By Leonard Laye
bobcats.com
March 22, 2008
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About one hour before tipoff of Charlotte’s Saturday night game against Miami, Bobcats Head Coach Sam Vincent was talking about the comforts of home.
“It’s nice to be back in familiar territory,” he said. “But it doesn’t last long.”
Indeed, after dropping five in a row away from home the Bobcats celebrated their return with a 94-82 victory over the Heat. But the demands of the road will test them again, almost immediately – Charlotte now heads West for its next four games, beginning with a Tuesday stop in Utah.
Saturday’s performance will, if nothing else, send them on the journey in a much better frame of mind. The Bobcats pulled out of a five-game losing streak with the win.
Their start to this game left a lot of doubt as to how quickly they would recover from what Vincent called “the road blues.” The Bobcats struggled offensively and defensively in the opening quarter and fell behind by eight points.
But they turned their level of play and the game around in a hurry, starting with a closing kick, outscoring Miami 7-0 in the final three minutes of the period to trail by only one, 17-16, entering the second.
The turnaround performance continued as Charlotte first claimed three small leads and forged four ties, then gradually built a lead that reached seven (46-39) by halftime.
The separation hit double figures early in the third quarter when Raymond Felton’s two free throws with 10:50 to play put the Bobcats on top 52-41, and four minutes later the margin was up to 14 (56-42).
Charlotte remained in front the rest of the way, finishing the third period with a 73-64 advantage, holding off a Heat rally that sliced Charlotte’s lead to three, then going on a 15-4 run that put the separation back in double figures for the stretch run.
Afterward, Vincent and several players cited more aggressive play as a major reason for the Saturday success.
“During the (five-game) winning streak (early this month), everybody was feeling good and the jumpers were falling,” said Jason Richardson. “During the losing streak, when the jumper wasn’t falling, we were still relying on it.
“I think we’re doing a better job of getting to the basket. Coach (Vincent) is making us aware of it when we are settling for jumpers.”

After shaking off the effects of the shaky start the Bobcats played aggressively on both ends of the floor to secure their 25th victory of the season.
They hit 57.1 percent of their field goal attempts in the second quarter and began asserting themselves on the boards. And in the fourth period they outshot the Heat 47.4 percent to 26.1 percent to thwart any Miami hopes of a comeback.
Charlotte dominated the rebounding, 45-38, and edged the Heat on the offensive boards 11-9.
Free throw shooting, often a problem in the past, was strong. Thanks in large part to their attack mode most of the way, the Bobcats got 24 opportunities at the line and cashed in on 19 of them (79.2 percent).

During the first quarter, almost everything.
The Bobcats came out of the gate with little energy and little production, making only two of their first nine shots and falling behind by seven before the mid-point of the quarter. Their defense allowed Miami eight field goals in its first 14 attempts and an eight-point lead in the quarter.
Fortunately for Charlotte, the Bobcats awoke and the game turned.

Charlotte had several strong candidates with Gerald Wallace scoring 26, Jason Richardson 24 and Nazr Mohammed 16 (with 14 rebounds). Raymond Felton passed out 10 assists, hitting double digits in that category for the 13th time this season. But it was Wallace claiming the distinction for his overall high production and his consistency throughout.
Wallace, in his most aggressive performance since recovering from a February concussion and recently returning to the lineup, scored seven points to keep the Bobcats within striking distance in the opening period. He made only one of five shots in the quarter but attacked the basket enough to get six chances at the free throw line (where he hit five shots).
He hit each of his three shots in the second and scored six more, then followed with 4-of-6 marksmanship (and 11 more points) in the third. Wallace tacked on only two more points in the closing period but Richardson came on late to get 11 of his 24 in those final 12 minutes.
“Gerald is really getting back into his form,” Vincent said. “He’s not settling for the jump shot and he’s attacking the rim. He is so quick and strong that it’s hard for people to stay in front of him and that puts pressure on the defense.”

Gerald Wallace and Jason Richardson both had big fantasy nights, but Nazr Mohammed's fantasy stats might have been most impressive when you break the numbers down. The Bobcats big man finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds, including four offensive boards. He also converted 8-of-9 shots from the field and added two blocked shots.

Again, Mohammed was big in most aspects of the game and his play was clearly reflected in the statistics.
His line: 8-of-9 field goal shooting, 14 rebounds (four on the offensive end), two blocked shots and 16 points.
“He was really good tonight,” Vincent said. “He has good hands, he can move and he can pass to people.”

“After we warmed up a bit and got things going we played really well," Bobcats Head Coach Sam Vincent said. "I was happy to see our guys mentally stable, especially after five losses. It’s challenging to come back and get a win.”

BOBCATS: Sean May (right knee surgery), Adam Morrison (torn left ACL)
HEAT: Marcus Banks (right hamstring pull), Udonis Haslem (left ankle surgery), Alexander Johnson (right knee bone contusion), Shawn Marion (back spasms), Alonzo Mourning (torn right patella and quadriceps tendon), Dwyane Wade (left knee treatment), Dorell Wright (left knee meniscus tear)

Tuesday, March 25 - Bobcats at Utah Jazz - 9:00 p.m.
TV - News 14; Radio - WOLS OLDIES 106.1 FM
Bobcats Watch Party at The Graduate

Matt Rochinski of bobcats.com contributed to this breakdown.