By Steve Martin
FOXSportsSouth.com
January 20, 2011
For the second time in three days the Charlotte Bobcats take on Philadelphia. The Sixers lost to Orlando last night, much in the same manner that the Bobcats lost to the Sixers on Monday. Ahead by 4 with 17 seconds left to go, Andre Iguodala fouled Jason Richardson as he was shooting a three pointer. Richardson hit the shot and the foul shot after to send the game into overtime, where the Sixers lost 99-98.
Sometimes your veteran leaders struggle. They miss shots, turn the ball over, get beat for rebounds and sometimes look like they are stuck in cement. Same thing happens to all of us really. But what sets them apart from folks like you and I is that when the pressure is on, they haven't forgotten how to deliver what their reputation suggests they do subconciously.
Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson have seen those struggles, but when Tuesday night's game got inside the final three minutes, they both delivered for the Bobcats. Gerald got mad that Ronnie Brewer was allowed to sit on top of him after he was nailed trying to block Brewer's shot. The resultant technical turned Wallace's switch to "all in". In the closing three minutes he delivered 7 points, 2 rebounds and a block. Stephen Jackson put the BObcats in front with a mid range back up jumper with under two minutes to play. He also added 2 big foul shots that helped seal the deal over the Bulls.
The Bobcats have had the Sixers number in Charlotte. Since the Bobcats started playing in Time Warner Cable Arena in 2005, they have 9 of 10 games played in Charlotte between the two.
The Bobcats need to win a "case" to assure themselves of a return trip to the playoffs. In the remaining 42 games, Charlotte needs to win 24 games to get to 40 wins, which is the average number of wins held by the 8th place team in the East over the last 10 years.
