Game Notes: Bobcats at Cavs

The Larry Brown era starts for Charlotte tonight as they play their first game of the season against the Cavaliers in Ohio. Cleveland play their first game at the home tonight, returning from an away loss to the defending champs.

1st Quarter:

• Cleveland start with a Ben Wallace turnover. He says he wants to get more involved in the offense but it doesn't look to be working.
• Richardson misses, Bron goes one on one and loses the ball, Charlotte score on the fast break.
• Slam from LeBron gets the crowd going. Okafor airballs on a fadeaway in the post.
• Williams drives and finds Ilgauskas for the layup.
• J-Rich misses a 3, offensive rebound for Okafor.
• Rejection by Wallace!
• Williams misses a 3. Felton misses a quick 2.
• James misses from the low-post. He still hasn't developed a go-to post move.
• Felton misses a layup. West gets fouled on the fast break. Richardson misses the contested 2.
• Richardson fronts LeBron in the post, so an alley-oop's thrown but James gets called for basket interference, very good call, followed by LeBron's whining to the refs.
• May gets 2 from the line, 5-7.
• West runs a pick and roll with Wallace, doesn't succeed, pick and roll with Z, fails again, West bricks a long 2.
• Gerald Wallace drains the baseline jumper.
• James drives, kicks it out to West who knocks down the corner 3.
• Richardson drives off a screen, draws help and kicks it out to Felton, money on the 3.
• LeBron misses a contested shot, timeout Charlotte, 10-10, 5:09 to go.
• Charlotte miss after the timeout, Szczerbiak called for a charge.
• Another missed jumpshot for the bobcats, Gerald Wallace this time.
• LeBron drives baseline and gets fouled, makes them both.
• Pick and roll by the bobcats, the bounce pass in the lane stolen by LeBron who does an equally poor pass next possession, deflected out of bounds. Gibson nails a corner 3.
• Another screen and roll by the bobcats, the screener isn't rolling to the basket though. Instead, rookie D.J. Augustin drives and scores at the rim. Finally some penetration from Charlotte.
• 4 point play from Gibson!
• Morrison makes a long 2. Why did he lose the caveman pornstar look?
• Bron scores at the rim.
• Another pick and roll for the bobcats, Varejao fouls.
• Mo Williams scores a jumper off a Varejao screen.
• Final possession, Augustin tries to take Williams one on one, fails, gives it to Morrison who unsuprisingly misses the off balance drifting 3. 25-16 to the cavs.

2nd Quarter:

• Okafor goes against Varejao in the post, gets the shot off and Cleveland rookie Hickson's called for the goaltend.
• Alot of pointless movement by the cavs results in a long missed 3 from williams, offensive rebound from Hickson who gets rejected by Okafor. Varejao tries a low-post move, fails to score.
• Adam Morrison posts up and gets the and-one. Maybe it is too early to label him a flop.
• Okafor rejects Hickson again, this time on a dunk.
• Williams steals and scores on the fast break.
• Augustin to Richardson, nails a corner 3.
• Pick and roll by the cavs, thunderous dunk by Hickson, finally scores at the rim.
• Charlotte miss a jumpshot, Gibson gets checked at the other end.
• Timeout Cleveland.
• Pavlovic misses in the lane.
• Alot of passing around the perimeter from Charlotte, they seem to be allergic to the paint. Augustin finally drives, Williams calls the charge.
• Williams makes another jumper.
• The bobcats finally get into the paint and get monster-blocked by big Ben.
• Pavlovic travels on a drive to the basket, next play Nazr Mohammed scores a jump-hook in low post.
• Gibson drains the 2 point jumpshot off a screen, timeout Charlotte.
• Out the timeout Gerald Wallace drives and misses. The bobcats are finding it impossible to get to the rim.
• Alley-oop to Ben Wallace fails, only for James to get the and-one on the putback.
• Mohammed scores at the rim, Cleveland turnover, Morrison bricks a 3 from the wing.
• LeBron crossover, drives and Gerald Wallace fouls. He misses both free-throws, 38-28 cavs.
• Mohammed airballs the jumper from the baseline.
• A few unnecessary picks on the baseline from Cleveland, Gibson chooses to go one on one and scores from 19 feet.
• West picks Felton's pocket, scores on the fast break.
• Charlotte turnover, again. 42-28 to Cleveland with 2:59 to go, timeout Cleveland.
• Gibson curls off a screen and knocks down the 3.
• LeBron threads a bounce pass through two players to boobie who makes the layup.
• Another missed jumper from charlotte, Ben Wallace rebounds.
• It seems Charlotte are trying to lose. No penetration, contested jumpers and awful defense.
• Morrison comes of a baseline screen, loses it, the ball's knocked out of play, bobcats ball.
• Gerald Wallace gets it in the corner, drives and scores.
• Ilgauskas blocked by Okafor in the post, West passes to LeBron who gets fouled before he can slam it down. Splits the free-throws.
• Cavs go fullcourt, Felton gets all the way to the rim, picks up the foul and heads to the line for 2.
• LeBron misses a lefty hook in the low post, he still can't consistently score down there.
• 21.8 to go, 20 second taken by Mike Brown.
• James dribbles down the clock, Williams sprints to give him a screen, James finds Daniel Gibson in the corner who knocks down ANOTHER 3. Cleveland making it rain from the outside.
• Halftime, Charlotte 33-50 Cleveland. LeBron has 12, 6 & 6, and Gibson has 20. It's not like he's even a dominant scorer, Charlotte just aren't getting a hand in his face on his jumpshot.

3rd Quarter:

• Start of the half Charlotte take, and miss, another baseline jumper.
• LeBron takes what the anouncers call 'a healthy 3'. Wasn't healthy enough to go in.
• West gets a nice steal on the other end, the alley-oop to James fails but Cleveland maintain possession and score.
• Richardson hits a jumpshot at the other end, next play he drives inside and initiates contact, makes both free-throws.
• LeBron curls off a screen, misses the runner only for Ben Wallace to make the putback.
• Richardson drains a baseline 2.
• James drives, hangs, Richardson goes for the block, instead fouls and knocks him to the floor.
• Another missed bobcats jumpshot, LeBron drives through four bobcats and finishes with the left hand.
• Foolish behind the back pass by James, stolen by Felton, Richardson scores on the fast break.
• Full court pass to James, who gets fouled on the dunk attempt.
• Charlotte miss a 2, rebound, Richardson drains a 3. 44-59.
• West bricks the corner 3, Gerald Wallace hits the open 2.
• Ilgauskas goes to the line, splits the free-throws. His head is as shiny as the buttocks of a donkey, reflecting off the sun on a Russian summer's day.
• Richardson tries to curl off a baseline screen but West stays on him like glue. J-Rich tries to get to the rim, good D and a turnover.
• Cavs take another jumpshot, miss. Gerald Wallace drives baseline on the fast break, gets the 3 point play.
• Szczerbiak drives, kicks it out to Gibson who actually misses the open 3.
• Okafor bricks it in the low-post, West gets blocked in the post at the other end.
• Okafor's fouled, makes the pair and its a nine point game, 51-60.
• James misses an ugly mid-range pull-up, offensive rebound, Gerald Wallace steals, Szczerbiak fouls and wallace makes 2 from the line.
• Wallace is defending James, he runs a pick and roll with Varejao, Varejao kicks it out to the corner, ball rotates around the perimeter to Szczerbiak, who misses a 3.
• Charlotte are finally managing to get to the basket, or atleast attempt to. Timeout Cleveland.
• Moving screen set on the baseline by Gibson, Larry Brown misunderstands the call, jumps up and gets a technical. Confusing stuff. Gibson misses the free-throw.
• Bobcats have the chance to make it a one possession game, instead an offensive foul is called on Okafor.
• More Cleveland baseline screens, Gibson gets the ball, leaves his feet in an attempt to draw the foul, doesn't get it, lands and commits the travel. 2:49 to go, cavs 60-55 bobcats.
• Timeout Charlotte. Cleveland are clearly the better team but Charlotte's coaching advantage is starting to show.
• Out the timeout the bobcats run several unsuccessful screens and Felton airballs the mid-range jumpshot, good D from the cavs.
• Cleveland get 2 from the line, Richardson spins to the hoop and scores.
• Ilgauskas elbows Okafor in the face, offensive foul.
• Gerald Wallace spins, loses it, gets it back and misses the layup.
• West to Varejao to Z, makes the layup. Nice ball movement from Cleveland.
• Richardson drives at Varejao, misses, West's fouled and heads to the line for 2.
• Cavs go full court, the ball ends up with Morrison in the corner, fakes the 3, airballs the 2. Charlotte still have it, Richardson's fouled by West with 1 on the shotclock.
• Mo Williams nails the 16 footer off an Ilgauskas screen.
• Richardson can't create anything with the final possession, end of the quarter. 68-59 to Cleveland.

4th Quarter:

• Ilgauskas starts the quarter hitting a 19 footer. Baseline jumper falls for Morrison at the other end.
• Williams nails it from mid-range. Morrison puts up a hook shot from the baseline, misses.
• Z's doubled in the post, good ball movement finds Williams open in the corner for 3, brick.
• Augustin fakes his man, draws the foul. Makes both shots, 63-73
• Good D from Charlotte, Ilgauskas misses the jumpshot, offensive board.
• Williams alley-oop to Varejao, not quite as pretty as when its LeBron.
• Cavs steal it, ugly shot by Gibson falls, 77-63 to Cleveland. Timeout bobcats.
• Ilgauskas fouled on the drive.
• Gerald Wallace drives, dishes to an open Richardson but a charge on Wallace.
• Next play Wallace drives past Varejao, draws the foul.
• James at the point, Williams curls of a baseline screen and nails it. The cavs are killing the bobcats from mid-range.
• Richardson misses the circus shot, tipped out, 3-ball missed, knocked out of bounds and it's called Charlotte basketball.
• Timeout Charlotte, down 65-81 with 6:41 to go.
• LeBron slams it on Augustin, and the foul!
• Bobcats offense has gone completely downhill now, Richardson settling for a contested 3. Brick.
• Ilgauskas misses an open 3, the play by play announcer blames it on him having 'too much time'.
• James spins in the lane and finishes with the left hand.
• Augustin fouled, Wallace sends it into the stands after the whistle.
• 5:12 left, no realistic chance for charlotte now, down 20.
• Gibson fouled shooting the 3. I've only just realised he has the batman logo shaved into his head. Awsome.
• Charlotte drive, miss, kicked out to Felton for 3, also a miss. It seems Charlotte are trying to miss.
• Gibson's money from downtown. Game, set and match.
• Final score: Charlotte Bobcats 79-96 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Not too much learnt from that game, Gibson can shoot, Cleveland can defend, and Adam Morrison, despite no longer possessing an incredible level of all-round sexiness, may not be a flop after all. Nothing new there.

LeBron quietly put up 22, 9 & 9. He wasn't involved in the game as much as usual, however he didn't really need to be, the way Gibson and Mo Williams stepped up offensively. Not really a challenge for the cavs, who took advantage of poor perimeter defense and prevented any form of penetration from the Bobcats.