SEASON 30 HALFWAY SUMMARY

SAME FOUR TEAMS DOMINATING
Defending champion Philadelphia (5-0), Milwaukee (4-1), San Jose (4-1) and Dallas (4-1) -- the same quartet of teams that made last year's playoffs, appear once again to be the cream of the crop in Season 30's MBA at the halfway mark.
Philadelphia, however, was dealt a serious blow in the all star game when the league's leading scorer, Cheetos Jones, was injured and will miss three of the next five remaining games. Lacking a point guard to replace Jones, the Phobia will turn to rookie Totes McGoats or Rob "Pitter Patter" Petrie, who was picked up from the cut pile.
Somewhat surprisingly, Philly was picked for third by both experts prior to the season. But the real shockers have been Houston (1-4) and Oklahoma City (0-5, both extremely disappointing when preseason picks are considered.



JONES LEADS LEAGUE IN SCORING AT THE BREAK
Third-year superstar Cheetos Jones has played his part for his new club the Philadelphia Phobia, leading the league with a 21.6 scoring average prior to falling to injury in the all-star game.
Superb rookie power forward, the 6-11 Gato Do Mato, has solidified the front line for Milwaukee with a league-leading 5.4 rebounds per game.
Another newcomer to his team, point guard Bull Bunson has made his mates better than expected with excellent ball distribution on the way to a league-leading assist total.





PHOBIA, SEATTLE DOMINATE ALL STAR SELECTIONS
As expected of a 5-0 team, the Philadelphia Phobia dominated all-star selections, placing four players, including two starters, on the mid-season all-star team.
The Seattle Stampede (2-3), picked in preseason polls as the league's worst team, also had four players selected for the star squad, led by second-year star Smokey Talisker. Not bad for a team that was earmarked for a winless season.
Meanwhile, for the first time in history, the disappointing Houston Iguanas failed to place a player on the all-star team.



WEST WINS FIRST BUZZER-BEATER IN ALL STAR GAME HISTORY
DALLAS - Oklahoma City rookie guard Jerry Curl hit a medium jump shot at the horn to give the Western Division all stars their fourth consecutive victory.
It was the 10th victory in the series for the West, with the East having 20 wins.
Max Payne of the home city Dallas Demons became just the second center (and the first since Mable Reed in Season 8) to win game MVP honors with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a pair of blocks.
But perhaps the biggest news of the game was the injury to Cheetos Jones of first-place Philadelphia, who is the league's leading scorer and led all scorers in the all-star contest with 23.



SEASON 30 RETIREMENTS ANNOUNCED
Just 12 players, including only two starters, announced that they will be hanging up the old gym shoes following the conclusion of Season 30.
The pair of big names who will not return include longtime starting guard Tipsy O'Sullivan of Dallas and starting all-star center Trey Bon of Charleston, who is having the best season of his career.
All three current Hall of Famers, Mamadou Zongo of Dallas, Boone Doggle of Philadelphia and Sagittal Occlusal of San Jose will return; Zongo for his 17th season.

GAME FIVE...FINALS...SEASON 29

HALL OF FAMER DOGGLE LEADS PHOBIA TO ELEVENTH TITLE

PHILADELPHIA—Seven three-point buckets, almost all coming in dramatic moments, helped the storied Philadelphia Phobia franchise notch its 11th championship season as they took apart the San Jose Fighting Amigos 75-53 in a Game Five decider.

The final score was not indicative of the closeness of the game at times. But every time the Amigos got within striking distance, the Phobia hit a big trey. Johnny Hoops (17 points), playing in his last game, hit a trey to end the half. Tug Hershorts (15 points) hit a trey to end the third quarter with Sagittal Occlusal draped all over him. And in a brilliant fourth quarter sequence that took the heart out of San Jose, Hall of Fame Boone Doggle (23 points) grabbed two consecutive loose balls and followed both with three-point bombs. After an Amigo miss, he then popped in another trey on the way to scoring 13 consecutive points for the Phobia.

The 6-10, 6-11, 6-10 front line of Bascomb Ducksnort (19 points), Hershorts and Doggle crashed the board throughout the game. In the first half, the Amigos could manage only four rebounds (all by one man, Occlusal) while the Phobia snagged 14.
Doodledoo, the top scorer in the post-season, was a non-factor in this game, scoring no points in the first quarter and just five for the game as Major Hassle gave him what his name implies.

Game MVP—Boone Doggle, Philadelphia, 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 blocked shot.
Top San Jose Scorer—Funsy VanSlochum, 14 points
Tops in Assists – Johnny Hoops, Philadelphia, 3
Top Rebounder—Bascomb Ducksnort, Philadelphia, 8
Fouled Out—Ed Masterson, San Jose.

FINALS NOTES
Cock A. Doodle Doo of San Jose was named the MVP of the Playoffs, edging Boone Doggle of Philadelphia. Sagittal Occlusal of San Jose finished third in the voting.

Momadou Zongo of Dallas moved up to tied for fourth on the all-time list of playoff game appearances with 39. Ed Masterson of San Jose moved up to tied for sixth with 38.
Zongo is third on the all-time playoff scoring list with 577 points, trailing Uncle Bob Masterson (650) and Dan Mann (768).

MBA FINALS GAME 4 SEASON 29

FIGHTING AMIGOS SEND CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES TO FINAL GAME

SAN JOSE—The MBA championship series will feature a Game Five decider for the fifth consecutive season as the San Jose Fighting Amigos hung on for a 56-53 home win over the Philadelphia Phobia to tie the series at two games each.

This one looked like an easy victory by the home team, which raced to a 20-10 lead behind game MVP Cock A. Doodledoo’s 14-point first-quarter outburst.

The Amigos held what looked like a comfortable 12-point lead going into the fourth quarter, when Doodledoo fouled out early , which seemed to ignite the Phobia. Philadelphia roared back to within 6 points at 56-50 with about a fourth of the fourth quarter remaining. A Boone Doggle putback off a missed free throw by teammate Johnny Hoops accounted for the final score with three time units remaining, but that was as close as Philly could come.

Now we go to Game 5 in Philadelphia, as San Jose attempts to become just the second team in MBA history to lose the first two games in the finals and come back to win it all. The only time this has ever happened was in Season 9, when current San Jose head coach Dan Mann led the Milwaukee Greyhounds to a stunning comeback over the Houston Iguanas.

One note of import going into the final contest. Philadelphia’s defensive specialist Major Hassle, who has been injured for all seven of his team’s playoff games, returns to the starting lineup where he will bump heads with Cock A. Doodledoo at guard.


Game MVP—Cock A. Doodledoo, San Jose 23 points, 3 rebounds
Top Scorer—Cock A. Doodledoo, San Jose, 23 points
Top Philadelphia scorer – Boone Doggle, 17 points
Tops in assists—Sagittal Occlusal, San Jose 3
Top Rebounder—Tug Hershorts, Philadelphia, 7
Fouled Out—Cock A. Doodle Doo and Funsy VanSlochum, both of San Jose

MBA FINALS GAME 3

FIGHTING AMIGOS WHOOP UP ON PHOBIA TO STAY ALIVE
PHILADELPHIA -- A 33-point outburst by third-year guard Cock A. Doodledoo led the attack for San Jose, as the Fighting Amigos successfully staved off the end of their title quest with a decisive 76-45 road victory.

The best of five series now moves to San Jose, with Philadelphia still holding the edge at 2 games to 1.

Everything was working for the Amigos in Game 3 of the finals, especially the kind of defensive effort that has made them the league's top defensive team for a record four consecutive seasons. The Amigos stole the ball eight times in this contest and held the Phobia to just 39 shots and 48.7 percent shooting.

Doodledoo's scoring barrage came within five points of San Jose coach Dan Mann's 38-point playoff record, which he established in Season 9 for Milwaukee against Seattle, then duplicated in Season 12 against Oklahoma City.

Game MVP--Cock A. Doodledoo, San Jose, 33 points 4 rebounds two steals, one assist.
Top Philadelphia scorer--Bascomb Ducksnort, 12
Top Rebounder--Ed Masterson, San Jose, 8
Tops in assists--Boone Doggle, Philadelphia, 3
Fouled out--Trapper Zoid, Philadelphia

MBA FINALS SEASON 29, GAME 2

UNAFRAID PHOBIA TAKE 2-0 LEAD OVER AMIGOS

SAN JOSE -- As has happened so often in NBA playoffs past, some unsuspected bench guy from one of Tyler's teams has risen to the occasion and tipped the scales in his squad's favor. In Season 29, this player is 6-10 third-year center Bascomb Ducksnort, who rode the bench all season, then came on in the finals to play a key role.

After scoring 18 off the bench in a Game 1 victory, Ducksnort was inserted into the starting lineup for the Phobia and responded with an even greater effort...a game-high 24-point performance that included 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal, leading his team to a 71-65 triumph. He earned an MVP of the Game for his efforts and put the most successful franchise in league history on the doorstep of their 11th championship with a 2-0 lead in this best of five title series.

"This kind of shit happens constantly when you play one of Tyler's teams," said San Jose head coach Dan Mann.

The top scorers of both teams (Hall of Fame forward Boone Doggle of Philadelphia and guard Cock A. Doodledoo of San Jose) were in foul trouble all game and both eventually hit the pines for good with a fifth personal. But Ducksnort, who started the game with 11 first quarter points, scored early and often from inside and out and in the fourth quarter was the key player who broke a late 59-59 tie.

GAME MVP--Bascomb Ducksnort, Philadelphia
Top Scorer--Bascomb Ducksnort, Philadelphia, 24 points
Top San Jose Scorer -- Saggital Occlusal, 16 points
Tops in Assists -- Funsy VanSlochum, San Jose, 5
Three guys tied for tops in rebounds with 6
Fouled out--Boone Doggle, Philadelphia; Cock A. Doodledoo, San Jose

The Phobia now return home for Game 3, where they can clinch yet another title.

Season 29 MBA FINALS...GAME 1

PHOBIA SQUEEZE PAST AMIGOS IN OVERTIME
PHILADELPHIA--The Philadelphia Phobia took a giant step toward winning their record 11th championship by besting the visiting San Jose Fighting Amigos 66-62 in overtime in Game 1 of the MBA Finals.

The victory came despite San Jose taking a 7-0 lead to start the game and finishing the first quarter with a commanding 15-4 advantage. Philadelphia fought back thanks to game MVP and Hall of Famer Boone Doggle's 18-point effort and the 18 points off the bench of backup center Bascomb Ducksnort.

San Jose, led by the 19-point effort of two guard Cock A. Doodledoo regained the advantage and seemed to have the game in hand, leading by four with just six time units left in regulation. But two quick scores by the home team, including the game-tying bucket by 6-11 forward Tug Hershorts (against his former team), tied the contest and sent it into overtime.

Game MVP--Boone Doggle, Philadelphia, 18 pts, 3 rebounds, 2 assists 2 blocked shots.
Top assist man--Funsy VanSlochum, San Jose, 5
Fouled out--Ed Masterson, San Jose

Philly dethrones champs, returns to the finals

DALLAS CAN'T GET PAST PHOBIA . . . AGAIN
PHILADELPHIA--The 10-time champion Philadelphia Phobia will return to the finals for the first time in five seasons after ousting the defending champion Dallas Demons 63-51 in the decisive Game 3 of round one.
The two teams have now met four times in the playoffs, with Philadelphia winning all four times.
For the third game in a row, Hall of Fame point guard Mamadou Zongo, and his running mate Tipsy O'Sullivan both fouled out for Philadelphia, with Zongo getting just two points for the game. Hacksaw Rooney scored 10 points off the bench for Dallas and led the team in scoring.
The Phobia will not take on the San Jose Fighting Amigos for the best of five MBA championship. The teams have never met in the championship round.

Dallas ........14-22-41-51
Philadelphia 18-37-50-63

Game MVP--Johnny Hoops, Philadelphia, 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Top scorer--Hoops
Top rebounder--Ima Spikie, Philadelphia, 7
Tops in steals--Hoops, Philadelphia

Game 3 Milwaukee vs. San Jose

FIGHTING AMIGOS BACK IN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
SAN JOSE – The San Jose Fighting Amigos led by the game-high 23 points of guard Cock A. Doodledoo, outlasted the Milwaukee Greyhounds in the deciding game of the first round series and will appear in the championship round for the third time in five seasons.

Milwaukee 21-39-50-64
San Jose.. 16-35-55-70

MVP of Game—Cock A. Doodledoo, San Jose, 23 points 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Top Milwaukee scorer – Chi CityMaine, 18 points
Fouled out—Hrundi V. Bakshi

Round One Playoff Updates

DEFENDING CHAMPS WIN GAME ONE
PHILADELPHIA -- Despite both starting guards fouling out, the defending champion Dallas Demons prevailed handily on the road against Philadelphia, 61-47. Phobia point guard Johnny Hoops was the game MVP with 16 points and five boards, but the Dallas defense held the home team to a paltry 34 percent shooting.

Dallas .........19-37-51-61
Philadelphia 21-31-43-47
Top Scorer-Hoops, Phil. 16
Top Rebounder, Boone Doggle, Phil. 8



MILWAUKEE STAYS ALIVE WITH 60-57 VICTORY
MILWAUKEE -- Rookie MVP Hrundi V. Bakshi of Milwaukee broke open a tight contest with back-to-back treys in the fourth quarter that spurred the Greyhounds to a 60-57 win. Milwaukee trailed 51-50 when Bakshi canned his two back-breakers behind the arc on the way to a game-high 17 points. The series now goes to a final Game 3, with the teams knotted up at one game each.

San Jose...14-26-45-57
Milwaukee.11-27-44-60
Game MVP-Sagital Occlusal, San Jose...14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocked shots.
Top Rebounder, Occlusal, San Jose, 8.
Funsy VanSlochum of San Jose led both theams with 3 steals.
Ed Masterson led San Jose with 15 points.


TRAPPER ZOID'S BUZZER-BEATER TIES THE SERIES
DALLAS -- Veteran Philadelphia guard Trapper Zoid, pressed into starting service due to an injury to Major Hassle, hit a game-winning medium jump shot at the horn to give his team a 65-63 win. Philadelphia will play the decisive Game 3 at home to determine which team goes to the finals.

Philadelphia..13-25-40-65
Dallas...........10-26-46-63
Game MVP--Momadou Zongo of Dallas, game-high 18 points, 3 Rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, 1 blocked shot.
Most assists--Tipsy O'Sullivan, Dallas, 5
Most steals--Johnny Hoops, Philadelphia, 3
Top Philadelphia scorers--Tug Hershorts, Boone Doggle, both with 16

San Jose opens playoffs with big win

SAN JOSE --It was the league's top offensive team (Milwaukee) against the MBA's best defensive unit for the past four seasons. After a fast start, San Jose and defensive stalwart Cock A. Doodledoo put the clamps on rookie MVP Hrundi V. Bakshi (11 points)and finally broke open a close one in the fourth quarter to win 64-55.


Not only did Doodledoo doodle-do a number on Bakshi, but the Fighting Amigos shooting guard led all scorers with 24 points and captured MVP of the Game honors.



Milwaukee 18-30-43-55
San Jose 21-33-45-64



Game MVP -- Cock A. Doodledoo: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Top scorer for Milwaukee: Chi CityMaine, 22 points.

S29 Finale and Playoff Preview

It will be San Jose (7-3)versus Milwaukee (6-4)and Philadelphia (8-2) versus Dallas (7-3) in the best of three first round of playoffs for Season 29. Only one team returns from last year's post-season extravaganza, the returning champion Dallas Demons who clinched a spot in the last game of the year with a dominating 67-54 victory over Oklahoma City. Milwaukee, behind stunning rookie Hrundi V. Bakshi, gained a playoff berth be beating Houston twice to end the season. Bakshi was rookie of the year and the league MVP and was also the league scoring champion. Only the great Hall of Famer Uncle Bob Masterson accomplished that triumvirate, and that happened way back in Season 4. As can be viewed by the attachment, the first team All-MBA squad is comprised of all first-time honorees, with the oldest player being just four seasons old. The youngsters are really taking over.

MBA Home Stretch--Season 29

Just two games remain for each team as we head into the Seasson 29 home stretch, and it's still difficult to come up with an overall favorite for the title.
One thing's for certain, however...just six teams remain in the hunt for the four playoff spots.
San Jose, Dallas and Oklahoma City are the contenders for the two Western spots. It appears that the big game will be defending champion Dallas at Oklahoma City in the final game of the year for both teams. Dallas destroyed the Lariats in the previous meeting by a 78-55 score.
Three of Tyler's teams are contenders for the two East Division slots. Philadelphia looks like a shoo-in, while Houston and Milwaukee will play their last two games against each other, with Milwaukee needing a sweep to get in. That's a tall order, since the Iguanas of Houston have the league's longest win streak at five in a row.
Milwaukee is led by rookie guard sensation Hrundi Bakshi, the favorite to win the league MVP award. Bakshi is averaging a league-high 23.0 points per game and is in a battle for top scoring honors with Sacramento's second-year star Cheetos Jones, who currently averages 22.5.
Oklahoma City is on pace for a team rebounding record, boasting the league's top four rebounders in Titfur Tatt (7 per game), Jimmy Wharfdale (6.1), Gulemon Mon-Mon (5.6) and Sanuk (5.3).
San Jose is again playing the stingiest defense in the league and recently held Dallas to a 28-point game to break a record established way, way, way back in Season 4 when Houston held Oklahoma City to 32.
Charleston crashed and burned after Jonny Cockaroo, their Hall of Fame center, went down with a season-long injury in the sixth game of the year. Cockaroo, who led the team during its most prosperous seasons that included two titles, will retire.

SEASON 29 MBA HALFWAY POINT

As can be seen from the Season 29 halfway standings, it's readily apparent that the power in the MBA resides in the West.
Not only has the West defeated the East in every single crossover game (see top left), the West has three excellent teams (Oklahoma City, Dallas and San Jose) all resting at 4-1 at the break.
Meanwhile, in the East, only the resurgent Philadelphia squad is above .500 at 4-1, with Charleston and Houston vying for the second playoff slot with records of 2-3.
Here's a quick team-by-team summary.

THE WEST

OKLAHOMA CITY LARIATS (4-1)-- The Lariats success is predicated by the brute-force rebounding of its front line, which is rebounding at a record 31-boards per game pace, almost 10 better than the next closest team. Perennial all star center Titfur Tatt (6-11) and forwards Gule Mon-Mon (6-11) and Jimmy Wharfdale (6-9) hit the boards like Katrina smashed The Big Easy. Tatt and Mon-Mon are 1-2 in the league in rebounding and Wharfdale is fifth in the league in scoring at 17.8 per game. Scoring from the guards is, however, a team weakness.
DALLAS DEMONS (4-1)--After being dismantled by San Jose in the season opener, the defending champions have rattled off four straight victories and appear formidable once again. Most impressive is the fact they are winning comfortably despite down years from their two best players, Hall of Fame guard Mamadou Zongo and 7-foot center Max Payne. Picking up the pace has been 9-year veteran guard Tipsy O'Sullivan (team-leading 15 points per game, forward Bisquero Cutoff (14 points per game) and 10-year vet Hacksaw Rooney (10.6 off the bench).
SAN JOSE FIGHTING AMIGOS (4-1)--Third-year defensive gem Cock A. Doodledoo has added improved offense to his game this season. The guard is averaging 19.4 per game (third in the league) and his running mate, Funsy VanSlochum has rebounded from a poor year with a 14-per game average. San Jose has been the MBA's top defensive team three seasons in a row, and this year is no different. Except this season they have improved dramatically on offense, despite the fact that Hall of Fame forward Sagittal Occlusal is having (for him) a down year.
SACRAMENTO RIVER DOGS (2-3)-- The River Dogs have already doubled the previous season's win total, thanks mainly to the league's top scorer, guard Cheetos Jones. Sacramento snared him away from San Jose in the draft, and the second-year gunner is popping away at 22.4 points per game. Sacramento has replace four of five starters since last season.
SEATTLE STAMPEDE (1-4)--Decimated by retirments, the Stampede has replaced 60 percent of its roster this season and struggles to score (last in the MBA in points per game).

THE EAST

PHILADELPHIA PHOBIA (4-1)--After three consecutive last-place finishes, the winningest team in MBA history reluctantly fired longtime coach Oscar Mudcat, hired former team great Curly Hogbottom and has returned to the top. The resurrection is the direct result of a spectacular draft in which the team picked up four starters, the two biggest being Hall of Fame forward Boone Doggle (6-10) and longtime backup forward Tug Hershorts (6-11), who has blossomed with the opportunity to start. Center Ama Spikie also appears very solid.
CHARLESTON REBELS (2-3)--Hall of Fame center Jonny Cockaroo is showing his age in his 12th season and has announced his retirement after this season. And losing Hall of Famer Boone Doggle to the Phobia simultaneously has made the usually potent Rebels a team that struggles to find points. But despite a guard tandem that lacks defense the Rebs are still in the playoff hunt.
HOUSTON IGUANAS (2-3)--The perennial playoff team shocked by losing three straight out of the gate but are on a two-game win streak now. The revamped Iguanas had four players named to the all-star team, so the talent is obviously there. They lead the MBA in scoring with 80.8 per game thanks mainly to Ching Chong Chung (19.0) and vastly improved Tom Kondla.
MILWAUKEE GREYHOUNDS (1-4)--Rookie sensation Hrundi V. Bakshi is the real deal. The tallest guard in MBA history (6-7) leads his team in points (21.8) and rebounds (5.2).
CHICAGO GALE (1-4)--The Gale added nobody of value from last year's 4-6 team and has shown an inability to stop anyone from scoring. They are last in the league in defense.



NOTES ON THE MID-SEASON ALL STAR TEAMS FOR THE WEST AND EAST
Conspicuous by their absence are three Hall of Famers: Jonny Cockaroo of Charleston; Mamadou Zongo of Dallas; and Boone Doggle of Philadelphia. Of the three, only Doggle has performed well this year. He was edged out by a strong group of forwards in the West. The fourth Hall of Famer, Sagittal Occlusal of San Jose, barely made the team.

NOTES ON ANNOUNCED RETIREMENTS

Jonny Cockaroo will retire, at minimum, tied with the great Diamond Dallas Paige of Oklahoma City, as the most honored center in MBA history.
Oklahoma City center Titfur Tatt hangs it up after just six seasons. He was rookie of the year and named to five all star games.
Philadelphia will be losing both of its starting guards.


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