Charlotte Wins A Nail Bitter To Start The Season
November 1st, 2008
CHARLOTTE (AP) -- The Bobcats led as many as 20 in the 2nd quarter, to win with a margin of 5. TJ Ford led the Pacers in their run, but it wasn't enough as the Bobcats won it 96-91.
Raymond Felton was the best player for the 'Cats today, as he nailed 25 points, had 5 assists and collected 3 rebounds. Felton proved he can be one of the league's best Point Guards for years to come. Felton even blocked Foster's layup. "He is really blooming. You can see Raymond is becoming better every time he steps on that floor. That is our future out there"-Larry Brown said.
The Pacers will have plenty of work to do at their next practice as they only shot 13/23 from the charity stripe. That proved to be the difference in the game. "When Indiana caught up with us, it was only their missed free-throws that saved the day"-Diaw said-"They won the game for us in the 4th quarter". Their so called sharpshooter TJ Ford was 5/10 from the line.
Down on the block Jeff Foster was really unstoppable. He managed to collect 18 rebounds and block 3 shots. "His defensive presence today was felt amongst my players"-Larry Brown said.
Diaw was never got a real chance in this game. He managed to fill the offensive hole with a great defensive show. Diaw had 8 rebounds and a game high 4 blocks. When the team finally gave him the ball, he scored 8 points and finished with a total of 12. "He died out there"-Felton stated. A player that had a quiet night was Gerald Wallace. The former Wildcat finished with 13 points.
TJ Ford had a great performance apart from the Free-throw line bricks. He finished with 29 points and 11 assists, both game highs. His quickness allowed him to steal the ball twice. Ford got some help from Dunleavy and Granger. They scored 21 and 24, respectively. However, Ford was a ball hog. He racked up 31 shots but only 12 went in.
Raja Bell also had a nice game. The Bobcats guard scored 16 points, including 4 trey's. He also committed 4 turnovers.
NOTES: TJ Ford got injured in the 4th quarter with 2:21 left on the clock, he will miss a few games...Sean May returned to the rotation today as he scored 7 points and collected 4 boards...Rumors say Horry will sign with the Bobcats...