The Bobcats are already 2-1 on this road trip. Last night we bombed in 121 points in regulation time and overwhelmed a Warriors team that looked like they had us right where they wanted us until the midpoint of the 3rd quarter. Remember when the Bobcats were having a “hot” night if they scored more than 85? It was only a month ago.
Remember the last time the Bobcats topped 120 in a regulation time road game? I sure don’t.

Last night the Kings played a much better team than we did. They had to travel back from Utah last night while the Bobcats only had to hop a mere 100 miles down the road. Shoot, they could have stayed in the same hotel for both games if it were planned well.
We’re going to be about as rested as a team can get on a road/road back-to-back.
The Kings had to work harder and travel further. We’re a better team than Sac to begin with but since we’re the road team that cancels much of our advantage. But the Kings, like the Bobcats, don’t really have a huge home crowd very often. They should be more tired than we will be too. I still say we have the advantage.

Once the game hits the meat of the third quarter I expect to see a lot of shuffling from players that normally run and there will be a lot of shots clanking off the rim as well.
The game will probably get quite sloppy as it progresses. However, this isn’t November. The players are in their best condition of the year and even though back-to-backs are still a beast, they aren’t as exhausting as they were at the start of the season. They aren’t as rough now as they are as the season winds down either because the players aren’t as beat up from an entire season of bangs and bruises. It’s as good a time for a situation like this as the Bobcats are going to find.

Bottom line, the Bobcats have been out West for several days now and are used to the time change. Jet lag shouldn’t be an issue. It’s just another 7 pm road game as far as they’re concerned. Both teams will be tired, but the Kings should be, imo, ripe for the plucking. The Cats are on a two game road winning streak, I fully expect them to make it three in a row tonight and clinch at least .500 for the West Coast swing. After tonight, we can relax knowing we’ll be coming home with our .500 record intact regardless of what else happens. That way, when we stun the crowd at the Staples Center by beating the Lakers, we’ll just be building further on our momentum.

I don’t view any loss as a minor thing. We’re fighting for position in the post season and one loss either way could mean home court advantage for us. If the Bobcats are serious about making the most of this season these are the games the guys have to be hungry to grab. No, the loss won’t be a disaster. But I’m looking at the Cats with new eyes this season and instead of wondering if we can scrape out this win or that win I’m expecting victory and will want to know the reason why if we don’t achieve it.

And since nobody else is mentioning it despite all the discussion prior to the game I want to say that I think our trio of commentators did a magnificent job walking the tightrope last night regarding objectivity and Stephen Curry. Stephanie handled the copilot duties well while Del was over at the dubs broadcast even though she wasn’t as smooth or comfortable as Curry. Martin kept his comments civil and Del was able to watch the team he gets paid to cheer for chalk up a solid win while his son performed like a rookie with a big career ahead of him in the losing effort.
Before the game I felt we had one of the best broadcast teams in the league. Now I’m certain of it.