OKLAHOMA CITY EDGES HOUSTON FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE FINALS APPEARANCE
HOUSTON -- The Oklahoma City Lariats will return to the MBA finals for the second consecutive season, an achievement that the franchise reached just once before in the glory days of Seasons 12 and 13 when Diamond Dallas Paige roamed the paint.
But it wasn't easy.
The defending champion Iguanas held the lead 32-28 with 55 time units remaining in the third quarter when Hall of Famer Hrundi V. Bakshi broke three fingers on his shooting hand in a freak accident that brought the screaming Terrarium crowd to a hushed silence. Bakshi left the game and would not return. Word later came down that he would have been lost for the remainder of the playoffs, regardless of how Houston fared in this game.
As it turned out, that four-point lead was short-lived, as the Lariats took a 47-42 advantage by the end of the third quarter. They then led by as many as 10 before Houston mounted a last-ditch comeback that brought them within three in the waning moments. When Walt White (9 points) of Oklahoma City stuck a medium jumper to put his team up by five with just 4 time units left, victory seemed secure for the Lariats. But a bucket by T. "Kanes" Masterson, subbing for Bakshi, was followed by a steal from Snarkey Comment, who missed on a drive to the hole that was tipped in by teammate Rogersaurus Adamson. Time then ran out for Houston.
Houston center Sanjay Patel, who was shut out by All-MBA center Max Payne in Game 1, outplayed his nemesis in this one, scoring a game-high 16 points, grabbing 5 boards and blocking two shots to win MVP of the Game honors.
The loss means that the careers of both starting forwards for Houston, Adamson and Looky Whos, are over.
PLAYOFF NOTES: The elimination of Houston means that for just the third time in 35 seasons, there will be two Dave Masterson teams in the finals. Anyone care to guess how many times Tyler teams have faced off in the finals?
Next Up: The Chicago Gale travels to San Jose looking for a win that would put them in their first finals since they last won it all in Season 16.
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