Bobcats beat Timberwolves in OT, 108-105
by David A. Arnott on Jan 5, 2011 10:58 PM EST
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PrintThe Bobcats took a 14 point lead into the half, gave it all back in the third quarter, then struggled through the fourth, and then stormed back in the final few minutes of the game to force overtime. In the extra period, they carried over their momentum from crunch time, eventually defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-105.
Kevin Love had yet another huge game, leading the Wolves with 35 points on 11-16 shooting, and 15rebounds. For the Cats, Tyrus Thomas and D.J. Augustin probably share Player of the Game honors for their clutch play late in the game, though Kwame Brown and Dominic McGuire also played well earlier on.
Even though this was a barnburner with one of the worst teams in the league, we can take solace knowing that the road win came with two of the Cats' three best players missing the game with injury (Gerald Wallace, Stephen Jackson).
Game thread comment, lowlights, and highlights after the jump.
GAME THREAD COMMENT
Stevarino -- With Jax out, [Diaw] probably feels like he needs to shoulder much of the offensive load. The ball won’t be disappearing into the hands of the black hole known as Stephen Jackson. Also, he might be trying to outplay Love, but I doubt that has anything to do with it. And it is about time for his one good game out of six played.
BAD
-- D.J. Augustin had his worst game in a very long time (until crunch time and overtime), and it still didn't end up all that bad. He shot 4-17 from the field for 16 points. While he did get 8 assists, he did not make up for his poor shooting by getting to the line (until crunch time and overtime), and his defense was typically mediocre. I will say this, though: Dude's as confident as they come now, and he needs to be that kind of fearless shooter to be the best he can be. He bombed away for a pair of clutch threes late, even having made only one shot from the field up to that point, and did so much in crunch time that it seems almost heartless to put him in the Bad section, except that he truly did stink until crunch time and overtime, and nearly cost the Cats the game before saving it for them.
-- None of the high-volume shooters scored efficiently. Augustin's stats are noted above, but also, Diaw shot 7-20 for 16 points, and Tyrus Thomas shot 10-18 for 21 points. If those are your top three in shot attempts, you've got long odds to win.
GOOD
-- Despite Thomas's overzealous shooting (an ongoing problem), he did get 11 rebounds in 36 minutes, and played some clutch on-ball defense, destroying Michael Beasley in two straight possessions in the final minute of regulation and in the final possession of overtime. His predilection for shooting is positively Ron Artest-ian in how infuriating it is, but he brings so much more to the table than reckless shooting that he's well worth playing big minutes.
-- Kwame Brown had a monster first half, getting to double digits in rebounds before the break. He ended the game with 8 points on 3-6 shooting, and 14 rebounds.
-- McGuire shot 5-5 from the field for 10 points in 17 minutes. (Obligatory jab: 2 rebounds? 2 turnovers? Come on!)
-- The Cats turned it over only 12 times in 53 minutes, well below their season average.
-- Mad props to the Wolves fans who stuck around to watch overtime and chanted "M! V! P!" when Love went to the line for free throws. That's good hustle.
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So, how bad was the third quarter?
Bobcats scored 14 points in 12 minutes in the third and 13 points in 5 minutes of overtime.
Quick is how I flip from the tip of the lip
Punchin out hits like Gladys Knight and the Pips
-Phife Dawg
so Tyrus shoots over 50%
and is very well the reason we were in the game/won. Yet his shooting is a problem and infuriating? Shot the best overall percentage of our volume scorers AND was the top scorer/rebounder. I don’t understand all this Tyrus hate. Even when it’s in the good column Tyrus’ pluses are back handed. c’mon man give dude a break. He was a game time decision and led our team to victory with god knows how many lingering injuries. No love for his toughness? No love for his determination to score? His ability to lead by example of fearlessness. Showing heart and emotion(that T was BS). Just the regular backhanded shooting compliment(regardless of the fact he averages over 50% on the season) and the fact he’s a monster on D. I apologize if I’m bein hard on ya David, but c’mon. Tyrus has earned his praise the hard way.
Devout follower of the Franimal and the Basa-viour.
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
Tyrus shot selection is better on this game
I like his game when he shot below the 15 feet line and he is more effective on that area. I also like the bench production. I am still in favor of trading Jax, Nazer and Diaw for young guys, a salary dump or first round draft. I think we will still be a competetive team without Jax , Nazer and Diaw.
I really want Tyrus to start, but I like how he and Boris work together
They compliment each other very well and Boris is the more seasoned and polished player, I also think he’s the calm presence in the locker and on the court these guys need at times. I’d rather keep Diaw than Wallace or Jackson, both of those guys can easilly be replaced, I really like Mayo as a replacement for Jackson or even Wilson Chandler, and for Wallace I like a player like Josh Smith who I think is a natural 3 who can do everything Wallace can do and more.
Tyrus played very well especially after the tech
but before that he had some stretches where he took bad shots, and it isn’t that they were horrible, it’s just that for his skill set they werent quality shots. Tyrus shooting a open set jumper one thing, dribbling, hesitating then stepping back for a jumper isn’t a shot he should really go for. Tyrus should actually pattern himself after Diaw. Slow it down, set his feet go for the SIMPLE play instead of the highlight move. Tyrus has actually tomed down alot, I also have to give props to Silas for letting him play through the mistakes this will help.
So I don’t think David was taking a shot at Tyrus. I think Najera and Kwame stepped up, Mcguire made some big plays, everybody contributed in some way, D. Brown may have been the lone quiet player but for the most part it was a very good team effort. Diaw was a good leader for the guys too, it was a ugly win, but to miss 3 starters, be on the road against a team with talented young players and win is still good in my eyes.
I miss Naz so freakin much
Watching Kwame two games in a row get so many minutes is straight torture.
Devout follower of the Franimal and the Basa-viour.
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
I can understand angst for Kwame based on past observations
but I find it hard to find much fault in his performance last night. He filled the lane, snagged some key offensive boards, and would have easily had a double-double if he didn’t bomb out at the free throw line.
I miss Nazr, too, but I think Kwame did fine as our starting center. If only he could develop a mean streak…
Paul Silas FTW!
I know...it's his tiny hands
they drive me crazy. lol.
Devout follower of the Franimal and the Basa-viour.
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
by HAWKEYESBABY on Jan 6, 2011 10:52 AM EST up reply actions
You think those tiny hands bother you...
Think of every time he wants a burger…
Whopper = out of the question
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by andrewlail76 on Jan 6, 2011 11:50 AM EST up reply actions
Kwame is a fine
shot blocker and a decent rebounder. He should never have the ball in the post on offense. Those tiny paws fumble every pass.
Kwamers is fine off the bench, and he's filled in valiantly.
but Tyrus and Boris should be playing the majority of C minutes against ANYONE without a true C.
Devout follower of the Franimal and the Basa-viour.
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
by HAWKEYESBABY on Jan 6, 2011 11:10 AM EST up reply actions
I missed it! Thought there's no way they'd win with Jack and Wallace out.
So I didn’t even dvr it. Oh well. 3-2 under Silas, even with a plethora of health issues… Good stuff!
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
No shout out to
Mr. Najera? He looked like painfully good/awful tonight. What a dynamic player to be able to contribute and hurt us simultaneously.
Great game tonight
It was really cool to see DJ shoot through his slump. His confidence is probably at a career high, if such a thing could be measured.
Najera contributed for the first time all season. “McGuire” is no longer a dirty word in my house. Henderson & Diaw were great on defense. TT was his wildly efficient (or efficiently wild) self. If Kwame developed better ball handling skills, he might actually be somewhat dangerous.
Every single player registered on the box score in at least three positive categories. I have no idea how common or rare that may be, but it sure impressed the hell out of me.
Good, bad, or ugly, this team is ALIVE. It’s just really good to see them actually enjoying the game again.
Paul Silas FTW!
tyrus thomas
a knicks fan here – please dont take offense as i dont watch every game like i do of the knicks – how is thomas not getting big time minutes on this team? i want to pick him up so bad in my fantasy league, ive already got augustin – i just dont get how he’s shackled to the bench with garbage like kwame and nazr on the team. mind boggling. perhaps you guys might fill me in.
there is no doubt in my mind that t-rex will be a starter in a year or two
but right now hes our sixth man off the bench and as long as he plays at least 20 mins a game im not going to complain because hes the type of player that gives 110% every minute hes playing. tyrus is the the future of this team theres no reason to rush and give him 40 mins a game.
Good and bad this game
in the end I think the postive is that we fought back after being down and out. It’s the Wolves for sure, but the players will take some positives out which hopefully helps them for the next game.
Was a hell of a game if we could ever find a way to hold onto our leads we could become dangerous. Tyrus Thomas is having the impact i knew he would minus Larry Brown. Him and Diaw are playing well together. Same goes for Livingston and Augustin. Henderson and Brown both had shot to shine being put in the starting lineup but didnt cash in. Game has its good and bad but it was fun to watch.
"Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Fails To Work Hard" - Kevin Durant
still waiting for the "breakout" games of both Brown and Henderson
while Hendo is playing good defense, Brown still looks disoriented in the offense.
by mikael matthews on Jan 6, 2011 7:41 AM EST up reply actions
Brown plain sucked last night
Hendo looked like the better player without question. That steal from Wesley Johnson was key and his jumper in the lane was critical. I think UPS is better as a second unit, energy guy whereas Hendo looks like he has the defense and with some work could start on some teams that get their scoring from the other positions.
How long are Jack, Wallace and Nazr expected to be out?
on behalf of tha dirty south: soul food, carolina blue, southern hospitality, and tha queen city
by southtunnel on Jan 6, 2011 8:00 AM EST via mobile reply actions
long enough for Kwame to average
a triple double in facepalms, rebounds, and turnovers.
Devout follower of the Franimal and the Basa-viour.
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
that's unfair
Kwame Brown isn’t even averaging a turnover per game and is averaging 18 minutes. That’s good for third on the team in turnovers per 48.
One Word: Gutsy
To the average person it may sound crazy, but this was a huge win. Lost two in a row, on the road against a poor (but talented) team, without our two leading scorers and our only real offensive option in the post. When Minnesota took the lead in the early fourth, I was pretty sure that we were toast. These guys gutted it out and won a game that we really needed. Tyrus stepped up huge down the stretch and actually carried this team for a while, and we got big contributions from guys like Najera who haven’t even been a part of the rotation. Great team win.
by djwilliams11 on Jan 6, 2011 8:35 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
+1
love the optimism. I’ll get on that bus with ya. These are good, if not, GREAT experience games for our young guys. This builds chemistry and helps the team trust each other.
Devout follower of the Franimal and the Basa-viour.
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
Absolutely agree
I even wrote a little bit about it…
http://www.tradestreetpost.com/2011-articles/january/bobcats-take-the-win-against-the-twolves.html
Proud member of the creative team at tradestreetpost.com - the newest member of the Bobcats blogging community.
by andrewlail76 on Jan 6, 2011 11:53 AM EST up reply actions
Great job Oak
The man is coaching his a – - off !!! Impressive job by those “diaper dandies” last night. Seemed to be less Turnovers without the “Co Captain Jack” !
by chris in union county on Jan 6, 2011 11:28 AM EST reply actions
add Jack's normal 9 turnovers and you have a normal game!
I WANT OJ MAYO!
Devout follower of the Franimal and the Basa-viour.
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
by HAWKEYESBABY on Jan 6, 2011 11:32 AM EST up reply actions
I'd like him as well...
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by andrewlail76 on Jan 6, 2011 11:53 AM EST up reply actions
Derrick Brown
As I said in the game day thread near the end of the game, I plum forget he even started yesterday night. Not the best of games for him.
Overall, I’m very satisfied with this win. Kwame played well, especially the first half, and I again appreciate the effort put in by Matt Carroll. McGuire, too, played well, and even Najera, of all people, contributed.
I would have liked to have seen more from Diaw, but I guess that goes without saying.
Carroll's rebound
and subsequent timeout more than made up for the missed wide open three point attempt on the previous possession that would’ve iced it for us
unfortunately DJ missed the shot with .06 on the clock (who wouldn’t?)
I love the obligatory jab at Mcguire(sigh), good stuff lol !!
"You run plays to get open. If you're open, and you don't shoot, what's the point of running the play?" - Coach Paul Silas of the Charlotte Bobcats
Matt Carroll
man if that dude could find a way to get it together. He’d be great off the bench. He out hustles almost anyone on the court. He definitely did his part last night. Missed a few wide open shots though.
Devout follower of the Franimal and the Basa-viour.
Blindly Optimistic follower of The Iowa Hawkeyes, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Hurricanes, and the Charlotte Bobcats.
I'm still a big fan of his
I was really sad to see him go a few years ago. Glad to see him back in a Bobcats uniform, and you’re right; this guy is constantly moving on both sides of the floor…except maybe when the other team loses him and he camps out at the 3 point line all by his lonesome, which is perfectly fine with me.
Paul Silas FTW!
just watched the '06 game vs. the Lakers
Bobcats won in 3 OTs. Kobe goes for 58 i think. Matt Carroll dropped 28 POINTS off the bench and was clutch all throughout the game. You just have to love how he spots up for corner threes and moves around screens for fadeaway jumpers. In his prime, Matt was simply a beast.
Adam Morrison was 1 for 11. And Bernard Robinson played great clutch defense on Kobe. Definitely a Charlotte Bobcats classic.
by mikael matthews on Jan 7, 2011 8:18 AM EST up reply actions
Dj..pls..you had a great ending..loved that you worked thru your dismal shooting..but you have to set up your teamates…..you can shoot poorly but at all times you must to stay here and if the are to win, you must get in the paint and create a shot , easy shot for your teamates……….assists that you get credit for around the three pt stripe is fools gold.. You must as well finish a fastbreak with a bucket or an assist whc you never do..help the young guys out and the team..you can shoot with the best of them but the cats go no where until you do both of these two things alot ,all all night,, i know the effort is there but this is a must…you have too many guys who you can spark this waynthat play over the rim and runnthe floor.. This is why they want a barron davis who wont be coming but his game is needed..then we can overlook your defense …pls..i like your game but its mostly a two gd game and pt gds doing the above is everything.. Rhondo.rose.nash.kidd..wall. Felton a little.. This team is going to get this play from somebody.. Livingston is stepping up some but he doesnt have your quikness and there is no reason you cant do these two critical things..
If you want DJ to spend a lot of time in the paint creating shots you're outta luck.
He’s 5’ 11" tall. The moment he tries to crash the lane he’s mobbed. This is why the few times you see him charge the hole from the baseline he always winds up popping out on the weak side without even looking at the iron. He knows a shot against someone at least a foot taller than he is is futile.
P.S. - Is it an interim fling or a permanent bromance?
by Ourdaywillcome on Jan 7, 2011 10:25 AM EST up reply actions
Just a few points of contention
You must as well finish a fastbreak with a bucket or an assist whc you never do.
“Never?” Sometimes D.J. is the fast break, all by his lonesome. And he’s been finishing more at the rim this year than in his previous years.
This is why they want a barron davis who wont be coming but his game is needed.
I don’t know who “they” are, or why “they” think his game is needed, but Baron Davis is past his prime, and not even playing up to the potential he still has. No thanks.
In general, though, I agree with your comments.
Paul Silas FTW!
Davis isn't just past his prime.
His knees are shot. I’d rather see us bring Muggsy back if we’re that eager to have a former Hornet with busted pins.
P.S. - Is it an interim fling or a permanent bromance?
by Ourdaywillcome on Jan 7, 2011 4:49 PM EST up reply actions
Agreed
Bring back
Muggsy, LJ, Zo, um…Geiger…
Dell Curry for sure
Proud member of the creative team at tradestreetpost.com - the newest member of the Bobcats blogging community.
by andrewlail76 on Jan 7, 2011 10:03 PM EST up reply actions
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