Season 41 Finals Game 4...Oklahoma City at Charleston

Oklahoma City 81, Charleston 78
LARIATS EDGE MOUNTAINEERS FOR BACK-TO-BACK TITLES
CHARLESTON -- Despite their 9-1 regular season record, none of the three MBA experts picked the Oklahoma City Lariats to repeat as champions when the Season 41 MBA Finals began. But thanks to a Game 4 barn-burning road victory that went down to the final shot, the visitors captured the third title in franchise history; their second in a row and third in the past 7 seasons.

With his team leading by 2 points with 2 time units remaining, Sloppy Dollop of Oklahoma City was at the foul line shooting a pair with a chance to seal the deal. But he left the door open when he hit the first charity toss, but missed the second. J.J. Gargantuan of Charleston grabbed the rebound, flung it to Beezow Bop-Bop beyond the arc with 1 time unit remaining, but Bop-Bop's potential game-tying trey never got a chance to leave his hands because Oklahoma City's Akbar Zagobia denied him the opportunity to shoot. (He would have missed anyway...we know this for a fact, which is why the MBA is superior to any other league.)

Thus, the ghost of 9-1 seasons for the Oklahoma City franchise has been exorcised. Consider the following:
On four other occasions the Lariats went into the playoffs with a regular season record of 9-1 but came home without an orange championship basketball icon to affix onto their envelope.
Season 12 9-1 (lost in the finals)
Season 13 9-1 (lost in the finals)
Season 17 9-1 (lost in the finals)
Season 37 9-1 (lost in the semifinals)

And that's not even counting Season 18 when the Lariats went 10-0, only to lose in the semifinals.

But not this season. This season they defended their Season 40 championship despite losing Hall of Famer Naf Naf, the most prolific scorer in MBA history, to the team they defeated in the Finals. They did so with depth, a league-leading defense and a league-leading assist mark.

The title-clinching game was the closest of the Finals, with Naf Naf nearly foiling his old team down the stretch.
Here's how the end of the contest went:
-- Charleston, led by Naf Naf, stages a big comeback, coming from 9 down to within 4 points with 17 ticks left
-- Sloppy Dollop of Oklahoma City hits a HUGE trey and is fouled with 16 left. He hits the free throw. Up 8.
-- Naf Naf immediately answers with a 3-pointer for Charleston with 15 left. Lead is down to 5.
-- Pap Smearz of Oklahoma City swishes a short jumper over a forced miss by Destroyer. Lead back up to 7
-- Naf Naf hits another trey with 9 ticks left and the lead is back down to 4.
-- J.J. Gargantuan of Charleston twice denies made baskets down low by Max Payne of OKC. Mountaineers ball with 6 left.
-- J.J. Gargantuan jams one home with 4 ticks left to bring Charleston within 2 points of the lead.
-- Sloppy Dollop of OKC misses a shot down low with 2 ticks left that would have clinched it. But B. Quiet fouls him.
That brings us to the summary we originally described.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Second-year forward SLOPPY DOLLOP of Oklahoma City came into this important game averaging just 10 points a game in the playoffs. But the 6-7 small forward showed up like a champ in this one with a game-high 26 point performance that included 11 of 15 shooting, 2 for 2 from 3-Point Land, a pair of dunks, 2 for 3 from the foul line, a game-high 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
-- Oklahoma City's retiring point guard Yipeekayee Masterfalcon continued to shine, bowing out of the MBA picture with a 20-point game that included 6 treys, two of them coming back-to-back in the fourth quarter. In fact all six of his buckets were 3s...he was 6 of 7 from deep for the game. He also had 2 rebounds and 3 assists. He may be the Playoff MVP when the final tallies are made. If he is, he retires as a Hall of Famer. Even if he doesn't win MVP, Masterfalcon says "adios" with 9 honors on his card, which has always been good for an eventual HOF berth.
-- Oklahoma City forward Pap Smearz scores 16 points, pulls down 5 boards, blocks 1 shot and gets 1 assist. And he gets his third ring for a third different franchise in the past four seasons.
-- Eight-year star guard Beezow Bop-Bop of Charleston scored 20 points, pilfered a game-high 3 steals, blocked 2 shots, had 2 rebounds and dished out 2 assists.
-- Hall of Famer Naf Naf of Charleston scored a team-high 25 points, 12 coming in the fourth quarter when he was moved back to the point guard position. He also grabbed 2 rebounds.
-- In the last game of his illustrious Charleston career, forward B. Quiet scored 15 points, led all players with 5 assists and grabbed 1 rebound.

As a team, Oklahoma City prevented 16 points and produced 2 turnovers.
As a team, Charleston prevented 13 points and produced 4 turnovers.

Top individuals in points prevented (saved points...points saved)
1. Max Payne of Oklahoma City, 8 points prevented
2. J. J. Gargantuan of Charleston, 6 points prevented
3. Beezow Bop-Bop of Charleston, 5 points prevented

Top individuals in turnovers caused
1. Beezow Bop-Bop of Charleston, 3 turnovers caused
2. Max Payne of Oklahoma City, 2 turnovers caused
3. J.J. Gargantuan of Charleston, 1 turnover caused

Game Note
The following exciting sequence ending the first half is indicative of the frenzied action. This all happened in the last four time units.
-- Masterfalcon of Oklahoma City nails a trey
-- Naf Naf of Charleston nails a trey
-- Masterfalcon of Oklahoma City nails a trey
-- Naf of Charleston shoots a trey at the horn that goes in, then out.


NEXT UP: Stats, MVP of the Playoffs announcement.

Season 41 MBA Finals Game 3...Charleston at Oklahoma City

Charleston 95, Oklahoma City 59
MOUNTAINEERS STAY ALIVE WITH PRODIGIOUS WIN
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Charleston Mountaineers took a couple of quarters to warm up, but when they finally started clicking they turned this must-win road game into a 95-59 rout. In addition to keeping the Charleston club alive, the win put an end to the longest winning streak in MBA history...13 games.

It appeared that Charleston's move of having Beezow Bop-Bop play point guard and cover Oklahoma City stalwart Yipeekayee Masterfalcon was a good one for a number of reasons and will be continued when the clubs return to Charleston for Game 4.
At least a trio of Masterfalcon treys would have been good without Bop-Bop slapping them away, but even so, a Custer-like massacre would not have been avoided.

Twelfth-season veteran Walt White of Charleston keyed the turnaround for the visitors in the second and third quarters hitting his first three treys of the playoffs. A 33-12 third quarter for the Mountaineers pretty much sealed the deal.

Will the Lariats now counter by moving Masterfalcon to the shooting guard spot. If they do, Charleston, as the home team, has the option of moving Naf back to the point and away from Masterfalcon.

This series has started to get real.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
He fouled and sat the bench on the very first time unit of the game, took just two shots in the first half, but recovered to win his second POG of the playoffs with his game-high 23-point effort. Hall of Famer NAF NAF ended up with 4 fouls for the third time in three Finals games, but was sparkling from beyond the arc with a 6 for 6 performance, fouling out Akbar Zagobia in the process. Naf also had 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
-- Charleston center J.J. Gargantuan also had his best game of the Finals, scoring 14 points, blocking a game-high 4 shots, posting a game-high for steals with 2 and grabbing 3 boards.
-- Charleston power forward Pietro Destroyer also contributed 14 points and a team-high 5 boards while dishing 2 assists.
-- The retiring substitute guard Walt White of Charleston keyed the comeback in this game, scoring 19 points on just 8 shots, pulling down 3 rebounds, getting 1 steal and 1 assist.
-- Even though he was somewhat stymied in the scoring column by Bop-Bop, Yipeekayee Masterfalcon of Oklahoma City still put up a triple-double for his team. His 12 points were accompanied by game-highs in both rebounds (6) and assists (6). It was the fourth triple-double of his career.

NEXT UP: Back to Charleston with Oklahoma City leading the best of five Finals 2 games to 1.

Season 41 Finals Game 2 Oklahoma City at Charleston

Oklahoma City 94, Charleston 82
LARIATS SHOCK, DOMINATE MOUNTAINEERS AGAIN
CHARLESTON -- The Oklahoma City Lariats are threatening to run the playoff table for the second straight year, already turning the once-favored Charleston Mountaineers into Finals underdogs by dealing them a 94-82 Game 2 drubbing.

The win, the 13th consecutive victory for Benny Gumm's Oklahoma City charges, puts them one victory away from the third franchise championship and its second in a row.

Once again former teammates Yipeekayee Masterfalcon of the Lariats and Hall of Famer Naf Naf of the Mountaineers were keys to the game, with the former luring his point guard opposite into constant foul trouble. Without Naf, Oklahoma City took a comfortable 13-point lead into the final stanza, and even the Hall of Fame guard's 13-point final quarter could not get his team within shouting distance.

"We will just have to change gears," said the frustrated Charleston coach, Bill Rustler, following the game. "For the first time in his career we're going to switch Naf Naf to the two guard to hopefully keep him out of foul trouble. And maybe Bop-Bop can slow down Masterfalcon. He's killing us."

PLAYER OF GAME
Now a strong candidate for Playoff MVP, retiring Oklahoma City point guard YIPEEKAYEE MASTERFALCON notched his third POG of the playoffs and his second consecutive POG in the Finals, out-doing his Game 1 31-point effort with a 33-point performance. Again the high scorer, Masterfalcon was 12 for 19 from the field, dropping in 7 3s in 11 attempts and keeping Naf on the bench in foul trouble. He added 2 rebounds and 5 assists. A ring and a playoff MVP will send him off to retirement with 10 lifetime honors and a Hall of Fame berth.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
-- Second-year shooting guard Akbar Zagobia of Oklahoma City, obtained in a pre-season trade with Los Angeles, registered the first triple-double of his young career with a 17-point, 6-rebound, 6-assist performance. The 6-4 guard led everyone in rebounds and led his team in assists. He also added one steal.
-- The other key addition to the Lariats team, power forward Pap Smearz, was outstanding as well, with 21 points, 5 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, 1 steal and 1 assist.
-- Oklahoma City's other forward, Sloppy Dollop, put up 15 points, grabbed 4 boards, blocked 1 shot and had 1 assist.
-- Despite spending an interminable time on the bench, Charleston Hall of Fame guard Naf Naf finished with a team-high 29 points, matching Masterfalcon's 7 treys, and adding 2 rebounds and 1 assist.
-- Charleston's two-guard, Beezow Bop-Bop had a bad shooting game, scoring just 8 points, but he led everyone in assists with 7 and tied for the most blocked shots in the game with 2, also pulling down 3 rebounds.
-- Charleston forward Pietro Destroyer scored 13 points, had 4 boards, 2 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
-- A Charleston first-team all-timer, retiring forward B. Quiet may have played his last game before the home fans. If so, he went out strong with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

NEXT UP: Can the Oklahoma City Lariats win their 14th consecutive game and match the all-time mark of 14-1 for the season as owned by Season 34's Houston Iguanas? They will attempt to do so in front of their home fans at The Bunkhouse.

Season 41 MBA Finals Game 1 Charleston at Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City 74, Charleston 59
LARIATS DEFENSE ROPES, STRANGLES MOUNTAINEERS
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The MBA's best defense stopped the league's most prolific offense dead in its tracks to take Game 1 of the Season 41 Finals, 74-59, extending their amazing winning streak to 12.

The visiting Mountaineers were coming off semi-final victories where they tallied 96 and 97 points, but they had yet to run up against the smothering defenders of Oklahoma City.

Charleston came out swinging hard with a potent 22-point first quarter. But even in their brilliance, the visitors were accumulating fouls, most especially Naf Naf, who hit the bench with his second with 28 time units remaining. He sat again for 65 time units in the second when he picked up his third foul 5 time units in and again in the third with 22 left when he was whistled for number 4.

Defense for both teams was outstanding, but especially for the Lariats, much to the delight of the screaming, whooping Bunkhouse crowd. Neither team even shot 50 percent, with a combined total of 15 blocked shots making things dangerous for the offensive-minded. Two of the league's best centers stymied each other, with Charleston's J.J. Gargantuan limiting Hall of Famer and All-MBA pivot Max Payne to just 6 points, blocking 5 shots. Payne was even better, blocking 3 shots and shutting Gargantuan completely out. That match-up will be a brawl all series long.

The over-aggressive defense of Charleston gave the home team a 16-1 advantage at the foul line and resulted in a technical foul on Mountaineers coach Bill Rustler in the fourth quarter when he let loose with a tirade at one of the officials that included the phrase "You sir, are an oxygen thief."

PLAYER OF GAME
YIPEEKAYEE MASTERFALCON buried his former running mate at guard, Hall of Famer Naf Naf, who was making his first trip back to Oklahoma City. Masterfalcon posted a sizzling game-high 31 points, shooting 10 for 14 and 4 for 5 from beyond the arc. He was also 7 for 9 from the free throw line, pulled down 6 rebounds and dished out a game-high 4 assists. It's his second POG of the playoffs and second in a row.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- Oklahoma City power forward Pap Smearz destroyed Pietro Destroyer, holding him to just 6 points. In the meantime, Smearz scored 16, grabbed 6 rebounds, had 3 assists, 2 blocked shots and 1 steal.
-- Charleston shooting guard Beezow Bop-Bop has a habit of coming up huge in the post-season, having won two Playoff MVP awards. He led his team in scoring in this game with 22 points, pulling down 4 boards, tying for team-high with 3 assists and blocking 3 shots.

OKLAHOMA CITY VS. CHARLESTON
* This is the first time these two teams have ever met in the MBA finals.
* The last time they met in the playoffs was Season 27, where Charleston won 2-1 in the semis and went on to win their second title in a row.
* The last time the two teams even played each other was Season 37 in the season opener won by Oklahoma City. Both teams would win their divisions but lose in the semifinals. Seattle won the title that season.
* Both teams entered the Finals this season on winning streaks...Charleston with 5 and Oklahoma City 11.
* Charleston led in career victories 18-10 coming into the Finals. It's now 18-11.

NEXT UP: To Charleston, where the Mountaineers look to even the series.

Semifinals Game 2 Charleston at San Jose

Charleston 97, San Jose 80
MOUNTAINEERS CLOSE OUT AMIGOS, CHAMP SHOWDOWN NEXT
SAN JOSE -- For the third time this season, the Charleston Mountaineers easily dispatched the San Jose Fighting Amigos, setting up a powerhouse finals with defending champion Oklahoma City.

This time, Charleston won by 17 points, 97-80, the closest margin of the three Season 41 meetings between these two. The other two wins were 97-78 in the regular season, in the game Naf Naf was injured and scored just two points, and 96-76 in the first playoff game in which Naf went off for 44.

The visitors seemingly did not need the Hall of Fame point guard in this game, with Naf sitting for much of the first half, taking just two shots and scoring two points. No matter, because Charleston was still on a nearly 100-point pace, leading 49-36 at the half.

The Mountaineers showed their versatility throughout, dishing out 20 assists, one short of the playoff record held jointly by Philadelphia in Season 18 and Charleston's last championship squad of Season 39.

The closest San Jose would come was 8 points early in the fourth, but then Naf kicked in and Charleston sped on to their destiny meeting with Oklahoma City.

PLAYER OF GAME
J.J. GARGANTUAN took his game to another level when faced with first-time starter Hunk R. Down of San Jose. Gargantuan was high scorer with 23 points, going 11 for 15, with 4 slam dunks and a 3-pointer for good measure. He pulled down 5 boards, tied for game-high in assists with 4 and registered the highest number of blocks in the contest with 4. Additionally, he tied for the highest number of steals with 2.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- Hall of Famer Naf Naf of Charleston went into the fourth quarter with just 8 points, but emerged with 19 for the game, adding an assist and squelching any comeback hopes by San Jose.
-- Naf Naf's Charleston running mate at guard, Beezow Bop-Bop was his usual steady self, getting 14 points, 3 rebounds, tying for top total in steals with 2, blocking 1 shot and handing out 2 assists.
-- Before fouling out, veteran forward B. Quiet of Charleston pulled down a team-high 6 rebounds, added 10 points, 3 assists and 1 blocked shot.
-- Second-year 7-foot center Hunk R. Down of San Jose had his hands full in his first start ever, going up against the gifted J.J. Gargantuan. But Down put up some nice numbers of his own, scoring 14 points, grabbing a game-high 7 rebounds and blocking a team-high 3 shots while adding 2 assists.
-- Another San Jose youngster, rookie forward Doo-Rag Dripp followed his Game 1 performance of 18 points with a team-high 19 in this loss. He also had 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Game note: The retiring Bruce Hammer of San Jose finished his career in style. In a very short stint in the second quarter, he came in and did the MBA MOVE, the rarely seen slam dunk off of your own missed 3-point shot. And on the very next possession, he drove the lane and slammed one home. He was then removed to a smattering of applause.

Worth Noting: The top four rated centers in the MBA this season were from the four teams that made the playoffs.

NEXT UP: The best of five showdown between defending champion Oklahoma City (9-1, 2-0), riding an 11-game win streak against Charleston (8-2, 2-0) and the man who led the Lariats to last season's title, Naf Naf.
Game one is in Oklahoma City. Buckle up, people.

Semifinals Game 2...Oklahoma City at Dallas

Oklahoma City 79, Dallas 78
DEMONS DIE VALIANTLY TO DEFENDING CHAMPS
DALLAS -- The 0-2 ledger on the back of their envelope will fail to reflect the mighty battles fought by the Dallas Demons against the heavily favored defending champions from Oklahoma City.

After going down in overtime in the first playoff skirmish, the home team Demons and their veteran front line again gave the Lariats all they could handle in Game 2 before bowing 79-78.

In a game in which they never led, Dallas scored the first 6 points of the fourth quarter and tied the score 63-63 with 54 time units remaining. They remained solidly in the game, despite losing both starting guards, Bootlace Barnaby to injury and Wimsy Greenfoyle to fouls, and playing with two under 6-foot rookies for the last 30 time units.

With 5 time units remaining and his team down 3 points, 15-season veteran Gulemon Mon-Mon grabbed a Lariat miss and took his hulking, slow, 6-11 body the length of the court to score and get his team within 1 point, 79-78.

But the savvy Lariats used three of the remaining four time units before Sloppy Dollop missed a short jumper, and the last hope of the Demons faded when Oklahoma City's Hall of Fame center, Max Payne, secured the rebound as the buzzer sounded.

This may be the last hurrah for the Dallas team, with four of its five starters of retirement age and one for sure, Wimsy Greenfoyle, going off to the greener envelopes beyond the MBA.

Now Oklahoma City awaits the winner of the other series to see if it can hang on to the treasured title of MBA champions.


PLAYER OF GAME
GULEMON MON-MON, the seemingly ageless power forward of the Dallas Demons, was spectacular in defeat, scoring a team-high 23 points and pulling down a game-high 7 rebounds. Mon-Mon, who spent nine of his 15 seasons playing for Oklahoma City, torched his old team with an 11 for 12 shooting day, going 1 for 2 from beyond the arc, with that long ball the only one he missed all game. He also pounded down a dunk and dished out 1 assist. He did all this despite taking a 30-time unit rest in the third quarter.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- Point guard Yipeekayee Masterfalcon, POG of Game 1, was again excellent for Oklahoma City in this one, scoring a game-high 24 points, including a pair of clutch treys down the home stretch. He also had 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
-- Akbar Zagobia, acquired in the only off-season trade of the preseason by the Lariats, has been a valuable addition, especially thus far in the post-season. He scored 15 points, grabbed 2 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.
-- Power forward Pap Smearz of Oklahoma City popped in 12 points, blocked 2 shots, grabbed 2 boards and assisted on a game-high 8 buckets in the win.
-- 6-10 Dallas center Naceg Gecan played Hall of Famer Max Payne to a virtual standstill. Gecan scored 14 points, pulled down 6 rebounds, blocked 1 shot and had 1 assist.
-- Dallas' small forward Matthew Vanden Boogart scored 20 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and had 1 assist. We are forced to admit after nine seasons, that this guy is a player.

NEXT UP: Overall MBA favorite Charleston looks to wrap up its semifinal series in front of the San Jose fans. Coach Augustus McCrae of the Fighting Amigos is seriously thinking of shaking up the lineup by substituting second-year center Hunk R. Down for two-time All-MBA pivot Pippi Pippistrelli.
"We've lost by 19 points and 20 points to this team this season," said McCrae. "So fuck it."

Semifinals Game 1 San Jose at Charleston

Charleston 96, San Jose 76
NAF NAF BURNS NETS FOR 44; MOUNTAINEERS TAKE OPENER
CHARLESTON -- The most prolific scorer in the history of the MBA went off for his new team to open the Season 41 playoffs, as Naf Naf scored 44 points to lead Charleston over San Jose, 96-76.

In doing so, Naf, now in his fifth campaign, tied the top playoff mark he set in last year's championship clincher for Oklahoma City over Seattle. It was the third time in his storied career that the 6-foot sharp-shooter has reached the 44 mark, which is his personal best for a game. He now holds the three highest-scoring playoff games in MBA history.

As in their regular season cross-over meeting, the game between the league's top two scoring teams was closely contested for three quarters before Charleston pulled away to win by 20 (they won by 19 earlier). The Fighting Amigos kept pace and actually led after one quarter, 22-20, despite Naf exploding for 14 points (4 for 4 on treys). He would scorch the twine for three more triples in a row in the second before finally missing on his eighth.

San Jose stayed within six points of the lead going into the fourth quarter, but when Naf slowed his pace to just 5 more points, the home Mountaineers allowed just 10 to the Amigos and sped away with 24 more tallies of their own.

PLAYER OF GAME
NAF NAF of Charleston was brilliantly efficient in his 44-point effort, going 15 for 20 from the floor, 9 for 11 from beyond the arc and 5 for 9 from the charity stripe. He also grabbed 2 rebounds, had 2 assists and 1 steal. He scored 14 in the first, 14 in the second, 11 in the third and 5 in the fourth.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- He lost the rebound battle to his counter-part, but otherwise, Charleston center J.J. Gargantuan dominated Pippi Pippistrelli. The fourth-year pivot scored 17 points, led both teams in both blocked shots (4) and steals (2), grabbed 2 rebounds and had 1 assist.
-- Veteran Charleston forward B. Quiet scored 15 points, was high on the team with 4 assist, pulled down 2 rebounds and was 2-for-2 beyond the arc.
-- Shooting guard Dayshotta Leo of San Jose tied for his team's top scoring honors with 18 points, grabbed 4 boards, dished out 3 assists and pretty much out-played Beezow Bop-Bop.
-- Playing power forward in the absence of Sven Marquardt, San Jose's Blue "Rondo" Alaturk got the goods on Pietro Destroyer, scoring 16 points, grabbing 5 boards and getting a pair of assists.
-- San Jose's rookie forward Doo-Rag Dripp was outstanding, matching the play of Quiet and earning another start. Dripp tied for his team's high-scoring mark with 18, missing just one of 10 shots, and pulled down 3 boards.

NEXT UP: After falling in overtime, Dallas tries to stave off elimination with an upset home win against Oklahoma City.




Top Scoring Games All Time through Season 41
50 Tommy Zoop, Oklahoma City, Season 24

49 Horn E. Goatweed, Milwaukee, Season 24

44 Naf Naf, Charleston, Playoffs vs. San Jose, Season 41
44 Naf Naf, Oklahoma City, Playoffs vs. Seattle, Season 40
44 Soul Duran, Chicago, Season 7
44 Naf Naf, Oklahoma City, Season 38
44 Tommy Zoop, Chicago, Season 21

42 Funsy VanSlochum, San Jose, Season 26
42 Naf Naf, Charleston, Season 41
42 Naf Naf, Charleston, Season 41

41 Naf Naf, Oklahoma City, Playoffs Season 40
41 Uncle Bob Masterson, Philadelphia, Season 11
41 Ching-Chong Chung, Houston, Season 31

40 Shooter Flatch, Dallas, Season 20

39 Pelton Crane, Chicago, Season 40
39 Silo Chamberlain, Charleston, Season 1
39 Naf Naf, Oklahoma City, Season 39
39 M.E. "Lou" Harris, Seattle, Season 15
39 Simon Barsinister, Philadelphia, Season 36
39 Nipple Rings Raguski, Seattle, Season 20
39 L.B. Damned, San Jose, Season 36

38 Slip Pearson, Houston, Season 8
38 Tommy Zoop, Chicago, Season 22
38 Dan Mann, Milwaukee, Playoffs in Season 9
38 Dan Mann, Milwaukee, Playoffs in Season 12
38 Tommy Zoop, Milwaukee, Season 20
38 Naf Naf, Oklahoma City, Season 37
38 Hrundi V. Bakshi, Los Angeles, Season 40

37 Cappy Gambol, Milwaukee, Season 3
37 Uncle Bob Masterson, Philadelphia, Season 4
37 Soul Duran, Houston, Season 5
37 Uncle Bob Masterson, Philadelphis, Playoffs in Season 8
37 Benny Gumm, Charleston, Season 25
37 Cheetos Jones, Philadelphia, Season 33
37 B. Quiet, Charleston, Season 40
37 Naf Naf, Oklahoma City, Season 40
37 Naf Naf Oklahoma City, Season 40

Semifinals Game 1 Dallas at Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City 72, Dallas 67 OVERTIME
LARIATS ESCAPE WITH OVERTIME WIN IN OPENER
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Season 41's playoffs started with an overtime thriller, with highly favored and defending champion Oklahoma City having to scramble back from a 12-point deficit to win in overtime.

Substitute guard Theon Greyjoy of Oklahoma City, playing for fouled out Akbar Zagobia, hit an open medium jumper on the last time unit of regulation to tie the game 61-61 and send it to overtime. Up to that point, Greyjoy missed all three of the shots he took. Getting the assist on that key hoop was Lariats point guard Yipeekayee Masterfalcon, who dished out 8 helpers in the win.

Wimsy Greenfoyle started the extra period with a driving bucket for Dallas, but Greyjoy then hit a trey to give the home team a lead it never relinquished. The game was put on ice when Hall of Fame Oklahoma City center Max Payne got his fifth block of the contest off Naceg Gecan, which was immediately followed by the first trey of the game by Masterfalcon, who was fouled and made the resultant free throw. That gave the Lariats a 5-point lead with just 8 time units remaining, all but sealing the victory.

In a game that featured the top two rebounding teams in the MBA, Dallas out-boarded the home squad 29-18, accounting for much of their success throughout the contest.

This was the 10th consecutive victory by Oklahoma City.

They now hold a 1-0 edge in the best of three semis.

PLAYER OF GAME
He had a rugged time from beyond the arc, but pin-point passing by YIPEEKAYEE MASTERFALCON of Oklahoma City led to numerous key buckets and a game-high 8 assists. The 7-year vet, retiring after this season, scored 15 points on 5 for 11 shooting (1 for 7 from 3-pt Land) and was 4 for 7 from the free-throw line. The 6-4 guard also pulled down 4 boards and had 1 steal. He opened the scoring for the Lariats with a slam-dunk put-back.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
-- Now in his 16th season, All-MBA center Max Payne led the fourth-quarter charge for the Lariats, ending the game tied for high scorer with 16. He pulled down 3 rebounds, had 1 assist and swatted away a game-high 5 shots. He was a perfect 7 for 7 from the floor.
-- Second-year small forward Sloppy Dollop of Oklahoma City played his usual well-balanced game, getting 10 points , pulling down 3 boards, dishing 4 steals, blocking 2 shots and getting 1 steal.
-- Retiring shooting guard Wimsy Greenfoyle of Dallas tied for game-high in scoring with 16 points, pulled down 5 rebounds, had 2 assists and 1 steal.
-- Seventh-year center Naceg Gecan of Dallas, second in the league in rebounding this season, pounded the glass for a game-high 8 rebounds, scored 8 points, had 3 assists and 1 steal.
-- Now in his 15th season, Dallas power forward Gulemon Mon-Mon again accosted the backboards, grabbing 7 rebounds (he was third in the league behind Gecan in this department). Mon-Mon scored 13 points and dished out 1 assist in a solid outing.



Dallas prevented 20 points via defense while Oklahoma City prevented 18.
Dallas caused 5 turnovers while Oklahoma City caused 9 turnovers.

Max Payne of Oklahoma City prevented the most points -- 10
Gulemon Mon-Mon and Matthew Vanden Boogart of Dallas each prevented 7 points.

Max Payne and Pap Smearz of Oklahoma City tied for causing the most turnovers with 3 each.
Matthew Vanden Boogart of Dallas caused 2 turnovers.

NEXT UP: San Jose (5-5) travels to Charleston (8-2) in Game 1 of the other semi-final series. San Jose was defeated 99-78 during the regular season by the Mountaineers.

Season 41 Regular Season Wrap Up

As you can see, only three of the MBA's 10 teams finished with positive point differentials. Those three, plus Dallas, will be in the post-season.
Milwaukee and Seattle are out from last year's playoff teams, replaced by San Jose and Dallas.
As was the case last season, the two division winners, defending champion Oklahoma City and Charleston, are heavy favorites to meet in the finals. Charleston was derailed by Seattle in the semi-finals last season, but it is expected that this year, the power-packed finals will see the Lariats vs. the Mountaineers.
The Semi-finals match Oklahoma City with Dallas and Charleston against San Jose.
Charleston beat San Jose in a regular season cross-over game 97-78.
Oklahoma City bested Dallas in a regular season cross-over game 78-62.
Should they meet in the finals, keep in mind that Dallas and Charleston split their two games, while Oklahoma City pretty much destroyed San Jose in both meetings.
Charleston and Oklahoma City did not meet during the regular season. In fact, the last time they met was five seasons ago in Season 37 during a cross-over game won by Charleston by 3 points in another season they both won division titles.
The last time Charleston met Oklahoma City in the playoffs was Season 27 when defending champion Charleston bested Oklahoma City 2 games to 1 in the semis. (Gule Mon-Mon of Dallas played for the Lariats in that series and was injured the final two games.)
Any predictions from the MBA public?
My predictions: sweeps in the first round by Charleston and Oklahoma City, then Charleston besting Oklahoma City in the finals 3 games to 1.










Next Up: Let the playoffs begin. First game will pit Dallas at Oklahoma City.