GT: Feb 28th Charlotte @ San Antonio 8:30pm EST

[BigSlam]

'Bout bloody time!!

[BigSlam]

GT brought to you by: Hot cowgirls.

GO!!

[LamarMatic7]

We should invite Nolan to our neck of the woods so he doesn't get too lonely over at the Spurs boards.

[catch20two]

Anybody know if Parker or Ginobili playing tonight? I know Parker has been out a while and Ginobili hurt his hamstring the other night.

[gehenherzog]

The start of the 2014-2015 season starts today....

oh we're still in the 2013-2014 season?

[LamarMatic7]

Anybody know if Parker or Ginobili playing tonight? I know Parker has been out a while and Ginobili hurt his hamstring the other night.

Are you talking about some recent game? Because Manu just came back after his hamstring injury. Parker seems to be out but I expect him to return on a night where no one expects it. Tonight seems to be a bit too soon though, Pop will rest him a bit longer.

[gehenherzog]

Anybody know if Parker or Ginobili playing tonight? I know Parker has been out a while and Ginobili hurt his hamstring the other night.

Are you talking about some recent game? Because Manu just came back after his hamstring injury. Parker seems to be out but I expect him to return on a night where no one expects it. Tonight seems to be a bit too soon though, Pop will rest him a bit longer.

Parker must be playing. Spurs are favored by 10. I don't think they are favored by that much if Parker is out.

[LamarMatic7]

Anybody know if Parker or Ginobili playing tonight? I know Parker has been out a while and Ginobili hurt his hamstring the other night.

Are you talking about some recent game? Because Manu just came back after his hamstring injury. Parker seems to be out but I expect him to return on a night where no one expects it. Tonight seems to be a bit too soon though, Pop will rest him a bit longer.

Parker must be playing. Spurs are favored by 10. I don't think they are favored by that much if Parker is out.

in my opinion, Vegas still underestimates us as far as lines for games go. or actually, to put it more precisely - they know that the average better underestimates us so they set the lines accordingly.

I don't think this specifically means that Parker is playing. of course, for all I know it might happen but there certainly aren't any reports about him being ready to go.

[catch20two]

Anybody know if Parker or Ginobili playing tonight? I know Parker has been out a while and Ginobili hurt his hamstring the other night.

Are you talking about some recent game? Because Manu just came back after his hamstring injury. Parker seems to be out but I expect him to return on a night where no one expects it. Tonight seems to be a bit too soon though, Pop will rest him a bit longer.

I think I'm talking about his previous hamstring injury. My mind be all over the place and he get minor nagging injuries all the time. Now when I think about it he just blew out his sneaker the other game. Lucky he didn't sprain his ankle.

[KDATX]

Really pumped for tonight. Hopefully Gary Neal lays it on them.

Jefferson will have tough go against Timmy, is Splitter back yet?

Maybe getting Leonard back will throw them off a bit.

[Hugo The Hornet]

It will be hard, but we are Charlotte Bobcats. Come on players, give a great birthday gift to Josh McRoberts.

[gehenherzog]

Really pumped for tonight. Hopefully Gary Neal lays it on them.

Jefferson will have tough go against Timmy, is Splitter back yet?

Maybe getting Leonard back will throw them off a bit.

Big Al actually had a pretty game against Duncan last game. Duncan is slow and smaller than Al, Al should eat him him up again.

[MasterIchiro]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Kemba Walker shakes his head and smiles thinking about the Bobcats' upcoming four-game stretch.

"It can't get much tougher," he said Thursday.

Walker and the surging Bobcats are about to find out just how competitive they are against the NBA's top teams. They face the league's top four teams in a tough four-game stretch beginning Friday night at San Antonio. They'll follow that up by playing at Oklahoma City and Miami before returning home to host Indiana.

Charlotte (27-30) has won four straight since the All-Star break, its longest winning streak in three seasons.

However, beating Detroit twice, New Orleans and Memphis is one thing.

Now comes the real test, beginning against a San Antonio team that is 16-2 in the all-time series.

"The good thing about it is we're going to know what we need to work on after that stretch of games," coach Steve Clifford said. "Whatever you don't do well is going to come out."

Walker, last week's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, said he's looking forward to the challenge.

He said the Bobcats are playing better right now than at any point during his three seasons with the team.

"We're locked in, extremely focused," said Walker, a first-round pick in 2011. "This stretch is definitely a measuring stick for us, especially if we want to be in the playoffs. It's a challenge."

And the Bobcats are quickly gaining confidence, looking to reach the playoffs for only the second time and the first since 2010.

The Bobcats have already outperformed expectations under Clifford, the team's first-year head coach.

With one more victory, they'll equal their win total from the previous two seasons combined. Charlotte was 7-59 in 2011-12 and 21-61 last season.

"We've made a lot of strides in the last month and beat some good teams and played some good basketball," guard Gerald Henderson said. "Our defense is in a pretty good spot and has been all season. Now our offense is getting better."

Whether it will be good enough against the NBA's best remains to be seen.

The Bobcats are 0-7 against the league's top four teams.

They lost to the Heat three times, twice to the Pacers and once each to the Spurs (41-16) and Thunder. However, four of those losses have been by five points or less, giving the young Bobcats hope that they can not only be competitive, but also win.

The good news for the Bobcats is even if they get swept over the next four games, they've built enough of a cushion to where they'd still be among the East's top eight teams. Detroit is the conference's ninth-place team and the Bobcats are 4 1/2 games in front of the Pistons and also own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

But Henderson said getting swept is the last thing on his mind.

"We're going to try to win them all," he said. "We could lose all four or win all four. If we come out with the right mindset we should be able to win them all. But that's why you play the games."

Walker said the challenge will only make the Bobcats better as they prepare for the stretch run.

He said he likes the way his team is playing behind center Al Jefferson, who has been a dominant presence in the low post over the past two months since recovering from an ankle injury.

In Charlotte's wins this season, Jefferson has averaged 24.8 points and 11.1 rebounds.

"We're one of the more confident teams in the league right now," Walker said. "We're definitely looking forward to getting better and seeing what we can do against the best."

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/gametracke ... rs-preview

[MasterIchiro]

...The Bobcats play the NBA’s four best teams by record in a row in a six-day span, from Friday through Wednesday. The first three games are on the road – a crooked path of torment through San Antonio on Friday, Oklahoma City on Sunday and Miami on Monday. That is followed by a home game against Indiana Wednesday.

So what’s realistic, Kemba Walker? Would a 2-2 split be a major victory when you are playing the first four 40-win teams of the 2013-14 NBA season consecutively?

“We want to win all four,” Walker said bravely. “That’s the goal. It’s never ‘Let’s try to split.’ We want to go 4-0. That’s my goal, and I’m pretty sure that’s everyone else’s goal.”

That sounds pretty ridiculous. But it is what Walker has to believe, and it is what a team leader should say.

...They also have had a rare four days straight of practice this week, from Monday through Thursday, which has given some relief to the veterans’ aching joints and a chance for new Bobcats guards Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour to get a crash course in the Bobcats’ system.

“This is most definitely a challenge,” Bobcat center Al Jefferson said. “And I am most definitely looking forward to it. We’ve won four in a row. I feel good about it.”

For the Bobcats to win any of these games, Walker and Jefferson must lead the way. The offense runs through those two on almost every possession these days...

Neal is supposed to help them get better at one thing they don’t have enough of – reliable three-point shooting. The team’s effort is very good. You can tell that no one on this roster has ever played on a Bobcats playoff team, because they are obviously hungry for it.

When you play what will likely be the top two seeds in both the Eastern and the Western Conference in six days, however, effort and hunger are not enough. Defense and rebounding will be a lot of it. Guarding Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Paul George, a masked LeBron James and all of their cohorts is never easy, but all of these teams are gearing up for the playoffs and making their own stretch runs as they attempt to get the No.1 seeds and the resulting homecourt advantage.

“It’s going to be a grind,” Walker said. “Our next four games are against the four best teams in the league. But I think we’re definitely prepared, especially mentally. And our chemistry is the highest it has been all year.”...

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/02/27/ ... rylink=cpy

[gehenherzog]

Tony Parker- OUT

Line has dropped to SA -8 1/2

Absolutely love our chemistry and confidence right now.

[LamarMatic7]

Biz had dinner with Boris last night:
http://instagram.com/p/k9wRyljIyz/#

[mrknowitall215]

Game #58: Bobcats @ Spurs — Convo w/ 48 MOH + 1-on-3

Today’s preview is going to be a treat for everyone. Andrew McNeill, from 48MinutesOfHell.com and myself had an awesome conversation earlier on about tonight’s matchup and everything that’s been going on with the Bobcats and Spurs. This is some good stuff and I hope everyone enjoys it.

Our trusty QCH expert Greg Pietras also answers three vital questions leading into tonight’s tough road test in San Antonio.

Andrew (48MOH): So first and foremost for Spurs fans, how’s Gary Neal doing? Seems like he’s, at the very least, in a better situation than he was in Milwaukee.

Spencer (QCH): There’s no question that he’s in a better place. He wasn’t happy in Milwaukee – not only did he make that known within the locker room there, but his play on the court made it loud-and-clear as well. Bobcats fans are very hopeful that he’ll bring an offensive boost to this roster and assist in the playoff push. Tonight will be his debut wearing a Charlotte uniform.

Andrew (48MOH): That’s good for Gary. Even though he could be considered slightly moody during his time in San Antonio, he was a well-liked person within the community. I never saw him re-signing with the team, and that’s worked out even better than I expected, but I think everyone wanted the best for him.

Now last time the Spurs and Bobcats played, Charlotte got out to a good start, forced a lot of Spurs turnovers, and San Antonio slowly chipped away and won the game. What went wrong?

Spencer (QCH): Patty Mills happened. And you just don’t go over that scenario in the scouting report. I don’t anticipate that being a repeat occurrence tonight in San Antonio, but now the Spurs are on their home floor, and that obviously makes a huge difference.

Andrew (48MOH): Never underestimate Patty Mills.When I write the retrospective of this season “Patty Mills Happened” might be the subtitle.The 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs.

Spencer (QCH): That being said, Charlotte is on a six-day break, so it’ll be interesting to see how that affects the team tonight. Could be a positive, could be a negative.

Spencer (QCH): Hahaha. The guy can fill it up- there’s no question about that. There’s also that other guy named Gary Neal – he couldn’t ask for a better debut for his new team than against his former team of three years.

Andrew (48MOH): Oh, absolutely. Neal’s departure from San Antonio is one of the major reasons Mills is having the season he is. I don’t want to downplay the work Patty did in the offseason, including shedding a lot of excess weight, but the Spurs’ second unit needs a guy who can get off a shot, no questions asked. For a few years that was Gary, now that he’s gone Patrick Thrills has filled that void.

Let’s talk Kemba Walker. He’s on my fantasy team, but admittedly that means I probably still don’t keep up with him. How is his season going? How close is he to making “the leap,” and is that even possible?

Spencer (QCH): Look, Australia’s finest. Period. I’m admittedly a closet Patty Mills fan.

Spencer (QCH): Kemba has been fantastic this season. Having Al Jefferson around has really helped, taken scoring pressure off of him and significantly opened up the floor. On post-entries, the two have become very fun to watch with the combo of Kemba’s speed on cuts and Jefferson’s overall basketball IQ. Overall, Kemba has begun to come into his own for the past two seasons, but he’s proved this season just how efficient he can be with another big time piece next to him — he’s sporting a 17.50 PER this season.

Spencer (QCH): Andrew, have the Spurs been able to stay healthy this season? Update Charlotte on what the team looks like from an injury standpoint currently?

Andrew (48MOH): HAHAHAHA. Although, this is about the healthiest the Spurs have been in 2014.

Kawhi Leonard returned on Wednesday against the Pistons and looked good. Manu Ginobili hasn’t re-injured himself in anyway, although he did put a spectacular hurting on his shoe against Detroit.

Spencer (QCH): What’s the story with Tony Parker?

Andrew (48MOH): Tony Parker is close to returning to the lineup, but I doubt he’ll be available against the Bobcats. Basically, Parker hasn’t stopped playing basketball since the summer of 2012. He played all last season as the Spurs made a Finals run into late June. Then he went and led France to the Eurobasket title, got a couple of weeks off and then training camp started for this season’s Spurs.

He’s now squarely on the wrong side of 30, which is now making me fear my mortality, and injuries are going to happen for him. He needed a few days/weeks to get some rest, heal some bumps and bruises and refresh mentally.

Otherwise, it’s as healthy as San Antonio has been since New Year’s.

Spencer (QCH): Good stuff. I’d argue with anyone that Tony Parker is the smartest basketball player that I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching at the age of 26.

Spencer (QCH): Andrew, do you think that the Spurs have the best depth of any roster in the NBA? It’s so tough to play against a team that has 4-5 guys that can all come off the bench and get 15+ points on any given night – you guys have that.

Andrew (48MOH): I think it’s reasonable to say that the Spurs are the deepest team in the league. Although, sometimes I wonder whether San Antonio is really that deep of a team, or if the system is so strong and dialed in that Gregg Popovich can throw in anybody for a night and still be competitive. It’s a chicken or the egg thing. But, that being said, it’s hard to question the results. The Spurs win a lot of games that they shouldn’t because they can play anybody 1-15 for solid minutes at any given moment.

Here’s something I’ve been wondering. The Bobcats have Al Jefferson, right? He plays 34 minutes a night, correct? How in the hell is Charlotte the sixth best defense in the league?

Spencer (QCH): I could not agree more about the system and what Coach Pop breeds with any given body in San Antonio. He’s got the formula – there’s no negating that.

Yes and yes Andrew. Two words – Steve Clifford.

Spencer (QCH): He’s a Thibs disciple and has had the Bobcats playing as connected as any team in the NBA, defensively, all season long. Charlotte plays defense in a stance, on their toes and are always in the perfect athletic position to close out on shooters. I coach basketball, so that’s my coaching way to tell you that this is a team of mediocre defenders who have bought into a system – see, defense is an effort thing, for the most part.

It doesn’t hurt when you add a lockdown wing defender like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to the mix.

Andrew (48MOH): Right. And it’s the same personnel, for the most part, as it’s been in the last couple of years, right?

Spencer (QCH): And to really answer your question, Clifford hides Jefferson on pick-and-roll situations mainly – he sags low on most of PnR’s and Charlotte will help from the wings by being extra wary of gap defense.

Yes, that’s correct. Goes to show you how much coaching philosophy really matters.

Andrew (48MOH): I need one random prediction from you for tonight’s game. Something that has nothing to do with the final score.

Spencer (QCH): Kemba goes for 30+. Typically, he’s good on extra rest and this is a statement game for a Charlotte team that’s currently on a four-game winning streak + grinding through a tough stretch of the schedule.
And yourself, Andrew?

Andrew (48MOH): Ah, the tables have turned.

Andrew (48MOH): My random prediction is that Tim Duncan and Al Jefferson will combine for at least 25 rebounds, but the cumulative height that they jump during the game is less than five feet.

____________________________________________________________

1- Three weeks ago the Patty Mills show eventually put away the Bobcats in Charlotte, but it’s safe to say that San Antonio won’t have that to lean on again tonight. Charlotte’s 6th ranked defense will need a stingy performance tonight against the Spurs 6th ranked offense. How can the Bobcats limit San Antonio offensively tonight?

Greg: The Spurs thrive close to the basket, shooting 64.3 percent within five feet, good for third in the NBA. They still lean on the corner three as well, though the league has mostly caught up to them on that one. That mostly plays to the Bobcats’ strengths, as they’ve been good in both areas. While opponents hit a healthy 39.9 percent from the corners against Charlotte, they’ve done well at limiting those attempts. If they can lock down one area and force more mid-range jumpers and low-efficiency shots, they’ll be competitive in this one.

2- Gary Neal will make his Bobcats debut tonight against his former team that he played three seasons + in an NBA Finals with. I’d say you can’t ask for much better of a debut than that. Being said, what can we expect from Neal tonight?

Greg: I’m not expecting a ton right off the bat — maybe 15-20 minutes and 10 or so points. The starters have been the real strength of the team, and Clifford could use them a little more heavily tonight to get this road trip started off well. As this brutal stretch four-game stretch goes on, though, I’d expect Neal to earn solid minutes both as bench relief and as one more shooting option next to the starters. While I don’t think Neal himself is going to have a huge individual impact, the lineup flexibility he’ll bring could improve the team as a whole. Just having a reliable bench scorer and spacer would help, too.

3- PICK IT. Charlotte begins a brutal four-game stretch tonight. Do they get off on the right foot?

Greg: I think they have a better shot of winning tonight than they do against OKC, Miami or Indiana. Their extended rest should have given them time to incorporate the new pieces into the offense, and prep a few new wrinkles for San Antonio to worry about. I still think the Spurs win, but I think it’ll be another competitive game.

There’s a half-empty/half-full way to look at the upcoming stretch: On the one hand, they’re 0-7 against those four teams this year. But aside from two ugly, early-season losses to Miami and Indiana, they’ve been very competitive. Since Dec. 1, they have a four-point loss to the Spurs, a four-point loss against the Thunder, a five-point defeat from Indiana, and dropped a one-point squeaker and an overtime game to the Heat. That’s an average margin of defeat of 4.4 points, which is relatively encouraging considering those are the league’s top teams.

Maybe it’s setting the bar low, but even competing against the NBA’s cream is a big step up for this team. If they can go 1-3 over the next few games, it’ll be a big victory.

http://queencityhoops.com/blog/2014/02/ ... oh-3-on-3/

[Snidely FC]

Biz had dinner with Boris last night:
http://instagram.com/p/k9wRyljIyz/#

I'm surprised nobody posted the obligatory, "Biz is lucky Boris didn't eat him," jokes.

That picture is priceless. I mean, you just gotta love Biz.

[Snidely FC]

Meanwhile, last time SA had to use Boris to slow Al Jeff. Maybe that ginormous dinner was a plot by Biz to keep Boris slow tonight?

Ha Ha! Go Cats!

Spoiler:

[Logander]

I felt like I was going crazy not having Charlotte basketball for this long. Finally it's here!