Season 55 Featured Game No. 8...Gillette at Seattle

GILLETTE 76, SEATTLE 74

HUMPS MAKE IT A 3-WAY RACE IN WEST

SEATTLE -- Player of the Game Bellybutton Inquisition of Seattle got himself free for an uncontested medium jump shot at the buzzer that would have tied the game, but his shot rattled in and out, and the visiting Gillette Humps triumphed 76-74.

Inquisition's miss was preceded by a clutch 3-pointer by Lefty Scavenger at the 3 time unit mark that gave Gillette the winning margin. 

The win by Gillette gives the West three teams with 5-3 records, with the Humps and Stampede joined by San Jose. 

The road win came despite an outstanding defensive effort from Seattle, which prevented 20 Gillette points.

The teams split the season series.

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

Gillette...0...0...4...0...Total=4

Seattle....7...0...7...6...Total=20

TOPS IN POINTS PREVENTED

1. Chochky Galumpkus, Seattle...7

2. Erik A. Crocidale, Seattle...6

PLAYER OF THE GAME

27 GVP...5-11 Seattle point guard BELLYBUTTON INQUISITION did everything possible short of hitting that last-second jumper to try and get his team the win. The third-year guard scored a game-high 23 points on 8 for 15 shooting, going 3 for 3 from long range and driving to the cup for a pair of slam dunks. He was 4 for 6 from the foul line, adding 3 rebounds and an assist and solidly out-performing Joey Shamadu, Jr. of Gillette. This was the second POG of the season for Inquisition, who was also top man in the early-season win against this same Gillette team. He's now averaging 15.4 points per game and leads the Stampede in scoring. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

24 GVP...Gillette center Blob Dylan...21 points...3 rebounds.

23 GVP...Seattle forward Erik A. Crocidale...17 points (6 slams)...2 rebounds...3 blocks...2 rebounds...1 assist...6 points prevented.

22 GVP...Gillette forward Dark Urine...12 points...5 rebounds...3 blocked shots...1 steal...1 assist. 

20 GVP...Gillette two guard Lefty Scavenger...10 points...5 assists...4 rebounds...1 blocked shot.

20 GVP...Seattle center Chochky Galumpkus...11 points...4 rebounds...4 assists...1 block...7 points

 prevented.

MBA Standings … Season 55

EAST DIVISION

DALLAS……………….6-1

PHILADELPHIA………4-3

CHARLESTON………. 4-3

OKLAHOMA CITY…..3-4

MILWAUKEE……….. 2-5

 

WEST DIVISION

SEATTLE………….5-3

SAN JOSE………… 5-3

GILLETTE…………5-3

SACRAMENTO… 2-5

LOS ANGELES….. 1-7 (eliminated)

 

NEXT UP: Philadelphia at Charleston in a huge East Division game between the two teams (with identical records) vying for that second playoff spot behind mighty  Dallas. The Phobia finishes its season against Dallas, which would give it at least four losses. A loss to the Mountaineers would be 5 losses, and not many .500 teams make the playoffs in the East. Philly did a number on Charleston in their first meeting, winning 81-69, despite a POG effort from Mountaineer guard Kopi Luwak.

Note: We may skip the above game for now depending on Tyler’s schedule. That would mean the next game would be Milwaukee at Dallas.

Season 55...Featured Game No. 7...plus Bracket 7 Summary...plus look at next bracket...plus 3-point shooting Bonus

DALLAS 71, SEATTLE 52 (Slaughter Rule Enforced)

DEMONS ROLL OVER BEST IN WEST

DALLAS -- Despite shooting just 45.2 percent, the Dallas Demons (now 6-1) easily defeated the top team in the West Division, the Seattle Stampede (now 5-2), increasing their lead with every quarter for a final Slaughter Rule score of 71-52. 

It was the fifth consecutive win for the three-time defending champions, who have vanquished their last 5 opponents by an average of 22 points per win.

Coming into the contest, this cross-over game featured the top two offenses, the top 2 rebounding teams and the two of the league's 3 top defenses. 

Both teams remained in first place in their respective divisions, with the East now holding a 5-2 advantage in cross-over contests.

Points Prevented by team...Dallas 19, Seattle 11

Top Players in Points Prevented

1. Biggus Dickus, Dallas...6

2. Hilbee Juggleboy, Seattle...5

PLAYER OF THE GAME

26 GVP...Stalwart fifth-season Dallas power forward SATAN ISRAEL dominated his man, Frog Morton on the way to his first POG of the season. The 6-8 Israel tied for game-high in scoring with 18 points while crashing the boards for a game-high 8 rebounds. He was 8 for 12 from the floor, including a pair of slam dunks (missing all 3 of his bombs) and going 2 for 2 at the foul line. The big guy is now averaging 14.4 ppg.

Other 20-plus GVP performers (none for Seattle)

23 GVP...Dallas center Biggus Dickus...14 points...7 rebounds...1 blocked shot...1 assist...tops in points prevented.

22 GVP...Dallas point guard Vicious Hick...18 points (4 treys)...4 rebounds.

Standings changes after bracket 7

-- Charleston's win over Oklahoma City saw the Mountaineers take the Lariats' third-place spot in the East, while the Lariats went from third to fourth place.

-- There was no changes in the standings in the West.

Bracket 8 preview

The bracket starts out with Pinky Toe and Los Angeles at San Jose, with The Big One possibly seeing a way out of the cellar, having won their first contest in bracket 7 against this same Fighting Amigos team.

The FEATURED GAME shines a light on the Gillette Humps for the first time in Season 55 as they visit first-place Seattle with a chance to get back in the playoff hunt. The Stampede won the first meeting 79-70.

The bracket also includes a key matchup between Philadelphia and Charleston that will go a long way to deciding the second playoff team in the East.

BONUS 

RANKING TEAM 3-POINT

SHOOTING EFFECTIVENESS

Formula is team’s 3-point shooting percentage plus number of 3s made.

1.    1. Dallas Demons…100 attempts, 40 made…40%...80  total… shooters 30 percent or more… Vicious Hick

2.    2. Milwaukee Greyhounds…82-32…39%...71 total…Ehhy Table…Itstha Bishop…Rabbit Munchers

3.    3. Gillette Greyhounds…85-32…37.6%...69.6 total…Joey Shamadu…Lefty Scavenger

4.    4. Philadelphia Phobia…65-27…41.5%...68.5 total…Dick Papers…Splash Gordon…Turk Attaturk

5.    5. Oklahoma City Lariats…98-32…32.7%...64.7 total…King Czardines and Crentis Dentist

6.    6. Charleston Mountaineers…87-29…33.3%...62.3 total…Seeyalater Scronto and Kopi Luwak

7.    7. Sacramento River Dogs…75-25…33.3%...58.3 total…Thomas Thomas Thomas…Karma Chameleon…Anthony Finseca

8.    8. Los Angeles Big One…96-27…28.1%...55.1 total…Pinky Toe

9.    9. San Jose Fighting Amigos…74-22…29.7…51.7 total…Donny Dupons

St10. Seattle Stampede…95-15…15.8%...30.8 total…Hilbee Juggleboy.

SUMMARY: As expected, Dallas being a great 3-point shooting team (among other talents) leads the way…but Milwaukee and Gillette at numbers 2 and 3 indicates that teams cannot live by 3-pointers alone. Look, for example at the last team on the list. Seattle has been putrid at 3s for some time now; by far the worst in the league this season.  But they are having a fine campaign,  in first place in the West, even without being effective from beyond the arc.

Dallas, Oklahoma City and Los Angeles take the most treys per game while Philly, San Jose and Sacramento take the least.

 

 

Season 55 Featured Game No. 6...Dallas at Charleston

DALLAS 84, CHARLESTON 52

DEMONS EXACT REVENGE

CHARLESTON -- This was more of an execution than a game as the three-time-defending champions from Dallas (now 5-1) continued their inevitable march to a fourth consecutive championship with an 84-52 ass-whipping of the Charleston Mountaineers (now 3-3).

The 32-point victory for the Demons was extreme payback for their only loss this season...a confounding 89-69 defeat at the hands of these same Mountaineers.

It was the third straight loss for a spiraling Charleston team and a fourth consecutive triumph for Dallas. 

PLAYER OF THE GAME

30 GVP...Dallas Hall of Fame guard JUZAN DJINN racked the his third triple-double of the season and sixth of his storied career, resulting in a third POG honor in his last four contests. The third POG ties him with Pinky Toe of Los Angeles and Chochky Galumpkus of Seattle for the league lead in that department. The six-season veteran 16 points were actually below his 17-per-game average entering the contest, and his shooting was a tad off, going 8 for 17 from the floor (0 for 2 from deep). But, of course, the stat-stuffing Djinn more than made up for that with a game-high 7 blocked shots, 6 rebounds and 1 assist, putting his personal stamp on the victory and destroying his one-time running mate Kopi Luwak in the process. After 6 completed brackets, Djinn is at the top of the list to repeat as league MVP.

Other 20-plus GVP performers (nobody from Charleston)

28 GVP...Dallas small forward Pete "the Steakman" Marzano...19 points...3 steals...3 rebounds...2 blocked shots...1 assist.

25 GVP...Dallas point guard Vicious Hick...18 points (4 treys)...5 rebounds...2 assists.

25 GVP...Dallas power forward Satan Israel...16 points (3 slams)...8 rebounds...1 assist.

20 GVP...Dallas center Biggus Dickus...13 points...3 rebounds...2 steals...2 blocked shots.

Bracket 6 Summary

--Philadelphia's pounding of Oklahoma City and the destruction of Charleston at the hands of Dallas secured second place in the East for the Phobia and they exchanged places with Oklahoma City, who dropped to third.

--No changes in the standings in the West

Next up

-- Bracket 7 starts out with Philadelphia at Milwaukee, which at first glance might be considered a mismatch. But Milwaukee, which is facing a possible exit from the city, is coming off of its first win of the season and played the Phobia tough in the season opener before losing 79-78.

-- The Featured Game of the bracket will be the last one...a cross-over contest with Seattle at Dallas, the two teams atop their respective divisions and the two clubs with the best records in the league. Dallas has to be favored, but Seattle has a chance to see how much of an opponent they can be in the post-season.

55th MBA All Star Game

EAST 91, WEST 80

FAMILIAR STORY AS EAST TOPS WEST

PHILADELPHIA -- In a high-octane all star contest in which both squads shot over 60 percent from the field, the East came out of the gate quickly and sustained their double-digit advantage to the end, triumphing 91-80.

Los Angeles second-year star Pinky Toe and Hall of Fame veteran Crentis Dentist of Oklahoma City lit it up offensively, each scoring 30 points for their respective teams. Toe dominated the ball for the West, shooting 25 times and tossing up 12 3-pointers (of which he hit 4), managing to come up with his large point total despite being guarded by Juzan Djinn, one of the league's premier defenders.

Trailing by 8 going into the final quarter, the West cut the lead to 6 early in the stanza before the East took control again. 

This was the 35th win by the East (to 20 for the West) and marks the fourth time they've won this star contest in the past 5 seasons. 

Dallas Hall of Famer Juzan Djinn also shined in this, his fifth All Star Game outing, and his 7 assists ties him all time with Percy Faith in All Star contests with 20. Additionally, Djinn's game-high 4 blocks makes him the All Star leader in that department with 18. He is now averaging 20 points per game in All Star competition. 

CAREER LEADERS IN ALL STAR ASSISTS

20--Juzan Djinn, Dallas

20--Percy Faith, Dallas/Oklahoma City

19--Uncle Bob Masterson, Philadelphia

18--Pietro Destroyer, Charleston/Chicago/Seattle

15--Marcus Pettis, Sacramento/Houston

CAREER LEADERS IN ALL STAR BLOCKED SHOTS

18--Juzan Djinn, Dallas

16--Curly Hogbottom, Dallas/Philadelphia

16--J.J. Gargantuan, Charleston/Dallas/Sacramento/Milwaukee

15--Tom "the Bomb" Kondla, Seattle/Houston/Chicago/Dallas

14--Jimsy Redfern, Charleston

PLAYER OF THE GAME

35 GVP...Hall of Fame forward CRENTIS DENTIST of Oklahoma City became one of just 10 MBA players to capture multiple MVP of the All Star Game honors, capturing his second in three seasons with a 30-point explosion that included tying for game-high in rebounds with 4 and swiping 1 steal. The 6-6 small forward was 14 for 16 from the field, his only two misses coming on long bombs (in which he was 1 for 3). He was also 1 for 1 at the foul line. He did all this despite spending a good deal of time on the bench in foul trouble and eventually fouling out with 29 time units remaining in the game.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

34 GVP...Los Angeles point guard Pinky Toe...30 points...3 rebounds...1 assist.

28 GVP...Dallas guard Juzan Djinn...15 points...7 assists...4 blocked shots...2 rebounds.

25 GVP...Charleston forward Piping Plover...19 points...4 rebounds...1 assist...1 steal.

25 GVP...San Jose small forward Scobee Bryant...20 points...3 rebounds...1 assist...1 blocked shot.

NEXT UP: The second half of Season 55 kicks off with a cross-over game between the only two teams yet to chalk up a victory. Los Angeles travels to Milwaukee in a contest in which one of them HAS to win. 

The next three games in the bracket are all important, but the featured game is the final one in which Dallas visits Charleston, with the three-time defending champions looking for revenge for a slaughter-rule loss to the Mountaineers. 

 

Season 55 All Star Game Rosters and observations

History of All Star Games Played in Philadelphia

-- Season 8...West won 72-69...MVP was Hall of Fame center Mable Reed of Seattle who was also the game's top scorer with 23 poiints.

-- Season 12...East won 86-71...MVP was hometown hero, Hall of Fame guard Uncle Bob Masterson of Philadelphia who was also game's high scorer with 23 points.

-- Season 24...East won 100-66...MVP was Hall of Fame guard Tommy Zoop of Oklahoma who was also game's high scorer with 29 points.

-- Season 40...East won 77-75...MVP was Hall of Fame guard Beezow Bop-Bop of Charleston...top scorer in game was Hall of Fame guard Naf Naf of Oklahoma City with 19 points.

-- Season 46...East won 88-80...MVP was hometown hero, Hall of Fame guard Colquit Croix of Philadelphia who was also game's high scorer with 26 points.

Most All Star Game Appearances

11--Hall of Fame center Max Payne

11--Hall of Fame center J.J. Gargantuan (still active)

10--Hall of Fame guard Uncle Bob Masterson

10--Hall of Fame guard Mamadou Zongo

9---Hall of Fame forward Curly Hogbottom

20-plus GVP players left off this year's teams

G-King Czardines, Oklahoma City 23.4

G-Ehhy Table, Milwaukee 23.2

G-Bellybutton Inquisition, Seattle 20.2

F-Leonard Pinth Garnel, Philadelphia 20.2

F-Turk Attaturk, Philadelphia 20.0

NEXT UP...55th MBA All Star Game to be held in Philadelphia

East has won 34, West has won 20...East has won three of last 4

 

Season 55 Featured Game No. 5...San Jose at Seattle...plus a new bonus feature

 

Seattle 80, San Jose 54 (Slaughter Rule Enforced)

Stampede tramples Amigos

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Stampede (now 4-1) assured itself of entering the All Star Game break in first place in the West by blowing away the visiting San Jose Fighting Amigos (3-2) 80-54; the biggest margin of victory by anyone this season.

The win ended the 3-game winning streak for San Jose and split the season series between the two at one each. 

After scoring just 55 points against the Amigos in their first meeting, it was Seattle's turn to frustrate San Jose by holding the visitors to just 44 shots in a performance that they dominated from the opening tip.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

31 GVP...Seattle's fine second-year forward ERIC A. CROCIDALE assured himself of his second All Star Game appearance in as many seasons with a game-high 25-point performance in which he dominated his opposite, Scobee Bryant. In their first meeting it was Bryant dominating Crocidale for the POG. But "The Croc" turned things around with a 10 for 15 shooting night that included 4 slam dunks and 5 for 6 from the foul line. Additionally, the 6-8 star blocked a game-high 3 shots and pulled down 3 rebounds. This was his first POG of the season. He was the team MVP as a rookie last season and Seattle fans are hoping he will buck the tradition of moving on to a different franchise.

Other 20-plus GVP performers (None from San Jose)

24 GVP...Seattle point guard Bellybutton Inquisition...19 points...3 rebounds...2 assists. 

MBA Standings … Season 55

EAST DIVISION

DALLAS………………3-1

CHARLESTON………. 3-1

OKLAHOMA CITY…..2-2

PHILADELPHIA………2-2

MILWAUKEE……….. 0-4

 

WEST DIVISION

SEATTLE…………..4-1

GILLETTE………….3-1

SAN JOSE………… 3-2

SACRAMENTO… 1-3

LOS ANGELES….. 0-4

 

NEXT UP: A rematch of the two bottom feeders in the West with Los Angeles at Sacramento. The R-Dogs got their lone win thus far in their previous meeting in an 81-79 barn-burner. The game means more to L.A. since another last-place finish means that The Big One could be rolling the cube of chance to see if it leaves LaLa Land.

BONUS...CAN YOU GUESS WHO THIS RETIRED MBA PLAYER IS?

 

SEASON 55 RETIREMENTS

This was one of the lightest number of players to announce their retirements, with just 9 of a possible 45 saying they will leave the MBA following this season.

Only 6 of those 9 are currently on rosters, and only 2 players were starters at the time of retirement rolls.

The biggest losses were those two starters, with Splash Gordon, the league leader in scoring at the time of his announcement, leaving Philly and longtime forward and current Seattle starter Frog Morton also hanging it up.

Morton is one of three ancient MBA players who will retire, the others being Ape Con Myth of Milwaukee and the man who holds the all-time consecutive games played record, Wawa Wewa of Charleston. 

No team lost more than one player to retirement and four teams did not lose anyone.