Injuries To Key Players Bring Charlotte Bobcats Back To Earth
By Kris Lazaro (5/8/2007)
Between February 14 and February 23, 2007, the Charlotte Bobcats must have even surprised themselves when they had four consecutive wins defeating Chicago, New Orleans/Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Philadelphia. The Bobcats ended the last season with a four game winning streak and this season they matched it.
When the Bobcats went out to play Toronto in a home game they wanted to convert the four game winning streak to five. It was then they were brought down to Earth and it made them realize how the injuries to key players is affecting and stopping them from becoming a real upcoming team in the NBA.
The Bobcats lost the game to Toronto 93-76 and they also ended up losing Gerald Wallace, their leading scorer, and Emeka Okafur, their leading rebounder, in the third quarter of the game. Wallace ended up straining his groin while Okafur had to leave the game because of a strained left calf.
As soon as Wallace and Okafur left the court, the loss of the players was felt by the Bobcats. In the second half of the game, Toronto ended up outscoring the Bobcats 49-35 and Chris Bosh scored 24 points in the second half.
Lady luck was still smiling at the Bobcats though. Wallace and Okafur do not appear to have sustained serious injuries. Wallace returned after two days without missing a single game while Okafur did not play in the next game which the Bobcats lost to Clippers 100-93.
Besides Wallace and Okafur being injured, Sean May has missed 15 games due to soreness in the right knee and Othella Harrington has missed 13 games till now after undergoing a surgery in the left knee.
Despite all the injuries, the Bobcats are presently 22-35 and are just four wins away from matching their 26 wins in the last season. |