Bobcats vs. Nets Pregame Preview

Tonight, the Charlotte Bobcats travel to New Jersey to take on the 0-18 Nets, who now have the stigma of having the worst start in NBA history.

The Bobcats, (7-10) are coming off a thorough thrashing by the Celtics in a game where head coach Larry Brown said was the team’s worst effort in his short tenure with the team. “It was like the varsity against the JV,” coach Larry Brown said after the game.

“It’s disappointing,” said center Tyson Chandler, “but we can turn it right back around and go and win four out of the next five. It’s a tough loss, but we’ve got to examine it and see everything we did wrong. We’ve got to start another winning streak.”

The Bobcats are one of the top defensive teams in the NBA, while the Nets are the at the bottom of the league in scoring and shooting. The Bobcats give up 89.1 points per game, lowest in the NBA.

The Bobcats have been on a roll since acquiring G Stephen Jackson from the Golden State Warriors. Jackson has scored in double figures in all eight games since joining the Bobcats and is averaging 16.6 points per game. The Bobcats are averaging 94.9 points on .464 shooting (281-605) since acquiring Jackson.

Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the week of November 29th. Wallace averaged 25.3 points, 13.7 rebounds,
1.7 steals, 1.3 assists and 1 block and shot .543 from the field, .385 from beyond the three-point line and .808 from the free-throw line, scored a season-high 31 points in consecutive games Wednesday and Friday, marking the first time in team history that a player has had consecutive games with at least 30 points and at least
10 rebounds.