Charlotte leveled the the Eastern Conference First Round 1-1, after overpowering Detroit. Most around the league expected this kind of result, but Detroit head coach David Smith was defiant until game time. "Underdogs, my ----. We've got enough talent and enough heart to play with anybody in the league." Afterwards, his tune had changed significantly. "We've got some work ahead of us before we can play at their level."

The only bright point for Detroit was the great play by Martin, and David Smith was quick to praise his star. "If the whole team had played with his energy, we'd have been able to play with Charlotte. The bright side is that we know what he can do against them, and we'll try to build on that for our next meeting."

Charlotte was led by Plungis (18 points, 10 boards, 1 assists, 2 blocks), White (20 points, a steal), Gish (19 points, 0 assists, 2 blocks). Detroit was led by Martin (26 points), Pendleton (10 points, 8 boards, 0 assists, 2 blocks), Lacroix (12 points, 5 boards, 2 assists).

box score Charlotte roster Detroit* roster