NBA Playoffs Rd 1: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Bobcats

[King Taharqa]

(2) Orlando Magic (58-23)

STARTING 5

PG #14 Jameer Nelson

6'0 190 lbs

St. Joseph's '04

12.4 PPG 5.4 APG 84.8 FT% 37.7 3PT%

SG #15 Vince Carter

6'6 220 lbs

North Carolina '98

16.5 PPG 3.2 APG 36.3 3PT% 83.3 FT% 3.9 RPG

SF #22 Matt Barnes

6'7 226 lbs

UCLA '02

8.7 PPG 5.4 RPG 1.6 APG 48.6 FG% 32.7 3PT%

PF #9 Rashard Lewis

6'10 230 lbs

Alief Elsik HS '98

14.1 PPG 4.4 RPG 39.8 3PT% 80.5 FT

C #12 Dwight Howard

6'11 265 lbs

SW Atlanta Christian Academy '04

18.5 PPG 13.2 RPG 2.8 BPG 61.0 FG%

BENCH

PG-Jason "White Chocolate" Williams

SG-JJ Redick

SF-Mickael Pietrus

PF-Brandon Bass

C-Marcin Gortat

HEAD COACH

Stan Van Gundy

[King Taharqa]

(7) Charlotte Bobcats (44-37)

STARTING 5

PG #20 Raymond Felton

6'1 198 lbs

North Carolina '05

12.2 PPG 5.6 APG 1.6 SPG 45.8 FG% 39.0 3PT%

SG #1 Stephen "Captain" Jackson

6'8 220 lbs

Oak Hill Academy '96 (Mouth Of Wilson, vA)

20.7 PPG 3.8 APG 4.9 RPG 32.6 3PT%

SF #3 Gerald "Crash" Wallace

6'7 220 lbs

Alabama '01

18.3 PPG 10.1 RPG 48.3 FG% 37.1 3PT% 2.1 APG 1.5 SPG 1.1 BPG

PF #32 Boris Diaw

6'8 235 lbs

France '03

11.3 PPG 5.2 RPG 4.0 APG 48.0 FG% 32.4 3PT%

C #42 Theo Ratliff

6'10 235 lbs

Wyoming '95

5.3 PPG 4.3 RPG 1.6 BPG

BENCH

PG-DJ Augustin

SG-Larry Hughes

SF-Stephen Graham

PF-Tyrus Thomas

C-Tyson Chandler

C-Nazr Mohammed

HEAD COACH

Larry Brown

--------------------------------

I'm gonna take our Bobcats in 6 games over the Magic. We shock the world and seen the Magic home early. GO BOBCATS!!!

[God]

Bobcats in 7! Go Cats!

[necroplasm]

I'm feeling confident. Bobcats 4-2!

[cdandi1]

Anything is possssssibllllllleeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..GO CATS!!!

[theyhateme45]

Gotta believe right.... Bobcats in 7

[Acewalker]

Bobcats = dark horse of the NBA playoffs

[CatMan72]

We can take Orlando in 7, play HACK-A-HOWARD and limit our own turnovers.

[Kevin Greene]

G/L!

[IIII 47 IIII]

Awesome.

I dont get to attend many Magic games (about 4 or 5 each year) and i love when they come to Charlotte.

This series will be over in 4 though. I mean lets face it. We are the defending Eastern Conference Champions and the only team in the East that poses any kind of threat is Cleveland, not lowly Charlotte.

Hope you guys cheer loudly for those 4 games though, it's cool to see Charlotte in the playoffs.

[tarheelblue89]

I believe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I also believe that this Magic team is gonna win it all, Magic in 6.

[Dpantherman]

Cats in 6

[HeatCheck]

My write-up about the series:

It has been a historic year for the Charlotte Bobcats. This marks the first year that the Bobcats have had a winning record and have finally reached the playoffs after 6 years. Their first round opponent will be the defending Eastern Conference Champion, the Orlando Magic. This year the Bobcats and Magic have had some tough battles but the Magic won the regular season series 3-1. Charlotte’s win was the most recent game between the two teams and it came without Bobcat’s first All Star Gerald Wallace, who was unable to play. It was a good win on the road, something that the Bobcats need to do for them to advance to the next round. Charlotte’s road record has been poor and has been their Achilles heel all year long. Whether it is mental or the fact that they are not playing in front on their home crowd in Time Warner Cable Arena, the Bobcats know this area needs to be fixed soon. Without a road win vs. the Magic, the Bobcats will be sent home packing.

The Bobcats are one of the lower seeds that many analysts believe can give a higher seed, like the Orlando Magic, fits. The Bobcats have been arguably the best defensive team all year and that alone will keep you in games. Larry Brown basketball stresses defense and it has shown with this team. This Charlotte team makes a living off turning the ball over with many players on the Bobcats roster being able to guard multiple positions. The Trade-Deadline deals of Thomas and Ratliff have given the Bobcats a spark on defense. Defense will be instrumental if Charlotte wants to upset the defending Eastern Conference Champions. The Magic have a “pick your poison” type offense with Dwight Howard in the paint and the likes of Lewis, Carter, and Redick on the outside.

This opening round series between Charlotte and Orlando should be a good one and one that Bobcat fans will remember forever. Go Bobcats!

Previous Meetings:

November 10: Orlando 93 at Charlotte 81

November 16: Charlotte 91 at Orlando 97

January 23: Orlando 106 at Charlotte 95

March 14: Charlotte 96 at Orlando 89

Charlotte Bobcats Roster:

PG Raymond Felton

SG Stephen Jackson

SF Gerald Wallace

PF Boris Diaw

C Theo Ratliff

Bench

G Larry Hughes

F Derrick Brown

C Tyson Chandler

C DeSagana Diop

F Tyrus Thomas

C Nazr Mohammed

G D.J. Augustin

G Gerald Henderson

C Alexis Ajinca

F Stephen Graham

Orlando Magic Roster:

PG Jameer Nelson

SG Vince Carter

SF Matt Barnes

PF Rashard Lewis

C Dwight Howard

Bench

G J.J. Redick

G Anthony Johnson

C Marcin Gortat

F Mickael Pietrus

F Brandon Bass

C Adonal Foyle

F Ryan Anderson

G Jason Williams

My Prediction: Magic in 6.

[C47]

Awesome.

I dont get to attend many Magic games (about 4 or 5 each year) and i love when they come to Charlotte.

This series will be over in 4 though. I mean lets face it. We are the defending Eastern Conference Champions and the only team in the East that poses any kind of threat is Cleveland, not lowly Charlotte.

Hope you guys cheer loudly for those 4 games though, it's cool to see Charlotte in the playoffs.

LOL you have no clue what is coming in your teams direction if you think that. I'm a Lakers fan but I regularly attend Bobcats games since I live in Charlotte now and they are for real. They have been playing good to great defense as of late and getting easy transition buckets. If Tyson Chandler keeps up the play he has had since the middle of March watch out. Don't think that TWC wont be electric either.....Charlotte has been waiting for basketball to make it back and now that their team is in the playoffs I fully expect the home games to be sellouts or damn close to it. To call Charlotte lowly is just asinine it wasn't to long ago that Charlotte went into Orlando and won by 7 without G-Force. Either way it should be a great series.