We didn't want to drop three in a row before we have to face a tough Charlotte team. They always play us tough. It's going to be a great back-to-back series against them.

We're stunned, too. We did a great job for a team that doesn't give up. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game. We just tried to keep the pressure on. We were just hot tonight.

When I first signed my deal, they said if I made the All-Star Game in the first three years, we could rip up this contract and sign a new one. Well, I made it last year and they blew me off, and nothing has happened this year either. All I want is to get my face out there. If I'm the last person on the totem pole, just tell me I'm not in your future -- don't keep my hopes and dreams up.

Somebody's going to have to pay for me missing the initial. And that's almost every Eastern Conference team out there.

Those three in a row ... one-to-two-point matches and last-minute matches, those are heartbreakers for the team and those individuals who were planning on going to state.

We knew were walking into an incredibly tough situation. They're such a good team. They'd won 31 in a row at home.