Lauer Sounds Off: Good to See Cats Getting National Recognition
By Scott Lauer
November 15, 2012
bobcats.com
Scott Lauer is the radio play-by-play voice of the Charlotte Bobcats. His column will appear on bobcats.com on Thursdays throughout the season. The opinions expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Bobcats organization.
The Bobcats have quickly emerged as the surprise team in the NBA. They are in the midst of an active three-game winning streak, putting them at 4-3 on the season!
It’s enjoyable to hear the Bobcats discussed on national television broadcasts, which was the case in last night’s ESPN coverage of the Heat vs. Clippers game. They had a graphic of Michael Jordan’s 1991-92 season, which featured his MVP’s of the regular season and championship series, followed by a Gold Medal in the Olympics – feats that LeBron James accomplished this past year. Analyst Jeff Van Gundy chimed in (as I paraphrase) that he was happy Michael Jordan’s Bobcats have played so hard and so well, now above .500 for the second time this season. He applauded Coach Mike Dunlap’s work in helping to turn the team around. Play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico also acknowledged the three-game winning streak after the exhilarating win over Minnesota last night.
Charlotte never trailed in last night’s game, but credit is due to Minnesota for salting away a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game with 12 seconds left as Derrick Williams hit one of two free throws. Kemba Walker made it a short-lived tie game, as he drained a crossover pull up in front of Alexy Shved from the right wing with 0.7 seconds remaining, producing a two-point win. He earned 22 points in the victory, meaning that in three of the four Bobcats wins, he’s scored 22 or more (he also had a 30- and 26-point game in other wins). Walker said after the game that it felt like one of his college game-winners, considering he had several; none more memorable than his pull-up winner at the buzzer over Pitt in the Big East Tournament on March 10, 2011.
The winning streak takes the Cats into a very exciting Saturday night home game against the white hot Memphis Grizzlies, who are (6-1), having just beaten the Thunder on the road last night in their sixth straight win.
Lauer Blog Archive:
11/31/12: Lauer Sounds Off: Cats Have Options without Hendo
10/31/12: Lauer Sounds Off: NBA Predictions
9/27/12: Training Camp In Asheville!
9/20/12: Offseason Moves