How the Cats CAN make the Playoffs

[cdandi1]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/03/22/2164308/a-four-step-journey-to-the-playoffs.html

Observer NBA writer Rick Bonnell notes four things that must happen over the next four weeks for the Charlotte Bobcats to win the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference:

1. Win Wednesday and Monday: It's not just how many they win, but who they beat. They have one game each (both at home) against the Pacers and Bucks, the two teams directly ahead of them in the standings.

They're a combined 0-5 this season against the Pacers and Bucks, which is a big factor in this predicament. That means they've already lost two key tiebreakers (they play Milwaukee only three times this season).

2. Sweep the bad teams left on the schedule: It's unrealistic to think they'll win at Boston, Miami or Orlando down the stretch. Those teams have been pretty consistent this season in beating the league's dredges.

So winning five remaining games - home against Cleveland, Washington and Detroit and at Cleveland and New Jersey - is a must if they expect to pass both Indiana and Milwaukee.

They're a combined 6-3 against those teams this season.

3. Get healthy/stay healthy: Every team is going to have injury issues this time of year, but Stephen Jackson's strained hamstring is a big deal because no one can do for this team what he does.

They're very limited offensively, so when Jackson can't play they're downright feeble in terms of scoring points.

Jackson is tough and has been remarkably fortunate, health-wise, during his first 10 NBA seasons. He says this is the first time he's had this sort of soft-tissue injury, where you don't know how long it will take to heal or how much it will affect you day-to-day.

It isn't just whether Jackson can play in a particular game, it's how effective he can be. For instance, how will he guard former All-Star Danny Granger in Wednesday night's Pacers game?

He says this injury is most apparent on defense (though it also affects his ability to drive and his balance on jump shots).

Power forward/center Tyrus Thomas seems to be getting back his form, after six weeks off to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

Reserve center Joel Przybilla (sore left knee) hopes to play in about a week, and coach Paul Silas admires Przybilla's drive to help. But how effective can Przybilla be down the stretch?

4. Get lucky with Indiana: Milwaukee's tough remaining schedule (eight road games, three of those against elite teams Orlando, Miami and Oklahoma City) will likely sink the Bucks. But the Bobcats need the Pacers to stumble. It would help if Atlanta and New York have real stakes, as far as playoff seeding, when they make late-season trips to Indianapolis.

I know its difficult to get excited about the BCats lately, especially with their poor play, but believe it or not, they are still in the playoff hunt only being two games out of 8th place. The cats sit in tenth right now, but the bucks (9th place) have a very tough schedule remaining with 8 games on the road.

Playoffs or not this team is probably picking between 10-15 in the draft, so I guess it would be fun to sneak back in the playoffs and possibly face Chicago, who we are 2-2 against.

Anyway, BOOM BOOM CLAP!!!!!!!!!!!!

:party:

[Liminy]

Let's Go Cats!

[bLACKpANTHER]

or we could lose out and move up the draft board :ihih:

#7 sounds better than #9 or 10

[Panthers128]

i don't see it happening with tyler hansbrough playing kevin mchale lately

[cdandi1]

This was just posted on the Observer's Website...

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2011/03/jackson-looks-doubtful-tonight.html

Jackson looks doubtful tonight

Charlotte Bobcats leading scorer Stephen Jackson looks doubtful for tonight's crucial game against the Indiana Pacers after "tweaking'' (coach Paul Silas's word) his strained left hamstring in a layup drill at morning shootaround.

Jackson didn't play Saturday in San Antonio, or practice the past two days. He left shootaround about 15 minutes into the process to seek treatment.

If Jackson can't play it could be devastating to the Bobcats' chances tonight, against the team they're chasing for the eighth seed. The Bobcats are 1-5 this season when Jackson doesn't play.

Dante Cunningham would start of Jackson can't

Some people commenting are questioning if Jax is even hurt..or is he just finding a way to sit. This isn't good for our chances.

I went back and looked at the standings last night...if the season ended today we would be picking (given how the lottery goes) at No. 9. If we moved up just a litte more, I could def see us in the play for Barnes, Terrence Jones, etc to possibly be the new SF after JAx...just some food for thought.

[bes628]

We won't make it. Not quite good enough, and even if we did, we're not ready for playoff ball.

Might as well get a nice draft pick.

[Chaos]

The tank is on.

[CatMan72]

Well let's see, 50% of part 1 failed... by 23 points.

Even if we make the playoffs this team is going to get swept just like last year but I'm sure the margin of victory will be much greater.

I really don't care about making the playoffs this year knowing full well that we would get swept and it wouldn't even be close. Time to pack it in and hope Jordan has some kind of plan in mind and a little bit of luck.

I will close this post with one final: LETS GO CATS for this year.

[Panthers128]

we need the pacers team plane to crash at this point and i'm not sinister enough to hope for that