The last time the Bobcats came to New Jersey, it was victory number one of the season. Will the Nets be able to close the Meadowlands in style with a victory over the team they’ve already picked off twice? Here to discuss his playoff-bound Charlotte Bobcats is Brett Hainline of Queen City Hoops.
NAS: The Bobcats are the only above .500 team the Nets have taken down twice this season. Is there something about the Nets that presents a bad match-up for the Bobcats, or is this totally coincidental?
Rather than cop-out and say coincidence, how about this: The Bobcats struggle with turnovers (1st in turnover rate) but make their living forcing turnovers (4th in the league in forced turnover rate), and despite the Nets being a weak defensive team, New Jersey is 19th in turnover rate and 13th in forced turnover rate – not great by any stretch, but decent. In their two losses to the Nets, the Bobcats lost the turnover battle 33-27.
NAS: What are your expectations for the Bobcats headed into the playoffs for the first time? Is their defense capable of giving a scare to the Magic in the first round?
No expectations – I am just looking forward to Charlotte getting to host playoff basketball again. This is a big step for the Bobcats winning the city back over and if they can win a game or two against the Magic, all the better. With the center-quad squad healthy again, the Bobcats have a lot of bodies to throw at Dwight Howard and the more single coverage they can use the better. Between the Cats defense, and Dwight’s occasional foul trouble, I could see Charlotte winning a couple, but not the series.
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