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As teams get eliminated from the 2009 NBA playoff picture, Fork 'Em figures out what went wrong.

"Love bravely, live bravely, be courageous, there's really nothing to lose." -Jewel

And really, what says "Charlotte Bobcats" like Jewel?

The Lottery is littered with teams that failed to meet expectations. Their hopes broken, their efforts for naught, they're left with nothing but frustration and depression. They limp towards the offseason with hope for nothing more than pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

You don't get that feeling from the Bobcats.

The Charlotte Bobcats have widely been considered a joke over the last five years for several reasons. Kind of a silly name. Already lost one franchise to New Orleans. Michael Jordan and a passion for North Carolina players.

Adam Morrison.

Sean May.

Etc.

Today they've got a huge opportunity to shake off that reputation versus a former Eastern Conference title contender, pull within 1.5 of that team, and further the notion that this franchise has turned a corner. Or they can lose their third straight to playoff teams and confirm their skeptics' worst criticism: They're just not that good.

Let's talk a little bit about Charlotte versus Detroit, tonight at 6PM EST.

Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

David West took a bad step in the second quarter. A really bad step -- he could barely jog through the second half, limping heavily. Like it mattered.

West played nearly the entire second half on one leg, scoring 19 points in that span to finish with 40 on the game. He added nine rebounds and six assists, helping New Orleans remain in position to beat Sacramento, which it did on a Rasual Butler three at the buzzer. On the game-winner with the Hornets down two, West managed to screen off two Kings in the paint. An unbelievable performance from West at a time when his team (missing Tyson Chandler and Peja Stojakovic) couldn't possibly survive another injury.

The NBA features an 82 game season. As such, some weird stuff is going to happen. The Clippers will beat the Celtics. The Kings will beat the Suns. And often times, they're simply the result of back-to-backs, injuries, or that most crucial of variables: a bad shooting night.

But tonight was kind of different. As Robin Williams once said (yeah, I'm quoting Robin Williams, you got a problem with that?), "It's not the end of civilization, but you can see it from there."

The Charlotte Bobcats defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 94-84.

Less than an hour later, the Oklahoma Thunder defeated the San Antonio Spurs 96-95.

Okay, two lottery (most likely) teams beat two perennial contenders. Your average bizarro night. But there were things in these wins that forecast the future.

If you were of the opinion that the league was somehow cracking down on flagrant fouls this season, then the events of the past week or so might go a long way to change your mind.

Andrew Bynum, as you may recall, partially collapsed Gerald Wallace's lung during the Lakers' loss to the Bobcats, and received neither a fine nor a suspension for the flagrant foul that caused the damage. Although the injury sustained by Wallace was a serious one, most thought that Bynum's play was reckless, but not intentionally meant to hurt anybody.

The same cannot be said however, for Kendrick Perkins' hit on Jason Maxiell.

That's Kendrick Perkins headhunting Jason Maxiell, getting himself booted during the fourth quarter of a tight road game against a rival. Smart move, Holmes. More ridiculous than this unnecessary foul were the arguments from Perk's teammates that the Big 'Drick shouldn't have been ejected.

Gerald Wallace spent Tuesday night laid up in a Los Angeles hospital, possibly with a collapsed lung and fractured rib. When you see the name "Gerald Wallace" you may assume this is another of those unlucky crashes on a reckless drive to the rim. Nope. The reckless one here was Andrew Bynum.

FanHouse's NBA Guide gives you a daily look at all the games that matter ... and some that don't.

HEADLINER
San Antonio at Utah, 9PM ET

The Spurs couldn't overcome a deeper, more talented Lakers team in L.A., no matter the moxie that runs through those San Antonian veins. The Jazz dropped back-to-back home games against the Cavaliers and Nuggets, and haven't come a shred closer to good health. This can't possibly be the shot in the arm Utah needs, can it?

NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.

* "It amazes me how quickly the question 'Who is the best player in the NBA?' has been rendered moot." -- The Painted Area.

* "(Bleep) that guy, he's walking around rubbing everyone's nose in the deals he's made and even with all those lottery players his team is still not in the playoffs." -- The Oregonian, via TSB.

* "[Gerald] Wallace's true talent is much more valuable to the team than [Boris] Diaw's. What scares me about this little brushup is that Larry Brown probably has never understood that because he doesn't like Wallace's style, and this is just a preliminary indication that Brown wants to move him." -- Rufus on Fire.

* Ridiculously interesting "heat maps" from Obsessionism, photos of a young Mark Cuban squeezing some dames, and when good logos go bad.

Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.

While everyone else was watching Darren Sproles make himself about a bazillion dollars en route to a San Diego win, the NBA had itself one heck of a night.

It started off with Kevin Martin unleashing a 45-point barrage in a losing effort against the Pacers and Danny Granger's 35, 6, and 4.

Then the universe decided to implode as the Bobcats, yes, the Bobcats, polished off the surprisingly good Bucks by 10. The Bobcats cruised in this one, which was both a model for the 'Cats' success and completely bizarre. And not just because the 'Cats won. It was a perfect setup for this roster because they were led by Gerald Wallace, Emeka Okafor, and Boris Diaw, who continues to be brilliant since his trade to Charlotte. They got 12 points and five assists from D.J. Augustin, and they attacked the Bucks in the paint. It was bizarre because the Bobcats were outshot (50 percent to 47 percent), out-rebounded (35-32), and had only two fewer turnovers. Still, if the 'Cats are going to get anything going this season, this has to be the model. Did I mention Wallace and Okafor only had nine rebounds between them? Bizarro World.