Bobcats Gameday

Bobcats vs. Knicks

7 p.m., at Time Warner Cable Arena

TV: Fox Sports South. Radio: WFNZ, 610-AM

Starters

Matchup to Watch

The Knicks' Nate Robinson vs. whoever can cut off his drives: Robinson is coming off the bench and his frenetic energy can shake up a game, as the Bobcats know from past matchups. With Raja Bell and Flip Murray out, the Bobcats' backcourt depth will be tested.

Observations

Remember all that talk about how the Bobcats would run this season? The Celtics doubled their fast-break points Wednesday, 16-8. That ticked off Gerald Wallace and should have.

The Knicks are determined to retain salary-cap space for the summer of 2010, which meant limiting David Lee and Robinson to one-season contracts. That's sound strategy, but will those two be more concerned with logging stats than teamwork, knowing they're back on the open market next summer?

The Knicks' Al Harrington and the Bobcats' Boris Diaw demonstrate how much the power forward position has changed in the NBA. Both are as likely to take a 3-pointer as post up in any given possession.

Tap-ins

Larry Brown will always value a player who plays defense and is a willing passer. But Stephen Graham struggled in Boston (2-of-11), while rookie Gerald Henderson was more efficient. Bell or Murray would play in front of either one.

Vlade Radmanovic played just five minutes (two points, two rebounds) as the backup power forward versus the Celtics.

DeSagana Diop was the only active Bobcat not to play versus the Celtics. Considering how much garbage time there was in the second half, what does that say about his status?

Did you know?

Two of the centers in this game, Charlotte's Tyson Chandler and New York's Eddy Curry, were brought into Chicago on draft night 2001, to do a twin towers act for the Bulls. Neither lasted long there and the guy Chicago gave up in trade, Elton Brand, has been a better player than either Chandler or Curry.

Rick Bonnell

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