The Charlotte Bobcats, an NBA team with less than ten years of history, were the second-youngest team in the league. The youngest were the Thunder. The Thunder had little in the way of inheritance from their predecessor, the Seattle SuperSonics, so strictly speaking, the Thunder were the newest team in the NBA.
Though the Bobcats were somewhat "older" than the Thunder, their NBA journey had not been nearly as smooth. Last season, led by "Elvis Presley" Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson, the Bobcats finally reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
This year, the Bobcats naturally hoped to make the playoffs again while also advancing further once they got there. Though they had not made any major additions to their roster this season, that goal was not impossible. After all, competition in the Eastern Conference was nowhere near as fierce as it was in the West.
Therefore, against the visiting Memphis Grizzlies, the Bobcats' goal was to take a bite out of their opponents. With Gerald Wallace injured early on, the Bobcats had not enjoyed an ideal record this year. At this point in the season, they were only 13-21.
Even in the less competitive Eastern Conference, that record made it difficult to crack the top eight. So, they had to win every game they were supposed to win. And facing the Grizzlies, who had just played a back-to-back and were exhausted, was exactly the kind of game the Bobcats needed to win.
Thirty-three-year-old Stephen Jackson arrived at the training facility early that day, carrying enormous responsibility on his shoulders.
Gerald Wallace's injury had forced Stephen Jackson to leave his preferred shooting guard position and play small forward instead. And the Grizzlies' star player happened to be a small forward.
Though Stephen Jackson had always presented himself