The Charlotte Bobcats are hanging with the Miami Heat, but they are still down 0-2 in the first round series. There are no moral victories in the playoffs, so Charlotte does not feel good about being two in the hole, but the team is earning respect for playing the defending champs hard. Can they get one win in the series to challenge the Heat? As the series shifts back to Charlotte, several players are optimistic.
The inexperienced Bobcats stood no chance of getting a win in Miami. The Heat are seasoned vets right now. They know how these playoffs work and they were just far too knowledgeable to let the Bobcats get a win on their home court. But what about on the road?
Charlotte has had bright spots. In Game 1, they held a strong lead before losing by 11. They came close to an overtime in Game 2 before Dwyane Wade took over and came up with a steal in the final minute.The Bobcats are keeping pace defensively, but just have not been enough, especially with Al Jefferson injured.
The Bobcats will have a strong home court. The city has not hosted a playoff game in four years. LeBron James told reporters that he expects the fans to make things tough on him. Mistakes could be costly in an atmosphere like that. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is making his first playoff run count. He had 22 points in Game 2. Josh McRoberts got his name in the boxscore after delivering an elbow to the throat of James. He was fined $20,000 for unnecessary contact. James and his teammates have been unhappy with the foul calling in the first two games, but are aware it likely will not change.