By Malinda Murray
bobcats.com
April 16, 2008
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With 5.4 seconds remaining in the 2007-08 season, the ball was in Raymond Felton’s hands. The Bobcats point guard drove the lane and as the ball found the bottom of the net, he was fouled by Philadelphia’s Jason Smith. Felton calmly walked to the line and knocked down the free throw to seal a 115-109 win and end Charlotte’s season on a high note.
Getting to this end result was a bit of a roller coaster ride, but the victory over a playoff-bound Philadelphia team was exactly what the Bobcats and the 17,043 fans in attendance at Fan Appreciation Night were looking for.
“This game was a springboard going into the playoffs for (Philadelphia),” explained Jason Richardson, “but we wanted to go out and win it for our fans. It was a good win for us.”
The Bobcats dominated the first 24 minutes of the game, shooting 60.0 percent from the floor to take a 10-point lead in at halftime. The start of the third quarter saw much of the same from Charlotte. Felton found a streaking Emeka Okafor for a thunderous alley-oop and Richardson nailed a three-pointer that capped a 15-2 Bobcats run and gave Charlotte a 23-point advantage, their largest lead of the game.
It appeared as though the Bobcats were well on their way to victory, but a determined 76ers team would not go away quietly. Andre Iguodala and Willie Green keyed the 76ers charge, leading Philadelphia on a 12-2 run to the end the third quarter to narrow Charlotte’s lead to just seven.
In the fourth quarter, Philadelphia continued to chip away at Charlotte’s advantage. Three straight triples from the 76ers, two from Iguodala and one from Green, pulled Philadelphia to within one. Then, with 2:48 left in the game, Green found Thaddeus Young for a layup that capped a 13-7 run and gave the 76ers a one-point lead.
With the momentum swinging in Philadelphia’s favor, the Bobcats could have easily folded under the pressure, but instead stepped up and matched the 76ers intensity. With Philadelphia holding a 110-109 lead with 1:39 remaining, the Bobcats took the ball inside. Ryan Hollins found Okafor for a dunk that gave the Bobcats back a lead they would not relinquish.
Matt Carroll knocked down a 17-foot jumper with 43.4 seconds remaining to extend the Bobcats lead to three and Charlotte’s defense held tough. A big block by Okafor and a key rebound from Richardson on the other end, set up the stage for Felton’s three-point play that iced the win.
“It’s a good feeling to get a win against a good Philadelphia team,” said Head Coach Sam Vincent. “We’ve talked about wanting to continue to grow throughout the course of this year. We’ve made strides and tonight was another testament that this team has grown. Tonight shows that we are able to win against a playoff caliber team.”

All season the Bobcats have talked about growing as a team. Tonight was a prime example of how this team has developed and learned from previous mistakes.
After relinquishing a 20-point lead Tuesday in a loss to New Jersey, the Bobcats were determined to not let the same thing happen again tonight. After falling behind in the fourth, Charlotte re-focused on their strategy of getting the ball down into the paint.
“The plan was to get it inside after we watched film last night,” said Vincent. “Tonight I was more determined that if we were going to miss shots we were going to miss them on the inside. Tonight, (Emeka) Okafor did a great job. Ryan (Hollins) did a good job of setting the screens and making the pass and Emeka was in the right spot to finish.”
Okafor came up big for the Bobcats down the stretch scoring 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. He also added nine rebounds, two assists and four blocked shots.
But it wasn’t just Okafor that had a big night. Every Bobcats player that stepped on the floor provided a contribution to the win.
All told, five Charlotte players finished in double-figures led by Richardson’s 29-point performance.
Felton continued to showcase his ability to lead this team as tonight he posted his 17th double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 assists.
“Raymond has grown a lot,” said Vincent. “He’s grown as a player from the middle part of the season until now. He has grown to a guy that is controlling the situation and getting the ball to the right guys. It’s nice to see that his growth has taken place at such a critical time with the team.”
Carroll also had a nice night, posting 19 points and eight rebounds while Nazr Mohammed added 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks off the bench.

After building a 23-point advantage, the Bobcats began to get a little sloppy. During an 11-minute stretch that spanned the third and fourth quarters, Charlotte went just 5-of-17 from the field and committed five turnovers to allow the 76ers to get back in the game.

Tonight’s game was the epitome of the season for Jason Richardson. Night in and night out he has consistently put up incredible numbers for this team. Tonight he did it again, posting 29 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He also added seven rebounds, two assists a steal and a block.
He also hit three triples to finish with 243 three-point field goals made this season which ranks fourth all-time in league history, trailing only Ray Allen, Dennis Scott and George McCloud.

Anyone who had Richardson on their fantasy squad this season reaped the rewards. Tonight was no exception as Richardson put up numbers that would help anyone battling in the fantasy playoffs.

Charlotte didn’t miss many shots tonight as they finished the game shooting 57.0 percent (45-79) from the field while Philadelphia shot 47.4 percent from the floor.

”We had 32 wins this season which is one less win than we had last year, but going through a month and a half on the road during the ACC, CIAA and NCAA events, that was really tough for us,” said Vincent. “Injuries to Gerald (Wallace) and some of the season ending injuries were really tough. When I look at the season in that perspective, it’s not that bad. Overall, I still have to pat the guys on the back and say I think they did a heck of a job this year.”

BOBCATS: Sean May (right knee surgery), Adam Morrison (torn left ACL), Othella Harrington (left knee discomfort), Gerald Wallace (left groin soreness), Derek Anderson (lateral back pain)
SIXERS: Herbert Hill (left knee torn meniscus)