SEASON 35 POST-SEASON SUMMARY

LARIATS WIN FIRST TITLE

With the Oklahoma City Lariats winning their first title, only Seattle and Sacramento are without championships.

DIDGER A'DOO WINS MVP OF PLAYOFFS IN CLOSE VOTE OVER MAX PAYNE AND LEMON JELL-O

Didger A'doo becomes the third Chicago player to win MVP of the Playoffs honor and the first from the Gale to do so since Hall of Fame guard Doc Watson did it in Chicago's Season 16 championship season. A'doo is the third player from Chicago to win the award. The first Gale winner was Cole Dreadlock in Chicago's other title year, Season 2.

A'doo is one of 12 players to win the MVP of the Playoffs Award to come from the runner-up team. They are:

Season 35--Didger A'doo, guard from Chicago
Season 32--Hrundi V. Bakshi, guard from Milwaukee (HOF)
Season 29--Cock A. Doodledoo, guard from San Jose
Season 27--Saggital Occlusal, forward from San Jose (HOF)
Season 24--Dingo Dog Taylor, forward from Houston
Season 23--Joey Two-Tones, guard from Dallas (HOF)
Season 18--Jonny Cockaroo, center from Philadelphia (HOF)
Season 13--Streetcar Johnny Masterson, guard from Oklahoma City
Season 12--Diamond Dallas Paige, center from Oklahoma City (HOF)
Season 10--Bill Rustler, center from Seattle (HOF)
Season 8--J.D. Jedreat, forward from Charleston
Season 5--Doc Watson, guard from Houston (HOF)


A'doo is also the 11th player to win both the regular season and post-season MVP awards in the same campaign.

Season 35--Didger A'doo, guard from Chicago
Season 34--Hrundi V. Bakshi, guard from Philadelphia (HOF)
Season 27--Saggital Occlusal, forward from San Jose (HOF)
Season 25--Saggital Occlusal, forward from San Jose (HOF)
Season 23--Joey Two-Tones, guard from Dallas (HOF)
Season 22--Curly Hogbottom, forward from Philadelphia (HOF)
Season 21--Tersio Tataruga, forward from Dallas
Season 19--Curly Hogbottom, forward from Philadelphia (HOF)
Season 14--Stu Nod, guard from Philadelphia (HOF)
Season 6--Cappy Gambol, guard from Milwaukee (HOF)
Season 3--Cappy Gambol, guard from Milwaukee (HOF)

PAYNE EARNS MBA HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

Oklahoma City center Max Payne becomes the 38th member of the MBA Hall of Fame and the 9th center to make it to the Hall. He did so in his 10th season, his first with Oklahoma City, who he helped capture their first MBA championship.

Payne played 11 seasons for Dallas and becomes the first player in league history to earn the Hall of Fame after sitting on the bench for three consecutive seasons. During those years, the 7-footer backed up another Hall of Famer, center Tom "the Bomb" Kondla, and MBA fans wondered if Payne would retire prior to getting another chance at starting and earning Hall honors. With Kondla's retirement, Payne again started for Dallas last season, but was strangely ineffective. But he came back like gangbusters this season, earning All Star Game and All-MBA honors as well as a championship ring to put him over the top.

Thus far (he will return for his 10th season) Payne has amassed 3 All-MBA stars, 5 All Star game honors and 2 championship rings.











THE CHAMPS

MBA SEASON 35 FINALS...CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (game 5)

Oklahoma City 68, Chicago 51

LARIATS LEAVE NO DOUBT IN WINNING FIRST TITLE

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The haunting playoff injuries that kept dominant Oklahoma City teams of the past from hoisting a championship banner were exorcised here tonight, as the home team Lariats, this time aided by an injury, won it all with elan.

When point guard Walt White, once an all MBA guard and league's leading scorer, went down to injury in Game 3 and was forced to the bench for the next contest, Coach Benny Gumm looked at the meager cut pile offerings, literally rolled the dice, and plucked the much-maligned Boo Radley as White's replacement. Nobody had any idea at the time what a genius move that it was.

From that point on, a once-close Finals series became all Oklahoma City.

Radley, always an excellent defender, put the clamps on MBA MVP and leading scorer Didger A'doo, and the man who had scored 25, 27 and 18 points in the first three games to give his team a 2-1 series lead, was held to 11 and 13 in the final two games. Radley turned out to be just what the doctor prescribed for the league's best defense. After Chicago kicked off the finals with 82 points, the Lariats tightened the noose on their opponents offense game by game, yielding 65, then 63, then 54 and finally just 51 points on their way to the championship.

The Lariats were led in the championship contest by their two stars, Max Payne and Lemon Jell-o. Payne was the MVP of the Game with a game-high 22 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, 1 steal and 1 assist. Lemon Jell-o had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist.

On Top of it all, Max Payne, in gaining his championship ring, became the 38th member of the MBA Hall of Fame and the fourth active member of the Hallowed Hall in the league.

NEXT UP: Naming the Playoff MVP and Playoff Statistics.

MBA Season 35 Finals Game 4 at Chicago

OKLAHOMA CITY 68, CHICAGO 54

LARIATS GUARDS DOMINATE IN MUST-WIN GAME; ONE-GAME SHOWDOWN AWAITS

CHICAGO -- The Oklahoma City Lariats, spurred by the finest game in cut pile acquisition Boo Radley's checkered career, extended the Season 35 Championship Finals to a fifth and final game with a decisive 68-54 road win over the Chicago Gale.

It was the fourth consecutive road triumph in as many Finals contests to go to the visiting team, prompting Lariats head coach Benny Gumm to reference a "home court disadvantage." If that is, indeed, the case, Oklahoma City is in trouble, because the final game of this memorable series will take place in their stadium.

Radley, playing for the injured Walt White, had the game of his life. The defensive genius was hard on Chicago's top offensive weapon, holding the regular season and playoffs leading scorer Didger A'doo to just 11 points, about half his playoff average. But in addition to his great defense (which included a game-high 5 blocked shots and a steal) Radley pumped in 17 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 3 assists. He did, however, do his scoring with mass volume in the shots department, throwing up a game-high 20 and sinking 7, including 1 for 7 from 3-point range.

Yet it was Radley's 5-point burst in the fourth quarter that opened the lead for the Lariats to 16 points and more or less buried Chicago. And shot volume played a big part in the Lariats win as they yakked up 15 more shots than did the Gale. Neither team shot 50 percent.

Radley's running mate at guard, Lemon Jell-o, was even better, getting MVP of the Game honors with a game-high 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a blocked shot. It was his first MVP of the Game award of the post-season and his timing kept his team alive and in the running for their first title ever.

Game 5 will mark the first time the title series has gone the distance since Season 29 when Philadelphia bested San Jose to begin the first of five consecutive championships.

Playoff Notes: Doot Doot-Doot was immediately relegated to the cut pile by Oklahoma City, with Radley earning his roster spot for the final game and White making a return as well. The question to ponder now for Benny Gumm is who to start at point guard for his team. Walt White's 20-point performance in Game 2 was hugely responsible for the Lariats' first Finals win, but he plays no defense. But with Radley at the point, Oklahoma City shut down A'doo and held Chicago to a season-low 54 points.

Any feedback, MBA fans? Who should start, White or Radley?

NEXT UP: The Championship game in Oklahoma City...winner takes all.

Season 35 Finals Game 3 Chicago at Oklahoma City

Chicago 63, Oklahoma City 61

GALE ESCAPES LARIAT'S NOOSE WITH MIRACLE WIN

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City Lariats had Game 3 of the Finals all but banked, but the Chicago Gale pulled a last gasp Jesse James and robbed the home team of what appeared to be a sure victory.

The 63-61 win puts Chicago in the driver's seat, going home for the next contest and needing just one win to get the third championship in franchise history.

The Lariats led by 10 going into the final quarter, and Chicago showed absolutely no sign of an offensive pulse as they headed into the final 70 time units. The Oklahoma five held that 10-point lead until halfway into the fourth quarter when Chicago finally came to life. Down by 7 with 27 time units left in the game, Didger A'doo brought Chicago within 4 points with his first 3-pointer of the game. (A'doo had been somnambulant in the first half, scoring just one point and taking just two shots).

Here's how the rest of the game unfolded:

* Chicago's Beezow Bop-Bop fouled out immediately after the A'doo 3-pointer.
* Chicago fought its way back to within 2 with 11 TUs left, but center Max Payne of Oklahoma City scored down low to put his team up 4
* This was followed by a 3-pointer from A'doo with 7 TUs left, bringing Chicago within 1 at 59-58
* Payne answered with a slam dunk over Wayan Garuda's forced miss on the next time unit, extending the Lariat lead to 3
* On the very next time unit A'doo drilled a game-tying 3-point swish from the Netherlands despite a forced miss defensively from Lemon Jell-o.
* A missed 3-pointer from Tubes Mullard of Oklahoma City was rebounded by Orange Jell-o of Chicago, who wrestled it from the grasp of Oklahoma City's Payne.
* It was then Orange Jell-o who scored the game-winner on a slam dunk with 4 time units left in the game.
* Taylor Quackstick had a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but his medium jump shot was off the mark, and the entire Oklahoma City crowd vomited simultaneously.

Co-MVPs of this magnificent game were the two All-MBA players in this Finals competition: Didger A'doo of Chicago (his third of the playoffs) and the 7-foot beast of a center Max Payne of Oklahoma City (his second).
A'doo had a game-high 18 points that included 3 rebounds, 4 steals and an assist.
Payne led his team with 17 points and had 5 blocked shots, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

Two major injuries took place in the game.
--Point guard Walt White of Oklahoma City was hurt halfway through the second quarter and missed the remainder of the contest. He will not play in the next game either and will only return if there is a fifth and final contest. He was ably replaced by super sub Tubes Mullard who had 11 off the bench. White will be replaced in the next game by Boo Radley, called up from the cut pile, who will be inserted into the starting lineup at point guard for the important Game 4.
--Chicago power forward Nobby Nabob was injured halfway through the third quarter and missed the remainder of the game. His injury is more serious than White's because he will not return for the remainder of the playoffs, putting Orange Jell-o into the starting lineup for Game 4 in this, his final year of MBA competition. O. Jell-o was key down the stretch in the Game 3 win. Chicago replaced Nabob on the playoff roster with 6-8 rookie forward Davis Phillips from the cut pile. Phillips began the season in Dallas, played four games then went to the cut pile. Now he has a chance for a championship ring. Oh fate, ye are a strange bedfellow.

Playoff Note: Should Oklahoma City come back and win the championship, Max Payne's championship ring would put him over the 10-award hump for the MBA Hall of Fame.

Next Up: Back to Chicago for Game 4 and the possible clincher for the Gale. However, it must be noted that the home team has yet to be victorious in these Finals.