Three wins in a row will have to be enough for now...

Well, the streak has finally ended. After winning all three of their previous three outings, my Charlotte Bobcats have had their win streak ended, thanks to the Toronto Raptors. This is significant for a number of reasons.

For one, the mere fact that they even HAD a three game winning streak is amazing, considering the injury problems they've had. Emeka Okafor, Sean May, Gerald Wallace. All hurt. All missing a significant amount of time. Lose three players of that calibur on an expansion team and you're looking for trouble.

Secondly, they are STILL an expansion team. Injuries or no injuries, this is still a team that everyone and their brother predicted to finish at the bottom of the NBA. And they still may.

But the biggest, most significant part of the three game winning streak is this - It got me excited about Bobcats basketball, and the NBA in general. Allow me to explain.

Back in 1988, the Charlotte Hornets first took the floor. I was 11 years old at the time, and enthralled with all things Hornets. I had the Kelly Tripuka poster, I had the Hornets' Rooting Rag (a terrible towel ripoff), I had the complete team set of basketball cards (Robert Reid and Kurt Rambis included), I had the posters, I had everything! I was a true Hornets fan.

Then the unthinkable happened. George Shinn and company moved the team down to 'Nawlins. Now, mind you, I was living in Wilmington at the time and hadn't been to a game in a few seasons, but still. It was the first major pro sports team my hometown had...moving away from my hometown. It just flat out sucked.

After that happened, my interest in the NBA kind of evaporated. The only time I'd really watch with any sort of passion was when the New Orleans Hornets were on TV, allowing me to root vehemently against them.

Then it happened. The Bobcats became the rebirth of the NBA in the Carolinas. I went to a game last year (a win versus Hawks, win #3 in franchise history). I went to a game this year (a win versus the Celtics to open the brand new arena). But I still wasn't completely goo-goo over the 'Cats.

But then the streak happened. And before you call me a front runner, allow me to explain that it wasn't the fact that they won three in a row that made the Bobcats finally "get me". It was the fact that the city was finally showing interest. The newspaper was writing about'em. The sports talk radio in Charlotte was talking about'em. Bobcats Basketball came alive, for a few short days.

Hopefully, that won't be the last three game winning streak we see this year. But they've got to get healthy, and they've got to keep playing hard. Bernie Bickerstaff has his work cut out for him with this group. But win or lose, I'm in it for the long haul now.

GO BOBCATS!!