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.
