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If the Charlotte Bobcats had lost this one, you would have heard the air going out of the team's basketball all over the Carolinas.
You just don't want to lose your home opener to the woeful New York Knicks.
Not after you hold a 21-point lead.
Not after you were blown out by 33 two nights earlier in Boston.
Not with one of the largest crowds of the season in attendance - short of a sellout, but not by much at an announced 18,624.
Charlotte finally won the game Friday, 102-100 in double overtime, which says something about the Bobcats' heart and their relative lack of talent.
The Bobcats were up by 14 entering the fourth quarter and frittered all of that lead away.
The Knicks even had a clean shot to win the game in regulation, but missed a three-pointer and a follow shot.
Finally, the Bobcats cleaned up the mess in the second overtime, mainly by riding the back of the suddenly unguardable, I'm-cramping-but-I'm-still-playing Raymond Felton.
Felton seemed to score or assist on nearly every big Bobcat basket down the stretch.
Then D.J. Augustin hit the two game-winning free throws with 2.5 seconds to go, atoning for the two free throws he had missed a few seconds earlier.
That was barely enough in this imperfect game between these two heavily flawed teams.
Unlike their embarrassing loss to the Boston Celtics, the Bobcats didn't play scared in this one. They didn't play soft.
Bottom line: they just aren't that good.
Again.
Fortunately, the Knicks are a bit worse. But this win won't exactly inspire confidence from anyone that the Bobcats in Year 6 will suddenly sprint to the playoffs for the first time in team history.
Charlotte should get a little better. Starters Boris Diaw and Tyson Chandler aren't healthy yet. Raja Bell and Flip Murray will add some more scoring punch once they recover from injuries. Gerald Wallace isn't going to have too many 4-for-20 shooting nights like he did Friday.
But this will once again be a Charlotte team that won't out-talent anyone. The Bobcats will have to scrap and claw for every win. They did very little in the offseason to improve their team compared to many of the Eastern Conference playoff contenders.
Side note: Bob Johnson, the Bobcats' majority owner, was introduced before the game and drew more boos than cheers. Michael Jordan, the team's minority owner, did not get introduced but sat courtside beside the team's bench.
Jordan's teasing promise at his hall of fame induction in September to play again at age 50 seemed like something the Bobcats should take him up on as their lead shrank away to nothing in the fourth quarter.
Still, the Bobcats won. Just as their tent was about to collapse, they found a makeshift pole and held it together.
Charlotte is 1-1. If they go 41-41, they will probably make the playoffs.
So if you're a Bobcats fan wondering whether to be proud or be discouraged by what happened Friday night, go ahead and be proud.
Because there's a lot of discouragement still in store for you.
