By Matt Rochinski
bobcats.com
April 15, 2008
Boxscore | Play-By-Play | Highlights | Recaps

When Matt Carroll drained a jumper at the 7:39 mark of the third quarter to put Charlotte up 67-54 in New Jersey on Tuesday, it wasn’t a stretch to say the Bobcats appeared to be on their way to their 32 win of the season and 12th win on the road.
But it wasn’t to be, as New Jersey All-Stars Richard Jefferson (28 points) and Vince Carter (18) combined to score 46 points and lead a second-half rally that forced overtime before Charlotte fell 112-108 at the IZOD Center.
After building the lead to as many as 20 points late in the second quarter, the Bobcats offense appeared to be rolling behind 21 first-half points from Jason Richardson. And even though the Nets came close to pulling within single digits out of the locker room after the break, when Carroll’s shot rang true early in the third quarter Charlotte seemed poised to keep New Jersey at bay.
At that point, the Bobcats were connecting on 53.6 percent (30 of 56) of their shots and seemed to have an answer every time the Nets tried to make a run.
But the Bobcats offense went stale after Carroll’s make, as they failed to connect on a field goal the remainder of the third quarter and finished the frame shooting 20.0 percent (3 of 15) from the floor. The Nets took full advantage behind Carter and Jefferson, outscoring Charlotte 22-14 in the third and cutting the Bobcats lead to single digits, 75-66, heading into the final 12 minutes of regulation.
With their confidence rising and Charlotte’s offense still sputtering – failing to connect on another field goal until Carroll’s shot with 8:44 remaining – the Nets continued to rally as they outscored the Bobcats 28-19 in the fourth and were able to force the extra session.
Charlotte kept the game within reach in the OT and trailed 104-103 with 2:11 remaining after two Carroll free throws. But on New Jersey’s ensuing possession, Devin Harris drained a 3-pointer from the right side with the shot clock winding down that made it a two-possession game and the Bobcats weren’t able to get any closer the rest of the way.
“I think we just got a little complacent,” said Richardson. “We got tired, they are a good team even though they aren’t in the playoffs they still have Richard (Jefferson), Vince (Carter), and Devin (Harris). We thought we had them buried in the books, you can’t do that to any team in the NBA.”

After falling behind 11-4 to start the game, there wasn’t much that didn’t go right for the Bobcats in the first half.
Richardson finished the game with 31 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight steals but did most of his damage in a pivotal nine-minute stretch to close the first quarter. Behind nine points and four steals from Richardson, Charlotte outscored the host Nets 29-7 in that stretch to take a 33-18 lead after one.
The Bobcats continued to impress offensively in the second frame, outshooting New Jersey 54.0 percent (27 of 50) to 37.8 percent (14 of 37) from the field, while turning the ball over just twice to 11 Nets miscues.
Richardson finished the half with 21 points, three rebounds and seven steals, capped by a 360-degree, one-handed slam that put the Bobcats up 57-37 on their way to a 61-44 lead at the break.

In contrast to the first half, there weren’t many highlights for the Bobcats in the second half.
Charlotte was outscored 22-14 in the third, 28-19 in the fourth and 18-14 in overtime on their way to the loss thanks in large part to the job Jefferson and Carter did locking down on Richardson on the defensive end. He was held to just nine points in the second half and overtime and did not connect on a shot from the field until he drained a three with 3:42 remaining in the extra session to tie the game, 99-99.
And it wasn’t just Richardson the Nets harassed defensively. New Jersey forced 15 Bobcats turnovers in the second half and overtime after Charlotte turned it over only twice in the first half.
“We had a great first half – shot the ball well, defended shots. I thought the ball really moved well in the first half. In the second half it didn’t move as well,” said Bobcats Head Coach Sam Vincent. “We got into more one-on-one stuff and I thought they (Nets) did a good job of packing it in tight. The Nets were really blitzing on the screen and roll and that really hurt us on a lot of our screen stuff. I thought the Nets came out and played tougher in the second half, they really got into us. They were bumping and a little more physical, little more aggressive. Their (Nets) defense really picked up.”

Richardson did everything he could to set the Bobcats up for a potential win with a 21-point first half. Yes, he was held without a field goal in the third and fourth quarters, but he still finished with a game-high 31 points and made a solid contribution on the defensive end, finishing with 10 rebounds and a career-high eight steals. He also chipped in with four assists and turned it over only three times.

When you finish two steals shy of the Bobcats first-ever triple-double with 31 points, 10 boards and eight steals in your record-tying 81st game of the season, connect on five 3-pointers and dish out four assists, you’re a fantasy hero. Especially considering this could have been a make-or-break performance by Richardson in your fantasy league championship week.
Raymond Felton also gets a nod for his 18-point, eight-assist, six-rebound performance.

How could the Bobcats miss 11-straight shots in a 10:57 stretch over the third and fourth quarters and only see their lead shrink from 13 points (67-54) to nine points (79-70)?
Free throws.
Charlotte’s work from the charity stripe over that stretch kept them in the game. The Bobcats hit 12-of-14 free throws in that time and finished the game shooting 88.9 percent (24 of 27) from the line compared to 78.4 percent (29 of 37) for New Jersey.

“When you have a team down you have to kick them,” said Richardson. “If you don’t kick them they will come back and kick you. They had a lot of energy, their fans were in it, and they just wanted to win their last home game.”

BOBCATS: Sean May (right knee surgery), Adam Morrison (torn left ACL), Othella Harrington (left knee discomfort), Derek Anderson (lateral back pain), Gerald Wallace (left groin strain)
NETS: Josh Boone (sprained MCL, right knee)

Wednesday, April 16 - Bobcats vs. Philadelphia 76ers - 7:00 p.m.
TV - SportSouth; Radio - WOLS OLDIES 106.1 FM
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