Season 34 Summary and Post-Season Preview

SEASON 34 POST-SEASON PREVIEW

Houston Iguanas (9-1) vs. Sacramento River Dogs (6-4)

After finishing runner-up in the finals in Season 33, the Houston Iguanas returned their entire starting unit and took over as the class of the MBA in Season 34.
The 9-1 mark ties the Houston franchise's best regular season record, attained only one other time in Season 26. But that 9-1 season did not result in a championship, so one has to go back all the way to Season 12 for the last time the Iguanas brought home the big trophy.
Houston has titles in Season 1, Season 10 and Season 12 and appears more ready than ever to add another.
Consider the following:
* They were the highest scoring MBA team by almost 10 points per game (80.8 ppg to 72.1 for Charleston).
* They had the stingiest defense in the East, allowing just 63.2 points per game...second only to Oklahoma City's 62.6. But it must be noted that the Lariats did not face the same high level of division competition as did Houston.
* Four teams averaged over 23 rebounds per game, and Houston was one of them.
* They boast the league MVP Hrundi V. Bakshi, who was the MBA's top scorer and 3-point shooter.
* They boast the first same-team All-MBA guard combination of Bakshi and Ching-Chong Chung since Season 13, when Hall of Famers Uncle Bob Masterson and Stu Nod of Philadelphia became the first such historic combo in league history.
* The Iguanas also became just the second team in league history to place as many as three of its members on the All-MBA team. Joining Bakshi and Chung in this year's storied group is third-season center Sanjay Patel. The last time a trio from one team made All-MBA together was in Season 5 when Philadelphia placed future Hall of Famers Uncle Bob Masterson, center Alex Pal and forward Rowdy Ron Clutch.
* This season, Houston led the league in shooting percentage (58.7 percent) 3-pointers made (55), 3-point shooting percentage (48.7 percent), and team free throws made (77).
* Houston was the only team in the MBA to go the entire season without a player fouling out of a game.

The Sacramento River Dogs are easily the surprise team of the playoff squads. Picked in a preseason poll by both prognosticators to finish last in their division, the R-Dogs stayed strong all season long to somehow finish second in the West. This marks the third time they have made the playoffs in the past four seasons, but they have never been bigger underdogs than this season.
Only the lowly Dallas Demons scored fewer points per game than did Sacramento, which scored at a 61.6 per game clip while yielding 64.4. That's right...although their defense was solid, they still gave up more points on the season than they scored.
The franchise has never won a title and has bowed out of the last three playoff appearances without getting a victory.
If the picture is not dire enouch, consider that they will enter Game 1 of the series against powerful Houston without their top player and leading scorer Alejandro Lemieux, who will miss the first contest due to injury.

Favorite in opening series: Houston, 2 games to 0, with Sacramento being a 30 to 1 shot to pull off the upset.


Chicago Gale (5-5) vs. Oklahoma City Lariats (7-3)

The Chicago Gale return to the MBA playoffs for the first time since Season 17. That's half the length of the league's existence. But, believe it or not, among this quartet of championship contenders, the Gale's Season 16 title is the most recent of the bunch. Their other championship was in Season 2.
Chicago is the league's top rebounding team (23.6 per game) and its best free throw shooting team at 83.7 percent. They are the youngest team in the MBA and the only team to beat Houston in the regular season. Tempered by surviving the rugged Eastern Division, the Gale enters the playoffs with a three-game win streak, and overcame the loss of their best performer, forward Nobby Nabob, while making the miracle push from 2-5 to 5-5.
The bad news is that no MBA team has ever won a championship when finishing with five wins or less.

The Lariats of Oklahoma City posted their best season and first first-place finish since Hall of Fame center Diamond Dallas Paige led them to a 10-0 mark in Season 18. They did not win the title that year (thanks to Paige's injury in the playoffs) and have never won a title. The last time they made the playoffs was Season 27.
But like Chicago, their first-round opponent, Oklahoma City comes into the post-season riding a three-game winning streak. They also boast the best defensive average in the league.
The Lariats have good, young forwards and a pair of experienced guards in Walt White and Lemon Jell-o. They will, unfortunately, once again be without the services of their center, the league's oldest player (17 seasons) Achilles Heel, who was hurt for the final three games of the regular season and will miss the first four of the playoffs.
Chicago and Oklahoma City met once in the regular season for a division crossover game and that spirited and hard-fought affair saw the Lariats emerge victorious 76-72, with gunners Didger A'doo of Chicago and Walt White of Oklahoma City sharing MVP of the Game honors.
The Lariats and the Gale were both beneficiaries of the two top players in the Season 34 draft, as Chicago grabbed rookie guard Beezow Bop-Bop and Oklahoma City lured Lemon Jell-o to its squad. Both solidified their respective lineups on the way to playoff appearances.
One final note: Jell-o will be opposing his fraternal twin Orange Jell-o, a starting forward on Chicago's team. It is the first time such a matchup has occurred.

Favorite in opening series: none This one is a 50-50 proposition that promises to go the entire three games.