Catch all for Bobcats Playoff articles...

[Porn Shop Clerk]

Charlotte Bobcats beating the Orlando Magic would be a nightmare to the NBA.

[King Taharqa]

Bobcats face tall task containing Superman

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — What Tyson Chandler really loves about the playoffs is that he can zero in one team, pouring over video to learn opposing players' strengths, weaknesses and tendencies.

"You sit there and you study your guy," the Charlotte Bobcats center said. "You know that guy almost better than he knows himself."

So how's that horror DVD starring Dwight Howard of Orlando looking?

"It really doesn't matter how much you watch," Chandler said, laughing.

The player they call Superman is standing in the way of the Charlotte's hopes for a first-round upset in the franchise's first playoff appearance. The four-time All-Star is a matchup nightmare for the Bobcats, who have had little success slowing him down since just missing out on drafting him in 2004.

At 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds, Howard is a unique mix of brute strength and athleticism. He's averaging 18.3 points, an NBA-best 13.2 rebounds and shooting an league-high 61.2 percent from the field.

"We're looking at one of the best players in the league and one of the best players to come into the league in a long, long time. I think he's phenomenal," Bobcats coach Larry Brown said. "So if you don't have big guys that can play — a lot of big guys — you're in trouble. You can't go small against them because there's nobody that's small that can play him and stay out of foul trouble. You need bodies."

That's one thing Charlotte has. The Bobcats start veteran Theo Ratliff, who turns 37 on Saturday, at center. But behind him are Chandler, Nazr Mohammed and DeSagana Diop.

Add up that up and that's 24 fouls to use if Charlotte wants to be physical.

"The biggest thing for me is just not to get frustrated," Howard said. "They're going to beat on me, pull me, do whatever they have to do to get me out of my game. I just have to be strong and understand what our mission is, and that's to win."

With Howard just a 59 percent free-throw shooter, Hack-a-Howard may be Charlotte's best option to have a chance in the best-of-seven series, which starts Sunday. Howard made just 3 of 10 free throws in Charlotte's victory at Orlando last month.

"You don't want to just play the foul game," Ratliff insisted Friday. "At a point in the game, you might try to do that. But you want to play him aggressive and make him take tough shots. That's what we intend to do."

Chandler feels the key is to keep Howard out of his comfort zone, something the Bobcats did in the third meeting between the teams in January. Howard was held to 10 points on 4 of 11 shooting. Trouble was, he grabbed 20 rebounds and blocked seven shots in the Magic's overtime win.

"You've got to keep him out of the paint," Chandler said. "If he's making moves and he's shooting shots outside of that paint, we can live with that."

What makes Orlando so dangerous, however, is if you focus entirely on Howard with double teams or a zone, it leaves the perimeter open. And the Magic have deadeye 3-point shooters in Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter, J.J. Redick, Matt Barnes and Mickael Pietrus.

"If we're going to win you've got to figure out how to keep them off the 3-point line without allowing Dwight to get 100 points," Brown said. "We've got to keep them out of transition. In transition it's hard to find their shooters and they set a record for 3-point shots. They have so many ways to beat you."

Howard's presence is also a main reason the Magic allow opponents to shoot an NBA-low 43.8 percent. Howard leads the league with 2.78 blocks per game.

But Charlotte may be more equipped to face Orlando this than in the past, when Emeka Okafor often struggled in the matchup of the top two picks in the 2004 draft. Since Okafor was traded, the Bobcats have more bodies and options.

But sometimes all defenses prove futile against Howard.

"He's such an incredible athlete," Chandler said. "He's always balanced on the floor and he's always getting to his spots where he feels comfortable. You've got to keep him out of those spots. It's a tough task and I'm looking forward to it."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iH3j41bVLgE9D0lOBVZNtXUKTwtgD9F4FP6O0

Mike Cranston.

[King Taharqa]

The trash-talking text messages were inevitable. Matt Barnes loves teasing Stephen Jackson and the same is true in reverse.

But early in the week when Barnes sent his best friend a few of those messages in anticipation of a head-to-head playoff matchup, he didn't hear back from Jackson for a while. When Jackson replied, his message wasn't about basketball. Instead, he wanted to make plans to see Barnes and his young twin sons.

It showed just how much the relationship between two of the NBA's most volatile enforcers softens away from the basketball court. There, it's about the rest of their lives, making fun of each other, their kids, their families and a bond formed three years ago in California by two players drawn together by their similar playing styles.

"I gave him the nickname Pedro; he always talks about my teeth," Jackson said. "We have fun, but I love that dude to death. And I'd do anything for him."

On Sunday Jackson and Barnes will square off when the Orlando Magic play the Charlotte Bobcats in Game 1 of NBA playoffs first round. Both are new to their teams and have lent toughness to them. It's a kind of toughness their teammates appreciate when things are going well, opponents do not and the kind that gets them technical fouls or ejections at times.

"We both go out and play hard and have our teammates' backs," Barnes said. "And if that's a bad thing, then I don't wanna be good."

The friendship began during the 2006-07 season when the Indiana Pacers traded Jackson to Golden State.

Two incidents defined Jackson's tenure with the Pacers. The first was his participation in a brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004. He leapt into the stands to chase a fan who had picked a fight with his teammate Ron Artest. The second was a shooting late at night in Indianapolis that resulted in a felony conviction for Jackson.

Upon Jackson's arrival at Golden State, though, Barnes saw a guy with the same intensity as he had, on a team filled with that.

Jackson, Barnes and Baron Davis captained a Warriors squad that shocked the No. 1 seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs.

The team was close off the court, too, especially Barnes and Jackson. Barnes' family, from northern california, took in Jackson during holidays when he couldn't get home to his. When Barnes' mother died after a short battle with cancer, Jackson felt it almost as badly.

"It was more than me being there for him," Jackson said. "It was me losing a second mom, also. … Me being there for him was not out of being a teammate, it was out of love. Loving him and respecting his mom."

That Warriors team quickly disintegrated after their playoff upset. Before long nearly every key piece, including Barnes, Davis and Magic forward Mickael Pietrus, was gone. Jackson began the 2009-10 season with a young Warriors team and an organization that expected his patience through rebuilding.

They didn't get it. Jackson demanded a trade, was suspended by the Warriors and eventually, happily, escaped to Charlotte in November.

It pleased Barnes to see Jackson get out. Even better, he loved watching Jackson become a leader in Charlotte. He isn't alone in his belief that Jackson's arrival helped lead the Bobcats to the playoffs as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. It's a matchup Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy called "possibly the toughest draw in the East."

Jackson, too, has liked seeing Barnes make headlines with his toughness – especially that infamous battle in March with the Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

"A lot of people might look at it as Matt being an [expletive], because I know that's what people say about me sometimes," Jackson said. "It's all about playing the game hard, doing whatever it takes for you to win the game, and doing whatever it takes to help your teammates be successful. That's Matt's only intention."

Jackson expects he and Barnes will hang out after every game this series, regardless of who wins. They'll have dinner as soon as he arrives in Orlando, and he'll see plenty of Barnes' babies.

On the court, though, the softness will disappear.

"We've always been supportive of one another, but we're about to go to war with him now," Barnes said.

Neither player knows any other way.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-magic-bobcats-barnes-jackson-20100416,0,6315571.story

[King Taharqa]

[ItsNotGonnaBeAlright]

MAGIC (2) VS. BOBCATS (7)

Why Orlando should win.

None of the Bobcats' centers can unilaterally prevent Dwight Howard from dominating both baskets. When Howard is necessarily double-teamed, the Magic’s reliable 3-point shooters will be left unattended.

Matt Barnes’ ornery defense can confound and frustrate Gerald Wallace.

Rashard Lewis is too big and too versatile for Boris Diaw to contain.

Vince Carter should light up Stephen Jackson.

Jameer Nelson always finds a way to make Orlando’s dynamic screen/rolls pay handsome dividends.

J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrius are primo bench players.

Orlando’s offense can play both outside-in and inside-out with equal effectiveness.

The Bobcats have trouble scoring anyway, but Howard’s shot blocking will further limit Charlotte’s inside offense.

With the Magic’s overwhelming board power generating extra shots, there should easily be several lopsided games.

Why the Bobcats could win.

Theo Ratliff, Tyson Chandler and Nazr Mohammed give Charlotte 18 fouls to use against Howard, thereby taking fullest advantage of Superman’s Clark Kent-ian performance at the free-throw line.

Jackson’s offense is extremely erratic, but he’s certainly capable of an extended hot streak that could be the basis for an upset.

Raymond Felton is tough and smart enough to trump Nelson’s inferior defense.

Boris Diaw is solid and surprisingly good at scoring within the context of the offense.

If Gerald Wallace’s long-range shots are dropping, Orlando’s defense will become vulnerable to his high-stepping attacks on the rim.

The quick agility and extraordinary athleticism of Tyrus Thomas is Charlotte’s X-factor. If he can make wise decisions, Thomas just might be too much for Orlando’s defense to handle.

Charley Rosen from Fox Sports

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/east-preview-who-should-win-each-series

[King Taharqa]

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Jameer Nelson scored 24 of his 32 points in the first half, and the Orlando Magic nearly blew a 22-point lead before beating the Charlotte Bobcats 98-89 in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series Sunday.

Rashard Lewis added 19 points, and Dwight Howard had nine blocks but was limited offensively and in foul trouble for most of the second half.

Gerald Wallace had 25 points, and Stephen Jackson played through a hyperextended left knee to finish with 18 points in the Bobcats’ first playoff game in franchise history.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night in Orlando.

Charlotte swarmed and slapped Howard on every opportunity near the rim to frustrate the Magic’s All-Star center. Howard had five points and seven rebounds, and was 1 for 6 on free throws.

His absence left the Magic grounded.

Wallace’s free throws trimmed Orlando’s lead to 85-80 late in the fourth, and had the Bobcats on the brink of a stunning upset.

Howard then returned with a put-back dunk, Mickael Pietrus had a 3-pointer and the Magic eventually went ahead 92-84 to put the game out of reach.

Charlotte’s gritty comeback attempt at least provided them with some hope that this series might not be so lopsided. Making their playoff debut for the first time in six seasons as a franchise, the Bobcats came out slow.

Nelson left Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustin in the dust early, much to the dismay of new Bobcats majority owner Michael Jordan sitting on the baseline. But Orlando would implode with Howard sidelined as Charlotte twice battled back from big deficits and overcame what could have been a catastrophic blow.

Wallace dived for a loose ball and collided with Jackson late in the second quarter. Jackson laid on the floor in pain, and Nelson pushed the ball down court to hit a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer.

Jackson was carried off the floor, and the entire Bobcats team came over to check on him as they walked to the locker room. He got up after about a minute, limping to the locker room and playing through the injury.

Jackson scored 10 points in the second half, but he sat out the final minutes of the fourth because of the injury.

The Bobcats went down 65-43 on a 3-pointer by Rashard Lewis early in the third quarter. Howard would pick up his fourth foul, and the frustration began to set in for the Magic.

Carter, who shot just 4 for 19, was whistled for a technical in the third quarter after arguing with officials. Carter would foul out late in the fourth, and the Bobcats rallied to make it a tight game to the finish.

NOTES: Jackson also was called for a technical foul in the first quarter after yelling an expletive at the official. … Bobcats coach Larry Brown was calm and cool before the game in his return to the playoffs, except for one thing: “My biggest concern is we haven’t been on (national) TV (in so long), I don’t know how I’m going to act,” he said, laughing. … Howard’s six blocks in the first quarter were a team playoff record.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010041819

[HeatCheck]

Much as coach Larry Brown predicted, Charlotte Bobcats leading scorer Stephen Jackson was mad Brown wouldn't let him play the last nine minutes of a series-opening loss, because of a hyperextended left knee.

Mad, but deferential.

"No!" Jackson said when asked if he agreed with Brown's decision. "But I respect it."

[HeatCheck]

Gerald Wallace(notes) spoke with a bit of feistiness and flavor Monday, fed up with the notion his Charlotte Bobcats might be intimidated by Dwight Howard’s(notes) presence in the paint.

So this time Wallace sent an ever-so small shot back.

“We’re not going to just let him think he’s the bully or that he’s a factor up under the basket,” Wallace said, “because he’s not.”

Say this about the Bobcats: They still have some fight.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=At4PQEpUCnT.w5FChR5B.em8vLYF?slug=ap-bobcats-magic

[Sapper]

Brown with a little motivation. Magic took Monday off.

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2010/04/brown-notice-who-took-monday-off.html

[Porn Shop Clerk]

Nice. If we play 48 minutes the way we played the 3rd and 4th quarters, we win.

[Liminy]

Nice. If we play 48 minutes the way we played the 3rd and 4th quarters, we win.

Werd...

I am waiting to see Gerald put D12 on the floor with a monster dunk on the Magic's home court. I think this team has a fire under it's ass and will really surprise a lot of people.

[HeatCheck]

I am loving this quote from Larry Brown:

"Yesterday, Orlando took the day off. That's how [expletive deleted] seriously they're taking us.''

You gotta find anything to get you motivated.