Bobcats Showing Signs of Life

Quick, which is the hottest team in the N.B.A.? It is not the Lakers or the Celtics or the Cavaliers or any of the usual suspects.

It is the Charlotte Bobcats, a franchise that has never come close to a winning record in six years of existence.

A 104-65 blowout victory over the Heat last Wednesday night was not only the team’s largest margin of victory, but it put an exclamation point on their homestand — during which they were 6-0 before losing to Orlando on Saturday night — and was the team’s ninth victory in 11 games. The Bobcats are in sixth place in the Eastern Conference and are forcing people around the league to take notice.

The change in the team happened on Nov. 15, when the Bobcats sent Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmonovic to Golden State as part of a deal to acquire shooting guard Stephen Jackson and Acie Law. Charlotte was 3-6 when Jackson arrived and was averaging a league-low 82.4 points. Since acquiring Jackson, the Bobcats are 18-14 and their scoring average has climbed to 94.2 points. Charlotte has always been a strong defensive team, and it currently allows a league-low 92.5 points a game.

Jackson has long been a controversial figure and forced his way out of Golden State with the stated goal of playing for a winning team. There were probably a few people laughing when he went to Charlotte, which had never been confused with a winning team, but he has been the key to making this team a winner. His versatility and ability to hit the outside shot have opened up the floor for point guard Raymond Felton and swingman Gerald Wallace, who are playing their best basketball of the season. Additionally, Boris Diaw seems to have regained the form that made him a budding star in 2008-9.

There were those who wondered how Jackson was going to get along with Coach Larry Brown, who has butted heads with difficult players in the past, but Jackson has thrived under Brown and even drawn praise from Brown for his leadership.

Certainly this recent homestand has been a big part of the Bobcats’ climb up the Eastern Conference standings. Charlotte is 18-4 at home and 3-16 on the road (only the Nets are worse). Still, one of the biggest wins during this streak came at Cleveland, and Charlotte will soon have a chance to see if it can improve on the road. The Bobcats, who lost at home to the Magic, 106-95, on Saturday night, will embark on a six-game trip that includes stops at Denver, Phoenix and the Staples Center against the Lakers on Feb. 3. This trip will show the N.B.A. whether the Bobcats are for real.

It is worth noting that the Bobcats’ hot streak came without Tyson Chandler, who has an injured left foot. There are murmurs that the Bobcats are better without Chandler; they are 10-4 in his absence. But Charlotte will certainly look forward to getting Chandler back inside for his defense and rebounding.