition.

* Bell did very little positive tonight, but I think he'll be o.k. I think his strength is going to be one on one defensive match-ups against ball dominating type players. Detroit just passes the rock to the open guy, who inevitably can hit the shot. Detroit's probably about the worst team in the league for Bell to play against. I think he'll fair better next game.

* Ajinca and Hollins were awesome in the fourth. Both were assertive and playing big underneath despite giving up lots of weight. For the first time, Ajinca looked like he could actually play in the post and isn't a 7 foot SF. Hollins energy was amazing, especially when he was coming out to the perimeter for help defense. As Keetch knows, I've never been a Hollins fan, always thinking he was the ultimate tease. However, tonight he showed me he could ball.

* Wallace didn't look good early tonight, but apparently was dealing with even more family issues. That's horrible and I hope everything is as good as can be off the court for him. My favorite thing about Wallace tonight was how excited he was to watch his teammates. In fact, the last five minutes was fun just watching the Bobcat starters cheer on their teammates. Larry Brown was smiling after 40 minutes of horrific basketball.

* Felton continued his streaky shooting. He made a couple of huge shots in the fourth, but missed a lot before that. DJ seemed to have a pretty good stroke. Actually, DJ, Felton, and Wallace shot a lot better than they appeared. I would have expected much lower %s from Felton and Wallace. Not many assists from our pgs. However, with new players, I expected as much. Speaking of which...

* One problem we had early was tentative play by everyone. It was like everybody on our team wanted to be nice and let the other guy shoot. Consequently, we weren't attack like we should and taking some bad shots as time ran down. Diaw actually started to change this trend a little bit by deciding to attack the basket more. He seems like a cocky guy. I have a feeling there will be many nights where we cheer his confidence and many nights where we boo his arrogance. We'll see.

* Juwan wasn't there. Disappointing. Singletary showed up late.

* I sort of already mentioned this, but there was pretty good camaraderie amongst everyone, especially considering guys were just traded. Everyone seemed to be pretty supportive of everyone. I was wondering if Diaw and Wallace might be passing ships in the night (Barry Manilow reference-- that's gotta be a Bobcat first.). However, they seemed to be pretty congenial.

* Keetch's new nickname is Czar Kastic. He'll just say stuff randomly that I have to pause and wonder if he really means or if he's just kidding. Basically, it all starts and ends with Ryan Hollins. Oh, and with Juwan, everything is completely different.

* During the fourth, we kept making jokes about how we were going to comeback. Somehow during that time period, we did. I don't understand how it happened. Maybe the basketball gods were spiting us, a strategy we might have to use again in the future. Suffice to say, Ammo going supernova was what was going to bring us back. I'm not sure what he actually did, but he was on the court when we went on the 20-3 run. I'm just going to say it was the 'stache and move on.

* The last five minutes made the game for everyone in the arena. It was one of the few times this season where the people in the arena were making more noise for basketball than they were for free t-shirts.

Quick note:
* The Ajinca play where it went out of bounds: Ajinca's arm was out of bounds when he touched the ball before it went off the guy's leg. I think that was actually a correct call.
* For the second night in a row, a 7 footer hits a three to put the game away. Thank goodness our next game is against Atlanta.
* Also, people were wondering why Brown had DJ out so much early on. He got two quick fouls in the first that made Brown go crazy towards the refs. I think that was the reason he was out as much as he was in the first half.

Great game, despite losing. Next time, I want us to give Sheed the "shhhh" finger though. Apparently, Beagle already gave him two.

[Keetch]

Heh I realized two things tonite and missed realizing one other...

New NBA rule. When the Coach signals a "T" to the refs or taps his shoulders with his hands that means "We'd like a Tee Shirt Toss." Timeouts are obsolete.

Also...when the team has been losing by 20 or more for 2 quarters, it is no longer appropriate for Rufus to do the "Loud" "Louder" "Loudest" thing before the 4th Quarter; instead from now on we'll do the "Lowe's Ticket Refund Giveaway" to 3 sort-of lucky fans.

Lost realization....Amp swears that Clay Aiken sits in the front row for all the games. I've seen this guy he's talking about like 500 times walking around the arena and never knew....I still don't believe that's Clay Aiken. Of course, the guy wasn't there tonite. Revelation Lost.

edit: just checked Aiken's website(s) and okay no way that dude is Clay. It could be his cousin though....btw Aiken is on Broadway atm doing Spamalot...be kind of tough to go to Bobcats games! AMP!!!

[x2pacalypse]

aiken loves to have somebody dribble down his lane hey-o

sorry i had to

[TheBeagle]

Definitely was a fun time tonight! Watching the game with dav7z was a blast...the man knows his stuff (he said early in the 3rd, in the midst of being down in the mid-20s, the guys would whittle the lead down to single digits, and also said Hollins and/or Big Lexy would be the catalyst...like I said the man knows his stuff!!!) and hope we can do it again soon.

The dnbman meeting was likewise fun, brief as it was, and really makes me want to find a way for we BCPers to have a spot to meet at at halftime of games to bitch and moan and hopefully even have a smattering of good things to talk about each game.

Would've like to've met Ampsportsduo (AKA Shack): maybe Keetch and dnb can do the intros one game....just remember to bone up on your Walter Benjamin, Amp, we're going to get down to the nitty gritty on the "aura" of Bobcats basketball!

And, no, Keetch, you're right, that guy isn't Clay Aiken....that is, if you're talking about the dude who sits courtside beside the visiting bench with the "unique" hair and claps arrhythmically....he goes to games with one or more girls from what I've seen.

Oh yeah, the game: I pretty much agree with all that's been said above. From what I can tell, Diaw could be a special player for us: he rebounded aggressively tonight like no other 4 for us has this season; he's much quicker than I'd thought; seems to have really good BBIQ. Obviously his shot was off, but I was actually impressed with his overall game and think he's a keeper, though dnbman's assessment is likely going to be the case as far as his attitude goes; still, some arrogance is okay, as long as it's backed by action.

Bell was glued to Hamilton in the first quarter, and for the most part, his defense was solid the entire night. He suffered more than any of the Bobcats with being tentative, which will work itself out. He also rebounded surprisingly well. Also loved his postgame comments that he was having a ball watching the "comeback crew" do their thing in the 4th, and that he was upset that he and Diaw played so poorly early on, which ultimately cost them the game. According to MT, who's known him for years, we're going to fall in love with Bell.

For whatever reason, it was the most fun game I've been to this year and probably even last year. Even though there was the usual infestation of walking poster children for birth control (AKA Pistons fans), the Bobcats contingent were hyped, at least where me and dav were sitting in 214) from the get-go, and as the rally took hold got pretty damn loud and started the "defense" chant without any cue from Mr. Blowhard PA announcer, which was great! And seeing the guys on the bench standing up, and GW on the baseline feeling the same sense of disbelief/excitement that we fans were feeling was priceless for me!

While it was technically a loss, tonight was a slam dunk win for the Bobcats organization and the fans!

And dnbman is correct: the Beagle sent a pair of slender "birdies" aloft in the direction of Wallace after his 3 in response to his own finger gesture. Did it accomplish anything? No. But it was fun!:cool:

[BobcatsAllDay]

I didn't get to see this game, I saw the score scroll across ESPN's bottom line in the 2nd Qt and it was ugly. When I got home I checked Yahoo's box score and I was amazed. Next step, I read this entire thread and got a good laugh. It was like night and day with some of the comments. It's good to see the guys fought hard to comeback. Sounds like Rasheed broke our hearts tonight.

[bing!]

I must say, I really take joy in reading the impressions of the jolly BCP gang that attended the game. Thanks for grabbing a handful of late game excitement and sharing it with us. We lost another one, tough noogies, it'll get better.

[MilZo]

dnbman, TheBeagle: Just wanna mention that Diaw is quite the opposite of arrogant. He is very talented but really the main problem with his play in Phoenix was that he defered too much to other players, he was especially tentative when playing alongside Stoudemire (who was always crying to get the ball) and basically too often looking to pass when he should shoot.

That's often what got him into trouble because the scouting reports told guys to play him for the pass and not for the score, so he was too predictable.

I think that he's probably going to look to be more assertive with (no offense) less talented teammates, so his game will be more balanced and efficient, but he will for sure remain a skilled and willing passer. Watch his dish to Okafor for a dunk and expect more of the same.

[TheBeagle]

dnbman, TheBeagle: Just wanna mention that Diaw is quite the opposite of arrogant. He is very talented but really the main problem with his play in Phoenix was that he defered too much to other players, he was especially tentative when playing alongside Stoudemire (who was always crying to get the ball) and basically too often looking to pass when he should shoot.

That's often what got him into trouble because the scouting reports told guys to play him for the pass and not for the score, so he was too predictable.

I think that he's probably going to look to be more assertive with (no offense) less talented teammates, so his game will be more balanced and efficient, but he will for sure remain a skilled and willing passer. Watch his dish to Okafor for a dunk and expect more of the same. Thanks for the info again, MilZo! No apologies needed for the comment about less talented teammates, it's a fact, especially on offense. The sky is the limit for him in terms of point production. Trading away JRich obviously left a big vaccum in the points dept., and the fact he will team with Mek in the post, he should score as much as he wants to.

[dnbman]

dnbman, TheBeagle: Just wanna mention that Diaw is quite the opposite of arrogant. He is very talented but really the main problem with his play in Phoenix was that he defered too much to other players, he was especially tentative when playing alongside Stoudemire (who was always crying to get the ball) and basically too often looking to pass when he should shoot.

That's often what got him into trouble because the scouting reports told guys to play him for the pass and not for the score, so he was too predictable.

I think that he's probably going to look to be more assertive with (no offense) less talented teammates, so his game will be more balanced and efficient, but he will for sure remain a skilled and willing passer. Watch his dish to Okafor for a dunk and expect more of the same.

I don't see the arrogance off the court. It has more to do with his demeanor and off court actions. Of course, I may have misread that too! Either way, I'm glad we have him and I think he'll be very productive for us.

[davcbow]

I wasn't able to watch this game because I had other things I had to do. Would have loved to seen the 4th quarter and the attempted comeback...:cool: