04/08/2010 - 08:32
Ty Shines, Cats Head to Playoffs
by Devon Jeffreys

Tyson Chandler's return to New Orleans couldn't have gone much better.

Playing inside New Orleans Arena for the first time since his trade to Charlotte over the summer, TC enjoyed his best game of the season, helping the Charlotte Bobcats clinch the first playoff berth in franchise history with a 104-103 victory over his former team, the Hornets.

"I felt like this was a team that had some talent and was aggressive, but just didn't have pieces to get them over the hump," Tyson told NBA.com of his immeadite reaction when joining the Bobcats. "Then we started making moves and starting getting those pieces in place. I knew we'd be here at this time of the year."

Tyson dunks over former teammate David West (Getty Images).

No. 6 went for a season-high 16 points on 7-9 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds for his first double-double since December 20. He also tallied five blocks, his second highest total of the season.

For Hornets fans, it was a glimpse of the impact player that they used to see on a nightly basis, as noted by Niall Doherty of Hornets 24/7, who broke down the matchup between TC and the man he was traded for, Emeka Okafor:

"…We finally got to see these two guys do battle for some good stretches. Chandler looked healthy and motivated, and that's all he really needs to be at his best. He was active on offense, coming up with some rebounds and rolling well to get a bunch of dunks. Defensively though was where he really made a difference in the game, putting on a clinic in the second quarter especially. Just ask David West, who was busting his ass trying to shake Boris Diaw only to find Chandler waiting for him in the lane every time. TC finished with 16 points, 10 boards and 5 blocks in 33 minutes; probably the best game he's had all season."

For Bobcats fans, Tyson's performance is another example of what Tyson is capable of when he's in full health, which brought more kudos from David Arnott of Rufus on Fire:

"Tyson Chandler put up 16 points on 9 attempts, with 10 rebounds. This is the peak performer we'd dreamed of seeing."

Tyson dominated Emeka Okafor on Wednesday (Getty Images).

A STANDING OVATION
TC was greeted by the New Orleans fans with an emotional ovation, a thank you for the positives he brought to the franchise in his three years as a Hornet.

It was fitting that Tyson also got the start with Theo Ratliff missing the game due to personal reasons. No. 6 got the game started, as he often did in New Orleans, with a dunk. The bucket came within the first 12 seconds of the game, off a Boris Diaw feed, to give Charlotte a 2-0 lead.

Tyson added two more first quarter dunks, the first, another feed from Diaw tied the scored at eight. The final dunk of the quarter for TC was a putback of a Raymond Felton miss to give Charlotte a 22-17 lead. Ty also registered a pair of boards and a pair of blocks in the first, one each on former teammates Morris Peterson and David West.

TC blocked West three more times in the second quarter and also grabbed a steal from Julian Wright. Alongside his defensive impacts, Ty scored four more points in quarter two in one fell burst.

With 4:11 left in the half, Tyson pulled down a rebound and was fouled by Wright. He sank both shots at the charity stripe then picked off a bad pass by Wright on the Hornets' ensuing posession. With the Cats back on offense, Diaw put up a shot that missed, but TC grabbed the offensive board and put the rock in the hoop with a layup to make it 51-29 in favor of the Bobcats.

To open the second half, TC went to work on the glass, adding to his five first half rebounds with two more boards in the first minute of the half. The second of those two led to a tip-in, extending Charlotte's lead to 64-41. The Hornets mounted a third quarter comeback with perimeter shooting and Charlotte tried to contend in the post.

After New Orleans cut the lead to 73-61, Ty pushed it back to 14 with his 13th and 14th points of the game on a slam from a Stephen Jackson assist. Darren Collison answered with a three cutting it back to 11 and Ty came right back with a putback dunk off a Raymond Felton miss.

TC grabbed a pair of rebounds in the third quarter and one more in the fourth as the Bobcats surrendered their lead before taking it back late to secure victory. Despite clinching the first playoff berth in franchise history, the Charlotte locker room was more subdued than celebratory after the game. The concerned Cats were wary of blowing a 26-point lead, even if they did come back to win, as TC told NBA.com:

"We did some incredible things in the first half, and we had a big let down in the second half. The important thing is that we got the win. We do need to learn from this. We can't continue this going into the playoffs."

NEXT UP
With four games remaining in the season, the Bobcats are firmly attached to the No. 7 seed in the East, which would ensure a first round matchup with Dwight Howard and the No. 2 seed Orlando Magic.

Charlotte trails Miami and Milwaukee, the two teams tied for the fifth seed, by two games. The Cats will look to improve their position this weekend with a road and home back-to-back. On Friday night Charlotte heads to Houston to take on the Rockets. Tip-off of the game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EST and it can be seen on Fox Sports Carolinas.

One night later, the Bobcats return home to host the Detroit Pistons. The Saturday night game tips at 7 p.m. EST and can also be seen on Fox Sports Carolinas.

RELATED STORIES
Charlotte Bobcats clinch playoff spot with 104-103 win over New Orleans Hornets (Rufus on Fire, April 7, 2010)
http://www.rufusonfire.com/2010/4/7/1410475/charlotte-bobcats-clinch-pla...
Playoff Bound! Bobcats finally break through (The Charlotte Observer, April 8, 2010)
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/07/1363479/playoff-bound-bobcat...
The Bobcats beat the Hornets (Hornets247.com, April 7, 2010)
http://www.hornets247.com/blog/2010/04/07/the-bobcats-beat-the-hornets
Bobcats clinch franchise's first playoff berth (NBA.com, April 7, 2010)
http://www.nba.com/games/20100407/CHANOH/gameinfo.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2
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