Thursday, December 29, 2011

Titles, by team

As requested by retired MBA great Fly Davia, here is a team-by-team breakdown of titles won.

Philadelphia--10--most recent in Season 24
Milwaukee--7--most recent in Season 18
Dallas--3--most recent in Season 28
Houston--3--most recent in Season 12
Charleston--2--most recent in Season 27
Chicago--2--most recent in Season 16
San Jose--1--most recent in Season 25
Still waiting--Oklahoma City, Seattle and Sacramento

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Dallas wins third title with 78-60 victory

DALLAS--The two All-Leaguers for Dallas led the way to the franchise's third championship as the Demons captured Game 5 78-60. Fourteen-year veteran Mamadou Zongo netted 23 points and center Max Payne had 21 as Dallas broke open a tight contest in the third quarter. The Demons led 28-27 at the half, but by the end of the third quarter, the home team held a comfortable 53-38 lead and coasted the rest of the way.
Seattle center Tom "the Bomb" Kondla was injured halfway through the second quarter and was unable to return to the championship game, setting Payne loose for his best scoring game of the finals.
Following the contest, Zongo was named MVP of the playoffs, the first MVP honor of his illustrious career. The Season 28 title follows back-to-back championships by the Demons in Seasons 20 and 21.
MVP of Game--Max Payne

Dallas gets must-win triumph to even series

SEATTLE--The Dallas Demons. leading from start to finish, captured Game 4 with a key 77-67 road win, sending the Season 28 MBA finals to a decisive fifth game. This marks the fourth consecutive championship series that has gone the five-game distance.
Dallas featured unbelievable scoring balance in the contest, with six players in double figures, including California Dan Masterson's 10 off the bench. The highest scorer for the winners was center Max Payne, who netted 14 points. The third-year big man also led the parade of 13 blocked shots for Dallas, getting six more of his own. Payne was also the game's top rebounder with 7, giving him a triple-double for the contest.
Kuch Kuch Hotahey of Seattle led all scorers with 23, while blocking five shots. Horn E. Goatweed added 18 in a losing cause for the Stampede.
Game MVP-Kuch Kuch Hotahey

Seattle takes series command with 22-point road win

DALLAS--Leading 49-45 going into the final quarter, the Seattle Stampede outscored the home team Dallas Demons 27-9 down the home stretch to win Game 3 going away, 76-54. The victory puts the Stampede within one win of their first MBA title. They are the last of the Tyler Masterson teams without championship hardware.
It was again Horn E. Goatweed leading the way for Seattle. The sharp-shooting two guard scored 23 points that included a perfect day from behind the three-point line (5 for 5). The All-Leaguer also notched a game-high 7 assists and three rebounds for the winners.
Mamadou Zongo was the top scorer for Dallas with 21 points before fouling out late. He was the only Demon player to reach double figures in points. Nipple Rings Raguski (also about to retire) had 17 for Seattle from his point guard post.
Game MVP--Horn E. Goatweed

Stampede come roaring back to tie series at home

SEATTLE--The Seattle Stampede, playing before a raucous home crowd, evened up the finals series with a convincing 72-53 Game 2 victory. Horn E. Goatweed, playing in the last games of his career, led the victors with 22 points, with the 5-11 guard pulling down five boards to boot. Mamadou Zongo had 17 for the losing Demons, while Dallas center Max Payne's four blocked shots established a new record for most blocks in a post-season. The all-league 7-footer has already blocked 27 shots in this post season, passing the previous record of 25 established in Season 25 by Sagittal Occlusal of San Jose.
Game MVP-Horn E. Goatweed, Seattle--22 points, five rebounds, 1 assist.
Top rebounder-Tom "the Bomb" Kondla, Seattle, 8.
Most blocks--Kuch Kuch Hotahey, Seattle, 5.
Most steals--Kuch Kuch Hotahey, Seattle, 3.

Dallas wins finals opener 75-67

DALLAS--Hall of Fame point guard Mamadou Zongo's game-high 22 points and seven rebounds led the way as the Dallas Demons took game 1 of the best of five series 75-67 over the Seattle Stampede. Seattle was never really in this one, getting outrebounded 24-14 while their league-leading scorer, Horn E. Goatweed managed just seven points on only four shots.
Meanwhile, 7-foot, all-league center Max Payne of Dallas was blocking six shots and rookie forward J'Q contributed a valuable 10 points off the bench for the winners.
Shot blocking was running rampant in this one, with Dallas blocking 10 shots and Seattle swatting away 9 in a game that had both clubs shooting in the low 50s percentage-wise.
Forward Bisquero Cutoff chipped in with 16 points for the winners. Kuch Kuch Hotahey led Seattle in scoring with 15. The game marked the first finals appearance for the Stampede since Season 14.
Game MVP--Mamadou Zongo, Dallas--22 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block
SPECIAL NOTE: This finals represents the first time in the history of the MBA that two Western Division teams have met for the championship.

Dallas eliminates defending champs

The Dallas Demons came back from a 20-point deficit to beat two-time defending champion Charleston 76-72 and advance to the Season 28 championship round.
Dallas trailed 63-51 going into the final quarter, but kept chipping away at the lead until a Momadou Zongo (22 points) 3-pointer finally gave the Demons a 69-68 lead. The game went down to the final time unit. A Chuck Rysz tip-in for Charleston tied the game 72-72 with one time unit left, when the veteran Zongo, the league's most recent Hall of Famer, canned a trey at the buzzer, was fouled and hit a free throw to win the game.