The Nets blogs, much like the team itself, are in self-destruct mode. It’s actually scary to look at. The closest things I could find to comments about the actual game tonight were a report that Kiki isn’t expected to last until the first of the year and a couple of salivations over how many free tickets and promos there would be tonight in an attempt to drag people into the arena.

I debated not posting anything until after the game but ultimately I decided to make an attempt to calm some nerves.

We did beat this team once already. We had to come from behind to do it, but we did it. We had to do it with Jax in a Golden State uniform when his only thoughts of Charlotte were of an ex-girlfriend with the same name, but we did it.

I checked the line on this game and the Cats are actually 3 1/2 point favorites for an away game. When was the last time that happened? I won’t speculate on whether it reflects the Cats being that good or the Nets being that BAD. Let’s just let it sit there.

What IS a reflection of just how shaky belief in the Felines is at this point in the season is how frightened the fans are. In almost any other situation the fans of a team being trash-talked by an opponent would respond with rage. Well, both the General Manager of the Nets and the media at large have pointed to tonight as a potential winner for New Jersey and the reaction from Charlotte fans has been a conspicuous silence apart from the sound of nails being bitten to the quick.

Let’s take a deep breath and look at this for a moment:

The team just improved in a big way on the Day Jax Came to Town. We’re sitting on a 4 game win streak. It ended with an expected loss to a sickeningly good team. That loss was helped along when Gerald Wallace got into quick foul trouble for the first time that I can remember (and no, I don’t really want a reminder of when that last time was thankyouverymuch). It was compounded when LB did the LB thing and took the Eastern Conference Player of the Week – also known as Official Beast of the Bobcats – and sat him for roughly 20 minutes. The odds on that happening again are pretty long. I don’t really think the rest of the league devotes enough energy to us to develop a “Get Crash to Foul” policy in order to slow us down.

In fact, Crash got quite a bit of egg splashed into his face with his pitiful stat line from the Celtics game and I expect he’s going to come onto the court tonight with fire in his eyes. I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be the man chosen to defend against him tonight.

For that matter, the entire team looked pretty foolish and I deeply doubt they showed up for practice the next day and LB said, “Aw, don’t worry about it guys. It was my fault.” I deeply doubt this because I didn’t read any reports of Hell freezing over. It’s much more likely they were greeted by a film of the loss complete with a bonus feature director’s commentary by Larry explaining the myriad ways each member of the team not in a $500 suit was responsible for the bad showing. From my spot in the stands – close enough to hear LB much of the time – Coach was spitting magma before the first quarter even ended.

In conclusion ladies and gentlemen, let me point out that the last thing in the world the Bobcats want to endure is the spot in the record books saved for the team that first loses to the Nets this season. The Felines will be coming out loaded for bear and looking for a blowout as their 2nd road win. They will throw everything but the kitchen sink into this one. Jackson will want to re-emerge as the Savior of Charlotte and Crash Wallace will be looking to climb back into the press as Charlotte’s potential All-Star candidate. We should, quite frankly kick the snot out of the Nets tonight.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go bandage up my bleeding fingernails and buy some Maalox because if I’m being honest, I am scared to death of what might go wrong tonight in New Jersy.