By Malinda Murray
bobcats.com
March 16, 2008
Boxscore | Play-By-Play | Highlights | Recaps

This season it seems that whenever the Bobcats and Cavaliers take the floor, you never know how the game is going to end until the final buzzer sounds.
Sunday night’s game was no exception as the Bobcats, behind a hot-shooting Jason Richardson, put together a late rally that helped them nearly pull off an incredible comeback .
Trailing by nine halfway through the fourth quarter, Richardson, who had played well for Charlotte all night, took his game to another level, scoring 14 of the team’s final 17 points, to give the Bobcats a chance to come away with a victory.
With 2:35 left on the clock and the Cavaliers leading 88-82, Richardson drove to the rim for a layup. He was fouled and went to the line to convert a three-point play that brought Charlotte to within three.
Ben Wallace, who hadn’t scored all night for the Cavaliers, answered with a finger roll, but Richardson came right back, knocking down a trey to make the score 90-88.
On the other end, Cleveland’s Delonte West missed, but Wallace was right there to grab the offensive board for a putback.
Down by four, it was Richardson again, stroking his sixth 3-pointer of the night to pull the Bobcats within one with 1:08 remaining.
Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the Cavaliers had an answer for everything Charlotte threw at them. With under a minute to play, West knocked down a jump shot to push Cleveland’s lead back to three. Richardson tried to keep the Bobcats in the game, but he missed a reverse layup in traffic. LeBron James put the game virtually out of reach seconds later, driving the lane for the final two points in his 33-point effort. Two free throws by Devin Brown capped a 98-91 victory for Cleveland.
“Once I got back in (in the fourth quarter), the shots went down and we just tried to do everything we could to win the game,” said Richardson. “I did get it going tonight. I missed a couple, but I got us back in the game. We got it to one or two points, then Ben (Wallace) got a tip and that was the turning point in the game.”

Charlotte showed its mettle, not conceding without a fight. Trailing by 12 entering the fourth quarter, the Bobcats got back in the game by turning up the defensive pressure. Charlotte held the Cavaliers to 0-of-7 shooting to start the fourth period. Their defense allowed them to start the final period on an 8-2 run and cut the deficit down to a manageable six points. In the fourth quarter, the Bobcats held the Cavaliers to just 29.6 percent shooting from the field.
The Bobcats also continued to go to the hot hand. With Richardson on fire from the field, his teammates kept feeding him the ball. Richardson responded, scoring 33 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter to spark the Bobcats rally.
Charlotte also got a nice performance from Raymond Felton. After struggling in Houston, Felton came out tonight and posted 14 points and nine assists.
Emeka Okafor posted another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds and Gerald Wallace rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10.
“Once again, Jason made some tough shots down the stretch,” said Head Coach Sam Vincent “ We got this thing down to a two-point game and we think, ‘Hey, now we have a chance’. We’ve played a lot of real close, real tough games, and this team has really grown and matured and we’re doing a lot of good things. When we turn the corner, we’ll be able to win those close games.”

The Bobcats allowed Cleveland to build a double-digit lead in the third quarter. James took control, scoring 14 points in the period and leading the Cavaliers on a 14-5 run that gave Cleveland a 12-point advantage with 6:52 left in the game.
“He is LeBron James,” said Richardson. “LeBron can do a lot of things, he’s a tough cover.”
The lead made it difficult for the Bobcats down the stretch as they were forced to play catch up the rest of the night.
The Cavaliers also got a boost from Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The center had missed the last seven games with a back injury, but returned tonight to add an additional 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks to help Cleveland's cause.
“They (Cavs) were a contender with him (Ilguaskas) out,” added Richardson. “Having him, it’s hard to guard pick and rolls because he can pop and he can knock down big shots They are definitely going to be a contender in the East.”

There is no question who gets this honor tonight. Jason Richardson was incredible for Charlotte, tallying 33 points on 13-of-24 shooting along with four rebounds and two assists.
“Jason Richardson obviously is a tough cover,” said Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown. “He’s a terrific, terrific offensive player. “

With tonight’s performance, J-Rich continues to demonstrate why he is a great addition to any fantasy team.
LeBron James' numbers were equally impressive as he was just three rebounds shy of a triple-double. He finished with 33 points on 11-of-24 shooting, along with 10 assists, seven rebounds, one steal and two blocks.

Free throws determined the outcome of the game. Charlotte connected on more field goals than Cleveland (38 to 35) and more 3-pointers (8 to 6), but went only 7-of-15 from the free throw line compared to 22-of-31 shooting from the charity stripe by the Cavaliers.

“We just haven’t had the same point production,” said Vincent as he talked about the last three games. “The guys are still playing hard and playing well enough to get a win, we’re just coming up a little bit short.”

BOBCATS: Sean May (right knee surgery), Adam Morrison (torn left ACL)
CAVALIERS: Daniel Gibson (left ankle sprain), Eric Snow (left knee)

Monday, March 17 - Bobcats at Memphis Grizzlies - 8:00 p.m.
TV - News 14; Radio - WOLS OLDIES 106.1 FM