Bobcats Win On Gerald Wallace's Buzzer Beater 89-87
by David A. Arnott on Jan 9, 2010 10:26 PM EST
33 comments
The Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 89-87 Saturday night in one of the most exciting games I've ever seen at Time Warner Cable Arena.
It was a close contest most of the way, and in the end, the best player on the floor swung the game. In the final moments, the Bobcats up by three, Gerald Wallace made a flying block of an attempted layup. Then, after O.J. Mayo tied the game with a clutch three with 8.8 seconds left, Crash leaped above everyone for a buzzer beating tap back of a missed Raymond Felton floater.
All Star? Hell yeah.
Highlights and lowlights after the jump.
BAD
-- Stephen Jackson took 20 shots from the field, scoring only 15 points, and he turned it over 6 times. In addition, he shared responsibility for guarding Mayo with Ronald Murray, and Mayo was the Grizz's key scorer all game long, scoring 25 points, including 4-6 from three. It seemed like Mayo had way too many uncontested three point attempts, especially given that he's Memphis's only credible three point threat with Mike Conley scratched due to an injured back.
-- Gerald Henderson was last seen playing a couple minutes against the Bucks on December 28. If you see him, please contact Larry Brown and remind him that good teams work rookies into their rotations because they're building for the future even as they play for today, because that's a major part of sustaining success.
GOOD
-- Gerald Wallace's crunch time heroics were outlined above. He ended the game with 18 points on 15 attempts, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
-- Boris Diaw showed up to compete tonight. Maybe he needed the challenge of defending Zach Randolph and, at times, Marc Gasol, because he led the team with 10 rebounds, as well as dishing a team high 6 assists. 3-11 shooting sucks, but the rest of his game is valuable to this squad. He's simply a unique talent who brings a different dimension to the Cats' strategy when he's motivated and in the flow of the game.
-- The composite point guard of D.J. Augustin and Raymond Felton scored 24 points on 15 shots, got 7 assists, and held Marcus Williams and Jamal Tinsley in check.
-- Flip Murray scored 14 points on 8 attempts, including two clutch threes in the fourth quarter. It seems he's worked his way into Coach Brown's crunch time lineup. Streaky is as streaky does, so all hail the good streaks.
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I too went to the game!
David where did you sit?
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Jan 9, 2010 10:28 PM EST reply actions
Spent the first half in the Front Court Lounge where there was a DJ and a reasonably classy bar, game on TV. Spent the second half in the upper deck, section 221. The Official Girlfriend of Rufus on Fire commented that we were definitely with “our people” up there rather than with the folks dressed up for Suite in the lounge.
by David A. Arnott on Jan 9, 2010 10:32 PM EST up reply actions
Low seats are super awesome, which was where I sat, luckily. However, the atmosphere doesn’t touch the crowd in the upper deck. The great hecklers are there and they don’t mind when you stand up late in a close game (side note: I’ve been yelled at to sit down during a close game after gerald blocked a shot). I did heckle Marc Gasol good because he whined for plays after he was called for a goaltend. Did you see me on the big screen at the game? I’m the guy with the Gerald Wallace cut-out.
Funny story at the game: Time out late in the fourth. Rufus is on the court actually pulling courtside people to stand up. He got to a group of two young kids who were playing game boy or something. He tried to pull them up, but they refused because their game was so much more exciting, I suppose. It’s stuff like that that gets me about the Cats.
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Jan 9, 2010 10:50 PM EST up reply actions
edit:
about the Cat’s fans rather
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Jan 9, 2010 10:51 PM EST up reply actions
Oh, I know the Gerald Wallace cutout well! You had a D.J. Augustin one with a vinyl record, too, right?
by David A. Arnott on Jan 9, 2010 11:31 PM EST up reply actions
Here's the list:
My pal and I are big Cats fans and we’ve made signs for many cats, some more intricate than others:
Good Signs
“Game Blouses” with Gerald as Prince
Cardboard Gerald size 5’6" (we don’t bring the legs anymore)
Cardboard Boris life size 6’8" or whatever (we don’t bring him at all anymore really)
“DJ knows how to turn the tables” with ‘turntable’
“Raising Bell” a la Raising Hell, the Run DMC album with Raja being lifted to the rim by Run DMC members
Intentionally funny/stupid signs
Double Dribble: fairly new, Gerald Wallace and Gerald Henderson
Carroll is Cool: We drew Matt Carroll making a jump shot from 3/4 court
Have you had your Tyson today?
Boris Diaw is the Cats’ Meow
If you’d like I’ll send you some emails with pics attached. Just say the word and I’ll do it.
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Jan 9, 2010 11:54 PM EST up reply actions
If you’ve got ‘em ready, don’t settle for me being a middle man. Share them with the group via FanPost.
by David A. Arnott on Jan 10, 2010 10:32 AM EST up reply actions
Done
I also made one for Cartier Martin last year that was sweet. It was a huge cartier watch with Cartier Martin’s face in the center of the watch. There was a loop on the back so I could put in on my wrist.
Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.
by WhatAboutBob_cats on Jan 10, 2010 1:14 PM EST up reply actions
221 is a tough angle
Family had seats in 221 and 229. We all moved to 229. Much better angle.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Jan 10, 2010 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
Maybe Boris has found himself on this new look Bobcat's team???
I hope so, because we need better play from that position.
RayRay looked solid again, until he tried to give the game away at the end… Luckily Wallace bailed him out!
And I guess Jack is going to just do the same thing every night, whether it works or not… take low percentage shots, and force passes. He looks like a Superstar when it’s working, and terrible when it’s not. I’m hoping for more of the former.
Lastly, can we go ahead and say that Chandler has no value to this team? I can tell absolutely no difference since he’s been out.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
Chandler defends the pick and roll better than the other 5's on the roster
He is also better at getting tip-ins and catching alleys. Nzar is better than Chandler offensively and he defends better without fouling. Diop is a foul machine, but he is heavy enough to bang down low with bigger centers.
"I could never be a thug, they don't dress this well." - Malice
by Julius Coxswain on Jan 10, 2010 12:24 AM EST up reply actions
I meant that because I see no difference in the outcome
I can’t say we are a better team with Chandler due to our record. And I’m bordering on saying we’ve been better without him.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
I grudgingly admit that Chandler has value to the Bobcats.
My PROBLEM is that the value is in the $3 million a season range (roughly half of Wallace’s) and nowehere near the ridiculous amount we have to pay his foul-happy ass. He does provide a decent presence down low in the defensive end and isn’t shy about fighting through a screen. But his shortcomings are well-chronicled and far outweigh his value. If the Bobcats found a way to swap Chandler’s salary for Wallace’s I’d actually stand up and cheer. It’s nothing short of obscene that any player on our squad takes home a heavier paycheck than Crash. It’s the rare game night now when the opposing coach or at least one of the opposing players fails to comment on what an amazing athlete Crash is this season. Tonight’s Associated Press stringer even commented that Wallace belonged on this season’s AllStar squad.
by Ourdaywillcome on Jan 10, 2010 1:30 AM EST up reply actions
Chandler
Chandler is definitely better than Diop. Chandler and Nzar complement each others abilities.
Diop has improved, but is still lacking.
by Ft.Mill Bobcat on Jan 10, 2010 11:08 AM EST up reply actions
I think they'd complement each other if morphed into the same body
But as it is, it’s more like what do you have to sacrifice? Chandler can’t score here, and for some reason has no clue that passes can come from different angles. I have a feeling Okafor would be doing great this year making the most of Jackson’s passes.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
Well, Chandler is no Okafor
With Okafor, this team would probably be the five seed this year with a very competitive matchup against Atlanta. That would’ve been sweet. Okafor for Chandler – worst Bobcat trade ever (as I’ve said since it happened).
Definitely one of LB's worst moves
But this team is better than it’s ever been, due to his rebuilding. So it’s tough to hold his feet to the fire over it.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
See I really don't see it as a terrible move.
Okafor is better than Chandler, but he really wasn’t a game changer. Just out of curiosity, how many games do people think we lost because of Chandler?
I’d estimate that move cost the Bobcats 8 to 12 games in the standings this year assuming Okafor is generally healthy all season. And I respectfully disagree that Okafor wasn’t a game changer. His defense and rebounding definitely had an impact on the game. And while he wasn’t a great scorer, his scoring was better than what we now have at the 5.
It's not a PG's job to get stitches above the eye
It means nothing, and is irrelevant. Plus, if he was anything close to a good PG, he’d have stitched his own eye on the sideline during the game.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
I did my best impersonation ;)
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
Truth of the matter...
If Gerald would have wanted Felon to win the game instead of himself, he would have sealed and heald the cut wth his mind…
No stitches needed
Instead, he wanted to offer another AMAZING finish to add to the impressive roster.
by andrewlail76 on Jan 10, 2010 11:00 PM EST up reply actions
Well
I think it’s just as likely they did it to keep the eye from bulging out in awe from watching Wallace as it was he actually got cut.
He owes Crash a steak dinner. After missing the 2 freebies that would have all but iced it for the Bobcats, Crash almost turned Felton’s overblown final miss into an assist. That’s without even mentioning that mega-pressure block. Tomorrow the press will be raving about Wallace instead of crucifying Felton. Let’s be honest here. Ray doesn’t play this poorly in the final minutes very often anymore, but all it takes is one closing minute performance like tonight and the media will turn on him quicker than Chandler can pick up a pair of fouls. As it was, every article I’ve seen mentioned the blown free-throws and the missed shot at the end of the game. Not one said anything about a cut or stitches above his eye that could have provided a reason for his substandard finish.
maybe Crash owes felton a steak dinner
for purposely missing the free throws and floater for dramtic effect. The tipin could give Wallace more recognition so he can be an allstar. He was just hooking his friend up. He knew Wallace would do his thing.
It's a good thing us REAL fans can look beyond the fickle media
And realize that one bad last 4 minutes over the course of a season means very little in the large scheme of things.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
Unless of course he keeps it up
Then I guess we join em
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
Went to the game
had an AMAZING time. I would say my BAD points of view were the atrocious passing we had in the first half. We HANDED them WAAAAY too many fast break points. As a team we looked flat the entire first half. Deflated by fouls and rather bad calls. The second half was amazing. The defense showed up BIG TIME at the end of the third and did not relent. It was really cool in the 4th to hear the crowd get into it. This was my fiance’s 3rd game and she was even on her feet at the end of the game. I can’t afford to sit anywhere except the upper level, but I really enjoy it up there. The blocks GWall had were pretty awesome. Huge win for the Cats mentally as well. Pulling out close games(especially from behind) gives them more confidence, and they’ll need it going into a tough home game stretch against the west. The Sacto game is a no go for me, but I’m definitely hitting up the Orlando game. GO BOBCATS!
"ANOTHER Iowa running back down!"-any sports caster
Don't worry about Henderson not getting minutes
Look at it this way, we’ll have 2 1st round pick next year. ;)
That is if we draft a position of need, otherwise I guess Henderson is next year’s pick.
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
You're more right than you realize
We probably won’t have a 1st round pick in the next draft since we still owe one for the mess that became Alexis Ajinca. But Henderson should still be getting some PT this year.
Apparently SG will never be a position of need with Stephen Graham on the roster.
Blogging at Ridiculous Upside, where my terrible writing meets people's eyes.
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