04/01/2010 - 11:54
Tyson Helps Bobcats Bounce Back
by Devon Jeffreys

With every game since his return, Tyson Chandler has shown flashes of what made him such a dominating force in New Orleans.

On Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, TC put it all together for Charlotte.

No. 6 scored 15 points, pulled down six rebounds, tallied two blocks and picked up a steal to lead the Bobcats to a 103-84 win over Philly. His production is a byproduct of his healed legs, which have also healed his confidence and aggressiveness, as he told the Associated Press:

"I'm the type of player that I've got to get going by running the floor, challenging shots, going after the glass," Chandler said. "When that's taken away from me, I'm not the player I am."

Charlotte fans are seeing just how dominant a healthy Tyson can be (Getty Images).

Tyson was a beast in the paint, finishing four of five shots for eight of his points and taking eight trips to the free throw line, where he went 7-8.

"I'm just attacking it," Tyson told Bobcats Break. "Earlier in the year, it was hard for me to get up and down the court. So I definitely wasn't able to attack. Now that I'm feeling better I can attack the glass and get some opportunities."

All four of TC's buckets came on thunderous dunks. He rushed in for two putbacks off misses by Gerald Wallace and Larry Hughes respectively. He also had two more rim-rockers off a pair of generous feeds from post teammate Boris Diaw.

"When I'm feeling good out there, I'm able to spring around and come over, challenge shots, run the floor," Ty told Bobcats Break. "The last couple games and I guess really the last couple of weeks, I've been getting better every day."

Watch two of TC's four big jams in the highlight reel below:

STRONG AT THE STRIPE
Tyson's physical presence in the post also drew four shooting fouls and helped the Cats get to the line more than three times as much as Philadelphia. Charlotte was 27-35 from the line, including Tyson's 7-8, and the Sixers made just 5 of 11 shots at the line as a team.

It was the second straight game that TC got to the line eight times. No. 6 was 6-8 from the line and scored eight points in a 103-101 loss to the Raptors on Monday. Ty also added two boards, two blocks and a steal in the loss. But his work at the line stood out. Tyson is shooting 71 percent at the line this season. His previous career high is 67 percent.

The ability of his team to get to the line is something Bobcats coach Larry Brown values, as he told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:

 

"We caused a lot of turnovers, which created a lot of transition, and that caused a lot of free-throw opportunities," Brown said, in what could be this team's mission statement.

Bonnell also issued kudos to No. 6 as one of the stars of the night on Wednesday.

"Perhaps the most promising development Wednesday was center Tyson Chandler's play. He scored 15 points - most as a Bobcat - off just five shots from the field. After a series of foot and ankle ailments that started before the off-season trade with New Orleans, Chandler finally looks able-bodied and assertive.

"I feel a lot better," said Chandler, adding he's still about 85 percent, health-wise. "It's time to get my legs under me."

THE WORST IS OVER
In his recap of the game, Mike Cranston of the Associated Press also recognized Ty for his comeback from leg ailments and the impact he has had on the Bobcats resurgence:

"There were countless times this season when Tyson Chandler knew what he wanted to do, but his troublesome left foot wouldn't let him.

Now after enduring criticism that Charlotte's offseason deal to get him was a bad move, Chandler's mind and body are finally starting to mesh just as the Bobcats make a playoff push.

Chandler's season-high 15 points coupled with 24 points and 12 rebounds from Gerald Wallace on Wednesday night powered the Bobcats to a 103-84 victory over the undermanned Philadelphia 76ers.

"It just feels good to feel like myself for once this year," said Chandler, who underwent ankle and toe surgery in the offseason. "It feels good to have my legs under me. It feels good to go up and actually be able to finish."

The 7-foot-1 Chandler's inside presence was part of a dominating second half for Charlotte. Bouncing back from a home loss two nights earlier to Toronto, the Bobcats forced 25 turnovers and took 24 more free throws than the 76ers to move four games ahead of ninth-place Chicago in the Eastern Conference with eight games left. The top eight teams make the playoffs."

Tyson told Cranston that being incapacitated was harder on him than it was anyone else. He heard the whispers and could do nothing to silence them.

"It was more frustrating for me than it could possibly be for anybody else because I'm a very prideful person," Chandler said of the criticism he received for his suspect play. "I took it to heart. Me and coach (Larry Brown) had a talk about it. I had to get over it because I wasn't 100 percent."

But TC and the Bobcats are now simultaneously silencing those murmurs as they make a run at the first playoff berth in franchise history. Tyson said it's a great thing to be a part of:

"The thing that we have to concentrate on now is trying to play our best basketball," Ty said. "We have to start coming together as a team."

For more of Tyson's post game session with reporters, courtesy of Bobcats Break, click here.

NEXT UP
Tyson and the Cats are back in action Friday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks in the final game of this homestand. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST and the game can be seen on Fox Sports Carolinas.

RELATED STORIES
Foul line margin huge for Bobcats (Charlotte Observer, April 1, 2010)
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/01/1348924/bobcats-control-sixe...
Bobcats vs. 76ers: Inside the Locker Room (Bobcats Break, April 1, 2010)
http://www.bobcatsbreak.com/?p=2164
Wallace, Chandler, help Bobcats beat 76ers 103-84 (NJ.com, April 1, 2010)
http://www.nj.com/sportsflash/index.ssf?/base/sports-277/127009436114338...