Low post game frees up perimeter

The difference in winning and losing Wednesday had nothing to do with how the Bobcats performed physically.

It was all mental; this was the smartest they've played all season.

The shots you should take with 15 seconds left in the shot clock are very different from the shots that are acceptable with three seconds left. That didn't always register with them during the seven-game losing streak.

The Bobcats are 2-1 since coach Sam Vincent demanded his perimeter players find Emeka Okafor in the post. That doesn't mean they'll win two-thirds of their games the rest of the way, but it does provide a road map for how best to manage the remainder of the season:

Let your best low-post scorer (maybe your only true low-post scorer) touch the ball. Even if he's not having a great night, this contracts the defense toward him. At worst, the jump shots you get after the defense smothers Okafor are better than the ones you jacked up when you were ignoring him.

The Bobcats got that Wednesday, which is why they shot 50 percent from the field for the first time this season. This was not a night when they were miraculously making bad shots. It was a night when they were finding good shots, even with Jason Richardson going 3-of-13 from the field.

And in fairness to Richardson, if he gets eight rebounds, five assists and two steals, you can live with a bad shooting night.