[QUOTES] "Inside The Locker Room"

http://www.nba.com/bobcats/recap_rockets_061208.html

INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM

Bobcats Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff

(On the difference in tonight’s game) The energy level. There was a little spurt at the beginning of the third quarter and at that time Houston had a rhythm going. They have two answers, the big guy (Yao Ming) who turns around and shoots and (Tracy) McGrady. Everybody basically feeds off of them.

(On Adam Morrison’s shooting slump) We have to be real careful with it. I think what he has to rely on is that he knows he can and he is going to have some success. Maybe we need to leave him alone. We’re all on him to shoot it because our intent is good, we want him to shoot his way out of it. He’s getting his looks. He’s just thinking ‘It’s not going for me’ and he’s beating himself up.

Bobcats Guard Raymond Felton

(On the loss) Unfortunately we came out slow tonight on a great team, a team who executed well and played great team ball. They came out and took advantage of everything. It was hard to get back. They have great players. Tracy (McGrady) was on tonight, Yao (Ming) was on tonight and everybody else was playing their role. It was a game where we weren’t ready from the beginning and they were. They got a big lead and we couldn’t ever recover. I just want to tell the fans not to give up on us, we’re going to be alright. We’re going to come out on Sunday and make up for these last two games.

Bobcats Forward Emeka Okafor

(On the loss) We didn’t really ever give up, it was just like every time we looked up at the scoreboard we were down 10 points, 20 points, 30 points, 40 points, back down to 30 points.

(On his early foul trouble) Any time you get two quick fouls, it messes up your flow a little bit. I got the first very quick off of a charge. You need your fouls when you’re playing against Yao (Ming) because he’s so big and so physical.

Bobcats Forward Adam Morrison

(On the loss) As a team, we just didn’t come out and play hard tonight. We started playing hard, but we have to convert. We have to start making plays, me included.

(On his play) I’m trying to get myself going and go to the basket and get to the free throw line. I’ve had some good shots, I just haven’t knocked them down. I guess I just have to go to the basket tougher and maybe I’ll start getting calls.

 

Bobcats Can't Keep Rockets Grounded

December 8, 2006

For the second-straight game, a Bobcats opponent came to Charlotte Bobcats Arena looking to prove a point.

For the second-straight game, Charlotte heard its opponent loud and clear.

Call it a Texas two-step.

On Wednesday, the Spurs came to town looking to atone for a 95-92 overtime loss to Charlotte on November 15 in San Antonio and came away with a 96-76 win.

On Friday, the Rockets entered looking for their first win in Charlotte in three seasons and were hoping to atone for a 90-84 loss two days earlier in Minnesota in which All-Stars Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming combined to shoot 10-40 from the field.

Houston got its first win over the Bobcats on the backs of McGrady (23 points on 9-13 shooting) and Yao (21 points on 8-16 shooting) as the two combined to outscore Charlotte 34-31 in the first half as the Rockets built a 52-31 lead at the break. They led by 20-or more points throughout the second half on their way to the win.

“There’s no need to dwell on that,” Bobcats General Manager & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. “When you shoot 28 percent for the game and have 21 turnovers, the only thing you hope for that one is to hurry up and get it over. There isn’t anything that I can think of that could have turned it around.”

Raymond Felton was the lone Bobcats player to score in double-digits in the contest, finishing with 16 points, six assists and six rebounds.

“Out of the gate, he was the one guy that was playing well,” Bickerstaff said. “He was pushing the ball up and challenging defensively.”

Felton was followed by eight points and six rebounds from Emeka Okafor and eight points from Walter Herrmann off the bench. Sean May added seven points and brought down six boards in his reserve roll.

"We had that slow start, didn’t have any energy and they just exploded on us. "
-- Raymond Felton

The Bobcats started slow, but were still able to keep things close early in the contest when Adam Morrison’s jumper cut Houston’s lead to 9-7 with 7:15 remaining in the first. Three minutes later Charlotte was facing a 19-7 deficit as the Rockets rattled off a 10-0 run keyed by four points apiece from McGrady and Juwan Howard.

At quarter’s end, the Bobcats trailed 31-17 after shooting just 25.0 percent (5-20) from the field compared to Houston’s 52.5 percent (12-23) and McGrady’s 15 points.

“We came out of the gate and the ball didn’t go down,” Bickerstaff said. “We had pretty good shots and the ball didn’t go down. That was it.”

Charlotte continued to struggle in the second quarter, missing its first seven shots from the field and not connecting on its first field goal until an Okafor dunk with 6:48 remaining in the half to made it 40-21 in favor of Houston.

Howard followed McGrady and Yao with 12 points off the bench, and Rafer Alston added 10 points. Dikembe Mutombo added a game-high 10 rebounds and chipped in four points in 17 minutes off the bench.

The Bobcats will close out their four-game homestand at 6 p.m. on Sunday when the Phoenix Suns come to town.

NOTES: The Bobcats scored a franchise and NBA season low 62 points. On .228 shooting (23-80), the Bobcats also set a franchise low, as well as the NBA season low. The 30-point margin of defeat was the second largest in franchise history, along with a season-high. Their largest margin of defeat was 32 at Philadelphia on March 11, 2005... The Bobcats 31 points scored in the first half were a Bobcats season-low. The Bobcats 14 points in the second quarter were a Bobcats season low... The Rockets yielded a franchise-low 62 points on tonight. Their lowest in their 40-year franchise history... The Bobcats held the Rockets to opponent season lows in both free throw attempts and free throws made as Houston went 14-16 from the charity stripe... Raymond Felton scored 16 points tonight on 6-13 shooting. Over the last five games, Felton is averaging 13.8 points... Walter Herrmann scored a career-high eight points on 3-9 shooting in 18:06. He is averaging 7.0 points in the Bobcats last two games.