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Larry Brown was embarrassed, and he wasn't about to let his players feel any other way.
"I thought we tried harder in the first game, when we got blown out" against the Boston Celtics, the Charlotte Bobcats coach said. "At least then, we made a run."
Consider that Brown was referring to a 92-59 season-opening loss in Boston. And he preferred that to Tuesday's 108-90 defeat, again to the Celtics.
Brown called a timeout less than two minutes into this game because he was so dissatisfied with his players' body language. He saw fear, he saw confusion and he saw selfishness.
He saw a team that had mentally checked out of a four-game winning streak.
"I was so angry; we didn't compete a lick," Brown said. "I can't remember a game coaching this team when I felt more disappointed."
The Bobcats were equally inept on offense and defense. They shot just 40.5percent for the game, 2-of-11 from 3-point range. But the defense - normally this team's most reliable element - hit bottom, giving up 54.5percent shooting.
Brown was shocked how willing his team was to stand around, watching center Kendrick Perkins (21 points with 9-of-10 shooting) and reserve guard Eddie House (12 points off 5-of-9 shooting) take layups.
Brown wasn't alone in that embarrassment.
"Layup after layup after layup," said Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace. "We don't want to be a dirty team, but we've got to start taking some hard fouls."
One day removed from being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Wallace had his least impact of the season. He finished with season lows in points (five) and minutes (28), primarily because of early foul trouble.
Wallace took a seat 51/2 minutes into the game after committing his second foul. He never returned during the first half. By the time he finally scored - nearly four minutes into the third quarter - the Celtics were ahead by 21.
"We do not have a backup (power forward), so if Gerald gets in foul trouble and Boris (Diaw) is struggling, we really have an issue," Brown said, when asked how much Wallace's absence hurt.
Brown finally sat Wallace with two minutes left because center Nazr Mohammed (16 points) thought Wallace was boiling mad. The end of the game didn't improve Wallace's temper.
"I hope everyone is embarrassed. I wouldn't come back (as a fan) after watching a game like this," Wallace said. "Even (Celtics coach) Doc Rivers had 12 points."
