D.J. Augustin (AP Photo Neil Redmond)
With the Chicago Bulls two games in front of the Charlotte Bobcats for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and Detroit Pistons being three games in front for the seventh seed, Charlotte is doing all they can do: Win games and hope the teams in front of them start to stumble.
The Bobcats stayed on track with their pursuit of the playoffs, scoring a 96-85 win against the New York Knicks, Saturday
Charlotte played aggressive basketball, out-rebounding the Knicks 46-34 and holding them to less than 20 points in two separate quarters of play.
Gerald Wallace picked up 23 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but one of the brightest stars of this game for Charlotte was the play of rookie D.J. Augustin.
Augustin scored 19 points, hitting on 8-9 field goals and picking up four assists in only 25 minutes and 34 seconds of play.
Augustin is shooting nearly 67 percent from the 3-point line in his past three games, while the rest of the Bobcats have been stagnant from deep. If he continues to stay hot, he may just end up shooting Charlotte into the playoffs.
D.J. played collegiate basketball at the University of Texas. The point-guard took over for the Longhorns after the departure of Daniel Gibson, who was drafted in the second-round of the 2006 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Gibson sat on the bench for most of his rookie season in Cleveland, but came off the bench in the playoffs and sparked the Cavaliers to knock off the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals.
After Lebron James had one of the most memorable playoff performances in Game 5 against the Pistons, scoring 48 points, including 29 of his team’s final 30, Detroit vowed to play tough on Lebron, and assured the media that someone else on the Cavaliers would have to get the job done for Cleveland to win.
Daniel Gibson would score 31 points the following game, a career high, including 19 in the fourth quarter, shooting 5-5 from 3-point range. Ever since that game, Gibson has played a key role in Cleveland’s offense.
D.J. has had more regular season playing time than Gibson had in his rookie season, and has had a number of solid performances, but has still not completely come out of his shell.
Can Augustin follow his fellow Longhorn point-guard and shock NBA fans in his rookie season? Granted, if the season ended today, the Bobcats would not be in the playoff mix, but D.J. has the opportunity to be the catalyst that shoots the Bobcats into their first playoff birth in franchise history.
Charlotte needs to stay aggressive. They face the Los Angeles Lakers, at home, Tuesday, and the Boston Celtics, on the road, Wednesday.
It may be March Madness, but North Carolina finally has a professional basketball team to cheer for during the springtime.
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