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ChineseNBA Playoffs 2010 (of Transit): Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Bobcats
Both images are used with a Creative Commons license via Flickr; click on images to see more details
Catfight!
The most interesting angle to this first-round contest is that it is between two cities with feline-themed transit systems. Orlando, home of the NBA’s second-best team of the 2009-2010 season, has its transit service operated by the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority. The public refers to it as the Lynx.
Charlotte, home of the Bobcats, its second NBA team, is also home to Charlotte Area Transit System — CATS. The centerpiece of its system is a light rail line known as LYNX. So, we have two teams that both can lay claim to the Lynx name. So, there’s some measure of pride on the line in this game, too. It’s probably a more interesting rivalry than the one Atlanta and Milwaukee had over their diagonally striped buses. The winner of this contest goes on to face Atlanta in the semi-finals.
Apart from that, though, oddsmakers say this will be the snoozer of the series. Neither team fields a particularly exciting transit system, and the winner here is bound to be the underdog to Atlanta’s well-rounded MARTA.
| Orlando Magic | Team | Charlotte Bobcats |
| Amway Arena | Venue | Time Warner Cable Arena |
| Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority | Transit system | Charlotte Area Transit System |
| Lynx | Transit system nickname | CATS |
Game 1: Buses
Charlotte is primarily a bus system, despite its new light rail line. Buses are all what Orlando has.
So how do the systems leverage their existing systems?
Orlando has four buses that run around the Amway Arena, with the best services running every 30 minutes. Hourly service is fairly typical for Orlando, especially on weekends. It makes no provisions for special shuttle service. The Amway Arena is a few blocks from the Central Station in downtown Orlando, but Interstate 4 bisects the center city.
Charlotte, on the other hand, built its Uptown (read: downtown) Transit Center across the street from Time Warner Cable Arena. It’s worth a bus trip to Charlotte to see what your high cable bills are paying for. 
Anyway, with Charlotte’s bus system centrally focused, anybody who lives in CATS’ service area is a bus ride away from a Bobcats game.
Bobcats smoked the Magic here, easily.
Winner of Game 1: Charlotte. Bobcats lead the series 1-0.
Postscript to Game 1: We should note that Lynx is the most stylish team in the league. Orlando dazzles with its collection of “uniforms”. Look at this collection of Lynx buses on Flickr and see how fah-bulous Orlando buses are. Not all of them are as polite as the one used in the intro graphic.
Game 2: Urban rail
The Bobcats are absolutely relentless. Lynx has nothing in the wings. This allows LYNX to be the alpha cat. Charlotte deserves those capital letters. Bobcats, you’ve earned the right to imitate another famous Charlottean, professional wrestling legend Ric Flair, and let out a big “Whoo!” Just don’t give the Magic a chop. That’s a technical foul.
By the way, Charlotte has the worst nickname for its citizens.
Winner of Game 2: Charlotte. Bobcats lead the series 2-0.
Game 3: Mainline rail
The Bobcats have taken all the fight out of the Magic, who just looked absolutely bewildered in Games 1 and 2. The Magic know they are on the brink of elimination, so they pull very close to the ‘Cats.
Close but no cigar. Bobcats are well on the way dispatching the Magic in a low-scoring affair. Charlotte is served by three trains daily. There’s the intra-Tar Heel State Piedmont, running between Charlotte and Raleigh. There’s the Crescent, running along the Northeast Corridor from New York to New Orleans with a fascinating collection of cities in between, and the end of the line for the Carolinian (also to New York).
Orlando receives two “Silver” trains, the Star and Meteor, both originating from New York City and forking in Florida.
But wait! We spoke too soon!
Orlando, at the last second, shoots a basket very close to the 3 point line and just as the buzzer sounds. The whole game is thrown in disarray. This one must be reviewed.
This controversial shot is a metaphor for the Auto Train, which runs from Lorton, Virginia (outside of Washington, D.C.) to Sanford, Florida (a suburb of Orlando about 30 minutes north). The controversy: Does the Auto Train count, and how does it affect the outcome of this game?
Upon further review: It has been decided that, yes, the Auto Train can be considered as a service into Orlando. Sanford, while in another county, is within easy reach of Orlando is considered part of the Orlando metropolitan statistical area. So the shot made it in time. Now, is it a three pointer as well? Orlando is the recipient of a one-of-a-kind in the U.S. service, so it should be given the extra point as an advantage over Charlotte.
Yes, Auto Train’s uniqueness gives Orlando a leg up.
Orlando wins by one. It’s a game handed to them by the referees. They manage to avoid a sweep, but it’s a tainted victory.
Winner of Game 3: Orlando. Bobcats lead the series 2-1.
Game 4: Transit information
As established by its buses, Orlando has a very stylish sense of play. That style extends to its Web site. It’s very polished and eye-catching, but looks can deceive. It’s also a site very thin on information.
GoLynx.com has an easier name to remember than Charlotte’s Web site. It doesn’t use the CATS branding; instead, it’s a subsite of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County official government page. It’s a page that needs to be bookmarked, rather than typed.
Type in GoLynx, though, and you see that Orlando is rather thin. It thinks of itself as a small, even rural transit system. Apparently, Lynx does not realize that Orlando is a major tourist destination, and it needs a novice-friendly Web site. GoLynx would be tricky for locals to use as well. Also, you wouldn’t have any idea that Orlando is bursting at the seams with theme parks. It’s usefulness is very limited.
Charlotte, despite the clunky name, is more rich in information and makes more of an effort to help novice riders. Charlotte may draw mostly locals, but once it’s found it has a nice, direct front page. Site navigation, though is poor.
It also helps that your competitor disappointed more. Charlotte takes the game and the series. And L.A. gives them this T-shirt we stocked up so much on from last year’s finals:
Click on the images for more Lakers 2009 championship parade images by Yours Truly
Winner of Game 4: Charlotte.
Bobcats take the first-round series 3-1.
Bobcats will face the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference semifinals, tentatively scheduled for the start of the actual Eastern Conference semifinals.
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As far as Game 4, it should be noted that the website for CATS is actually http://www.ridetransit.org and it is plastered all over their buses. It’s a bit easier to remember than trying to navigate through the city website. Also, they recently released a free iPhone app called iCatch LYNX which fetches your current location and tells you the closest station and the next two departure times going each direction.