After getting run off the court for almost three quarters, Charlotte Bobcats coach Paul Silas called a timeout because he just couldn’t take it anymore.
So, he lit into his team for lack of effort and focus.
As the Bobcats walked toward the bench with a throng of boos directed at them and trailing 82-48 with 1:19 left in the third quarter, everyone in Time Warner Cable Arena knew it was another sorry showing by the worst team in the NBA.
“I just don’t like to go off, but every now and then it happens,” Silas said about his tirade directed at the team during the timeout.
Forward Corey Maggette, who made his first start since the beginning of the season, also called out his teammates for their lack of effort during the 111-86 defeat, which is a franchise record 14th straight defeat. He said the Bobcats (3-24) aren’t going to have it any better under any other coach than Silas, so everyone needs to pick up his play.
“It’s tough for everybody because it’s a situation where we’re losing games by 25 points, and we’re just not playing hard as a group,” Maggette said. “We’re not executing the right way, and we’re just not doing the right things right now. We’re not the most talented team, but we’ve just got to go out there and play hard. That’s all Coach asks us to do, play hard and play together. And we are just not doing that.”
The Bobcats aren’t doing a lot of those things these days.
And the fans took notice with their jeers toward Charlotte late in the third quarter. The fans did cheer for Blake Griffin during several dunks in the third quarter and fourth quarter. And when Griffin left the game midway thru the fourth quarter for good the Charlotte fans gave him a standing ovation.
Moreover, the only difference from the previous night, when the Chicago Bulls dominated, was that Charlotte played decent in the first quarter. They trailed 24-16 after the first period.
But after the first period, the Bobcats resorted to their terrible ways on a night that was dedicated to honoring the Carolina Cougars, the former ABA team here.
But whether you call them the Bobcats or Cougars, it was another loss. The Saturday Night Special before another sellout crowd of 19,110 didn’t witness another 30-point loss, but the 111-86 defeat to the Clippers (17-8) was another blowout.
The good news is D.J. Augustin could return Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers, and Gerald Henderson could return next week. Augustin is recovering from a sore foot, and Henderson is recovering from a sore hamstring.
But Maggette said it is important that the players take advantage of the opportunity to play.
“Ultimately, we just need to execute our plays the right way and run our cuts harder and that will lead to us playing hard,” he said. “You’ve got to seize the opportunity to be noticed by the coach and by the staff. It starts with accountability.”
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