Seattle ambushes Charleston in Game 1, 84-78

SEATTLE 84, CHARLESTON 78

CHARLESTON -- Tyler predicted a first-round win by one of his teams, and the always over-achieving Seattle Stampede delivered with an 84-78 Game 1 shocker.

After leading by as many as 20 points midway through the third quarter, Seattle's lead shrunk to a single point, 73-72, with 17 time units remaining in the game before they regained their footing down the stretch.

The home team Mountaineers still only trailed by four points when Beezow Bop-Bop blocked a Ginger Vampire shot out of bounds with 6 time units remaining. On the subsequent out-of-bounds play, Jairo Capoeira took a pass down low, scored and was fouled by B. Quiet, who became the second Charleston player to foul out. Capoeira, the Player of the Game, then hit the free throw to more or less seal the deal.

Capoeira and Bob Kittle, the two holdovers from the Seattle title team of Season 37, were joined by team newcomer Tea Time Typhoo in racking up big 20-point scoring games. Typhoo was largely responsible for the first half lead, when he scored 18 of his 22 points.

Also having a stellar first half was cut pile acquisition Shits McGriddle, who spelled Seattle center Matthew Scott Chemers when he got into foul trouble. McGriddle, who was a Charleston backup for six seasons, scored all 7 of his points in the first half and ended up tying for game-high in rebounds with 7.

Now Tyler has a decision to make with the usual Seattle starter George Gershwin coming back from injury. Who gets cut, McGriddle or Chemers...and who starts?

PLAYER OF GAME
JAIRO CAPOEIRA thoroughly out-played All-MBA forward B. Quiet, getting the first triple-double of his career and fouling out Quiet in the process. He scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 1-for-2 from beyond the arc. Additionally, the fourth-year player slammed a few home, was a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line, grabbed 5 boards, tied for game-high in assists and got the only steal of the game.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
-- Shooting guard Bob Kittle of Seattle took a lot of shots (18) to get to his 20 points, but he ran Jesus Moron Joseph ragged and fouled him out in the process. Kittle hit a number of big treys among his game-high 4, grabbed 2 rebounds and had 1 assist.

-- Seattle power forward Tea Time Typhoo, who played his first two seasons with Charleston, was the game's top scorer with 22 points. He was largely responsible for the first-half Stampede surge. Typhoo added 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

-- Beezow Bop-Bop, who played point guard for Charleston in this one, kept his counterpoint Ginger Vampire from going off. But although Bop-Bop had a team-high 17 points, he did so shooting less than 50 percent. He also added 4 rebounds and had 2 big blocks on Vampire makes during the failed comeback.

-- The MBA assist leader Jesus Moron Joseph of Charleston was one rebound shy of a triple-double before fouling out with 30 time units left in the game and his team down 73-64. Joseph tied for game-high in assists with 5, had 11 points and 4 boards, also blocking 1 shot.

-- Charleston center J.J. Gargantuan scored 14 points, had 3 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and 1 assist in the loss.

NEXT UP: Oklahoma City, ahead in the best of three semis 1-0, looks to get to its first Finals since Naf Naf joined the team as they travel to Milwaukee.

Lariats hit 100 in win and Naf sets new playoff mark

OKLAHOMA CITY 100, MILWAUKEE 85

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City Lariats hit the century mark in the first game of the Season 40 playoffs, besting a game Milwaukee team 100-85 behind a record-tying 38 points by Hall of Fame guard Naf Naf.

Naf tied the long-standing playoff scoring mark held by Hall of Fame guard Dan Mann of Milwaukee, who turned the trick twice...once in Season 9 and once in Season 12.

In tying the playoff scoring mark, Naf established a new record for 3-point baskets made in a playoff game by connecting on 9 treys. The prior record of 8 3-pointers was held by four players, including Naf's current teammate, Walt White. Also erased from the record book were Hall of Famer Cappy Gambol, Horn E. Goatweed and Didger A'doo.

Milwaukee hung tough with the high-flying Lariats for most of the game, getting over 7 points more than their season average of 77.7 But in the end they could not match the firepower of the home team, which has now scored in triple digits six times this season.

Naf hit his first six 3s of the game, scoring 11 points in the first quarter and his 25-point halftime total included 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Still, Milwaukee was within 10 at the break, despite the scorching pace.

The game was somewhat comparable to the regular season contest between the two won by Oklahoma City 105-84.

PLAYER OF GAME
NAF NAF, came within a point of his personal best scoring game, going a very efficient 12-for-17 from the floor and 9-for-12 beyond the arc. He also grabbed 1 board, registered 2 assists and had 1 steal. He tied the playoff scoring mark with a 3-point play with 47 time units remaining in the game...plenty of time to establish a new scoring mark. However, he did not attempt another shot for the remainder of the game.

other 20-plus gvp performers
-- Oklahmoa City's Hall of Fame center Max Payne owns Ugattanoluvfer Spikie, his counterpart on Milwaukee. After shutting him out during the regular season, Payne limited him to just 4 points in this game while scoring 17 himself. The oldest player on either team (15 seasons) led everyone in rebounds with 9 and in blocked shots with 4. He added 1 assist.

-- The second-leading Lariats scorer during the season, Bang-Bang Reiner, repeated that role with 22-points in the win. He also pulled down 5 boards, had 1 block and 1 assist.

-- Shooting guard Simon Barsinister of Milwaukee led his team in scoring with 21 points, many of those coming on strong drives to the hole and two of those drives ending with slam dunks. Barsinister also led Milwaukee in assists with 4 and pulled down 1 rebound.

-- Danke "Donkey" Shame, the 6-5 small forward for Milwaukee scored in a variety of ways to get his 20 points, including 4 slam dunks and one trey. He also had 5 rebounds to lead the Greyhounds in that department.

NEXT UP; Seattle traverses the continent to take on Charleston in Game 1 of their semifinal best of three.

Season 40 Regular Season Wrap-up and Playoffs Preview

PLAYOFFS PREVIEW

Semifinals match-ups
Oklahoma City Lariats (8-2) vs. Milwaukee Greyhounds (5-5)
Charleston Mountaineers (7-3) vs. Seattle Stampede (5-5)

Oklahoma City vs. Milwaukee
Overall favorites, the Oklahoma City Lariats had the most explosive offensive season in the 40-season history of the MBA, averaging a record 90 points per game and scoring over 100 points in half of their contests. But not only are the Lariats the league's top scoring team, they also boast the best defense and the best rebounding. In the previous three seasons Hall of Fame guard Naf Naf has been with the team, they have been beaten twice in the semifinals and failed to make the playoffs last season. But with the additions of Hall of Fame center Max Payne and outstanding rookie forward Sloppy Dollop to this year's roster, Lariats fans are looking forward to getting back to the finals for the first time since they won it all in Season 35. (That, by the way, was the only franchise championship season and the only other year Max Payne played for this team.)

The Milwaukee Greyhounds have won seven MBA championships but none since Season 18. This is their second consecutive trip to the playoffs and their second in three seasons since changing coaches and putting Fly Davia in charge. Milwaukee ranks fourth overall in scoring, but they are No. 1 in the league in shooting percentage, making 63.3 percent of their shots. The Greyhounds finished seventh defensively in the 10-team league and dead last in free-throwing, shooting an abysmal 55.7 percent as a team.


The teams played once during the regular season, with Oklahoma City in control throughout in a 105-84 victory. Naf Naf of Oklahoma City was the game MVP with 35 points and Milwaukee's Baskets Weaver fouled out trying to guard him.
All-MBA forward and league MVP runner-up Baba Brinkman led the Greyhounds in scoring with 28 points.
Prediction: Oklahoma City advances to finals 2-0.

Charleston vs. Seattle
The defending champion Charleston Mountaineers have only missed the playoffs once in the past five seasons and have racked up two championships during that span. They are the MBA's second-highest scoring team and third-best defensive team. Their two guards, Jesus Moron Joseph and Beezow Bop-Bop finished first and third, respectively in league assists leaders. Subsequently, the Mountaineers were far and away the best assists team in the MBA, getting 14.9 per game, with no other team getting more than 11. Additionally, Charleston led the league in shot blocking and were runners-up to Milwaukee in shooting percentage.

The Seattle Stampede, picked in pre-season to finish last in the West Division, not only made the playoffs, but did so despite playing 30 percent of the campaign without their best player, Ginger Vampire, and despite the fact that they had the worst defense in the entire league, yielding 80 points per game. This is Seattle's first playoff appearance since the franchise won its lone championship in Season 37 with the Three Amigo lineup that included second-year stars Wimsy Greenfoyle, Diss Reflexia and Sven Marquardt, all since departed for other teams. The other two less-heralded youngsters in that title lineup, Jairo Capoiera and Bob Kittle, are both still starting for Seattle. The Stampede can point to its stunning 75-62 victory over then-unbeaten Oklahoma City near the end of the season as the game that put them into the post-season.

Charleston and Seattle met once during the regular season, with the Mountaineers soundly thrashing the Stampede 95-65 as All-MBA forward B. Quiet of Charleston went off for 37 points. This was the game in which Charleston tied the team assists record, getting 24 on the day. To be fair, Seattle was without Vampire in that contest. The Stampede will be playing Game 1 of this series without the services of 7-foot center George Gershwin, who was second in the league in rebounding. This will negate the only category where Seattle has an edge.

Prediction: Charleston advances to finals 2-0.