"The Next Level: Playoff Basketball!"

It's time to Break It Down!

If you detest sports, hate reading about sports, abhor the National Basketball Association (NBA), or the League, or the Association, as it is affectionately called; if you think of basketball as just another of the many games in which a ball is the focus, or perhaps just prefer the college game to the NBA, this is not the post for you. Try again next week; perhaps I can come up with something more to your liking.

In many ways, this story began in 1988. That is when the Charlotte Hornets (1988-2002) defied the wisdom of one quick-witted, but myopic journalist (probably from Miami), who opined “The only franchise Charlotte will ever land is McDonald’s.” That was the year Hornets began play in the then New Charlotte Coliseum.

For the purposes of this post, March 17, 2010…a day that will be etched in the memories of Charlotte Bobcats’ historians, will do nicely. Admittedly, that is a small fraternity at present. Of course in a nothing breeds success like success world, nothing will change that more quickly that the Bobcats making a decent showing in the team’s first ever playoff appearance.

This past March 17th was the day the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved Michael Jordan’s $275 million bid to buy the franchise from Bob Johnson. The Bobcats have been around since 2004; an expansion team replacement for the erstwhile Charlotte Hornets, Charlotte’s first Major League sports team. The Hornets lost their designation as the only pro team in town in 1995, when the Carolina Panthers joined the NFL.

For any number of reasons, the Panthers opted to market themselves as a regional (Carolina) team, rather than the city’s own. Practically speaking, it takes 73,778 fans to fill Bank of America Stadium, while only 19,026 to do the trick at Time Warner Cable Arena. In a very real sense, "It is all about the Benjamins!” The Panthers need to market themselves to wider audience to give themselves the best chance to succeed at filling their stadium.

But this story is about neither the Hornets, nor the Panthers. It’s not about Michael Jordan, a perennial favorite pick as the best-ever NBA player. It’s not about Larry Brown, Phil Ford, or Dave Hanners, former University of North Carolina basketball players who now serve as Head Coach, and Assistant Coaches for the Bobcats. It’s not about Raymond Felton, a former Tar Heel who plays point guard for the team, or Sean May, another Tar Heel, who was often injured, seldom played, but like Felton, was drafted by the Bobcats in 2005, after winning an NCAA Championship at North Carolina for Coach Roy Williams. It’s not a story about him either; nor is it about his mentor, Dean Smith. And it is certainly not about Vince Carter, another former Tar Heel player, who plays for the Orlando Magic, the Bobcats’ First Round Playoff opponent.

This is a celebration of culminating a 7-year odyssey; of finally ending an 82-game NBA Regular Season, and being rewarded with the opportunity to play at least four more games in the NBA Playoffs. It really may not be fair or accurate to call the Bobcats’ next assignment a reward though. Reaching the playoffs is a privilege afforded to sixteen teams, eight from the Eastern Conference, and eight from the Western Conference. As the seventh seeded team in the Eastern Conference, the Bobcats open the playoffs against the seconded seeded Orlando Magic.

The Magic were Finalists in the 2009 NBA Championship Series, and boast the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard, AKA Superman (sorry Shaq), as their starting center. Over the past 14 games (before the playoffs) against the Magic, the Bobcats were 2-12. So although earning a berth in the playoffs does provide the Bobcats an “opportunity” to play the Magic, it is probably more appropriate to characterize playing them as a challenge, than a reward.

The series began last Sunday in Orlando with the Magic taking a workman-like 98-89 victory in Game 1. The Magic, as expected used their experience to dominate the Bobcats from the outset. They led by 16 at the half, and by as many as 22, early in the 3rd Quarter. Then a combination of things happened to recalibrate the game. First the Bobcats remembered they were, in fact, in a basketball game. They got over their first-ever playoff game jitters, they adjusted to “The Next Level” intensity of a playoff game, and most important, they tightened up their defense of the pick and roll. Jameer Nelson, the Magic’s point guard, scored 24 points in the first half; 32 for the game.

Of course, there are two teams on the court during play. The Magic appeared to be satisfied that they had this game under control and they stopped executing their sets with as much precision. They also played long stretches of the game without Dwight Howard. He played only 28 of 48 minutes, and collected 7 rebounds to go with 9 blocks, but only 5 points, along with 5 fouls (the NBA allows 6 before disqualification). The Magic also withstood a star-quality performance from the Bobcats small forward, Gerald Wallace, who grabbed 17 rebounds to accompany his 25 points.

There are a number of things that differentiate the NBA Playoffs from the Regular Season. Three items top the list. They are:

• Time – Teams seldom play back-to-back (games played on consecutive nights or days) games in the playoffs. On the rare occasion when it does happen, it is almost always due to scheduling conflicts at a venue, rather than intentional schedule-making. This allows for more rest, and provides trainers an opportunity to treat minor injuries

• Familiarity – By playing an opponent at least four times, coaches have an opportunity to scout the other team more intensely. This factor is the basis for fundamental, as well as nuanced adjustments, which are often game changers, and occasionally dramatically alter entire series

• The Next Level – This may be the single most telling difference between the Regular Season and the Playoffs. Every dimension of the game is intensified, usually greatly; sometimes incalculably. A playoff newbie team, like Charlotte, is at a stark disadvantage against a team seasoned in playoff basketball, like Orlando

And so it is, if the Bobcats are to make this series interesting, if they are to move it to a competitive plane, if they are to ignite and energize the City’s fan base in a meaningfully lasting way, they must do more than put on their game faces. They must transition, collectively, to “The Next Level: Playoff Basketball!”  And it would be timely, were they to start with Game 2, tonight.

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bobcats

http://www.urbandictionary.com/products.php?defid=1766483

http://www.gastongazette.com/sports/set-46007-bobcats-charlotte.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2010/04/fast_break_for_playoff_seats.html

http://www.nba.com/bobcats/playoffs.html

http://www.wcnc.com/sports/basketball/Jordan-to-discuss-Bobcats-purchase-88438837.html

http://wapedia.mobi/en/Charlotte_Bobcats

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=all+about+the+benjamins

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Brown_(basketball)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Ford

http://www.nba.com/bobcats/Bobcats_Coaching_Staff.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Felton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_May

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Williams_(coach)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vince_Carter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Smith

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_Magic

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/gameflash/2010/04/18/27946_recap.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Panthers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Football_League

http://www.unc.edu/