but believe it or not, my second favorite team in the NBA is the Bobcats and I’m really pushing for them to make the playoffs this year. After 6 years, it’d be fun watching them make their first playoff appearance.

And yeah, you’ll beat the Lakers tomorrow. I mean you’ve won 5 straight against them, so why stop here?

But I can’t. I spent nineteen years in Boston where any mention of the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Lakers was guaranteed to make all the sports fans in the room spit in disgust and invent several creative new curse words on the spot.

Thirty years living in God’s own paradise (I’m talking about the Carolinas, for those unfortunate souls that have not yet visited the Promised Land) haven’t softened my feelings for the Lakers. I admire Kobe and his amazing skills every bit as much as I admired Magic Johnson. Back in the day, every meeting between the Celtics and Lakers would pit Johnson and Bird against one another and the matchup made for some of the most exciting basketball in history.

The Bobcats don’t have an answer for the likes of Kobe. There is no Larry Bird on the Charlotte Roster. BUT!!!

Oh my! Wait until you get a good look at Gerald Wallace. You may think you’ve seen him in the past, but that was just the opening act. You may also think you know Stephen Jackson’s game as well. You’re in for a surprise. Together, these two men are greater than the sum of their parts and are deadly. Once you get past that one-two punch there are other surprises in store for you. We have this little guy we like to call RayRay. He’s one of those odd ballers. He might come out and have one hell of a game from the opening tip. Then again, he might seem totally overwhelmed for much of the game. He’ll look frustrated and overmatched. Truth is, he very well might be both. But Raymond Felton never stops thinking and never gives up. At some point, maybe the third quarter, maybe later than that, he’ll figure out the seams in your game. Just when your D thinks it has his number he’ll suddenly explode with clutch steals, unexpected moves into the paint, and the next thing you know you’re coach is calling a time out to try to figure out where the hell it all went bad. Felton is our Joe Frazier. You can pound on him for most of the fight and he takes hit after hit. But just when you think you have him on the ropes, he’ll find that one opening and knock you right on your backside.

Am I predicting a Bobcats victory? Well, the Lakers are a mighty tough team. Respect where respect is due, and all that. The Cats are pretty tired and all you have to do is mention the word “ankles” and real Bobcats fans break into a cold sweat. But I will predict this… even if the Bobcats lose the game, the Los Angeles Lakers will know what it feels like to get pushed to the limit. I also predict that Charlotte will finish the road trip with a 4-2 record. You do the math.

At the Adam Morrison picture. Gets me. Every. Single. Time.