OKLAHOMA CITY -- Following a closely contested first quarter, the favored Oklahoma City Lariats took total control of this best of three semifinal against the Philadelphia Phobia, gliding to a 97-68 victory.
Boasting the league's best offense and defense, the home team demonstrated both ends of their effectiveness before this one was in the books.
The MBA's best guard tandem from Oklahoma City, Naf Naf (27 points) and Lemon Jell-o (28 points) dominated throughout.
Philadelphia escaped a major injury when rarely-used substitute forward Shag Bark entered the game briefly in the first quarter and was seriously injured. He is out for the remainder of the playoffs. His replacement from the cut pile is the familiar Joe "Blue" Pulaski.
Unless Philadelphia comes up with a way to slow down the Lariat offense and score on its defenders, this will be a short series. Even All-MBA guard T. Kanes Masterson was held in check, as Jell-o, perhaps the best guard defender in the league, held him to 12 points, 6 under his average.
Jell-o also had 5 steals in the game, consistently thwarting the Phobia before they could get their offense flowing.
Rookie forward Walter Sobchack was also excellent in this one, scoring 20 points for the Lariats and pulling down a game-high 7 boards.
Center Q-Bert McGuffin was a bright spot for Philly, with a 20-point game.
20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
--Jell-o of Oklahoma City gets MVP of the Game with a game-high 28 points on 13 of 15 shooting, 5 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.
--League MVP and Rookie of the Year Naf Naf Of Oklahoma City started out slowly but finished with 27 points and a game-high 4 assists. He also had 4 rebounds.
--Oklahoma City forward Reckless Abandon had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal and played solid defense.
--The other Oklahoma City forward, rookie Walter Sobchack, led everyone with 7 boards and scored 20 points, adding 2 assists, a steal and 2 blocked shots.
--Seven-footer Q-Bert McGuffin was impressive for Philly, scoring a team-high 20 and pulling down 4 boards, adding 1 assist.
--Power forward Pythogoras Theorum of Philly had a fine game with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
NEXT UP: Defending champion Charleston faces elimination at Seattle, which leads the series 1-0
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