May Named Revue MVP, Bobcats Falter

SALT LAKE CITY, July 22, 2005 – The Charlotte Bobcats scored 99 points in their final game of the Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue on Friday. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as they fell to the Atlanta Hawks, 105-99, and closed the Revue with a 4-2 record. Despite the loss, the Bobcats finished with the best record in the summer league thanks in large part to Utah's 80-75 win over San Antonio in Friday night’s final contest. The Spurs finished with a record of 3-2.

Rookie forward Sean May was named MVP of the Revue following a 25-point, 13-rebound performance that gave him his third double-double in six games. He averaged a team-high 16.5 points and 9.2 rebounds at the summer league. This was the second year in a row that a Bobcat won the Revue MVP. Jason Kapono won the MVP in 2004 after averaging 16.1 points and 2.0 assists, while helping Charlotte post a 5-2 record.

But May wasn't the only Bobcat to have another big night. Matt Carroll added 19 points and was named to the All-Revue Team with averages of 16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while Raymond Felton also landed a spot on the All-Revue Team after scoring 16 points and averaging 13.2 points, 5.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds in five games. Alan Anderson made his first start of the summer and added16 for the Bobcats.

While the Bobcats got a solid, all-around offensive effort, they found it difficult to find a defensive answer for Hawks rookie guard Salim Stoudamire. He ignited Atlanta’s offense and finished the game with 39 points on 11-19 shooting from the field and 16-19 shooting from the charity stripe. Stoudamire’s most impressive scoring streak came when it mattered most, when he hit 16-straight points for the Hawks in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

The Bobcats and Hawks both came out of the gates fast to start the contest. Carroll and Anderson combined to score 14 points in the first quarter, but Charlotte’s defense struggled in the first stanza against the aggressive Atlanta offensive attack. After allowing Atlanta to shoot .588 in the first quarter, the Bobcats found themselves in a 29-22 hole at quarter’s end.

May tried to lift his teammates in the next 10 minutes, scoring 11 of the Bobcats 19 points in the second period, but it wasn’t enough. Atlanta continued to put the heat on led by nine second-quarter points from Josh Smith and took a 53-41 lead at the break.

The Bobcats saw Atlanta’s lead grow to as many as 20 points in the third quarter, but four-straight points by Tommy Smith, followed by seven points in 47 seconds from Carroll cut the Atlanta lead to 74-63 heading into the final frame. Even though Charlotte outscored the Hawks, 36-31, in the final 10 minutes, it wasn’t enough to slow Stoudamire’s offensive outburst.

Josh Childress played second fiddle to Stoudamire with 22 points for Atlanta (3-3), while Smith added 19, and Marvin Williams and Arthur Johnson rounded out the Hawks scoring with 10 points each.