Philadelphia 86, Oklahoma City 74
PHOBIA HEAD TO FINALS WITH EASY SWEEP OF LARIATS
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Philadelphia Phobia is taking aim at its 16th MBA championship, having dispatched the over-achievers from Oklahoma City two games to none.
Although the second victory over the Lariats was not the 31-point trashing Philadelphia laid on them in the initial playoff contest, the outcome was never in dispute, with the Phobia taking an 11-2 lead early before finally settling for the 86-74 triumph.
The win was accompanied by a playoff record (tied) 21 assists for Philly, a mark first set in Season 18 by the Phobia against Dallas and matched in Season 39 by Charleston, also against Dallas.
The winning road warriors zipped passes all over the court, with guards Akbar Zagobia (8 assists) and substitute point man Red Reparee (7 assists) running the offense flawlessly in view of the virtual absence of Philadelphia star Colquitt Croix, who spent almost all of the game in foul trouble and eventually fouled out.
Both teams shot above-average for the game, with Philly at 63.8 percent and Oklahoma City at 61.5.
The game marked the end of the career of one-time Phobia player Mel A. Noma, who will be retiring for Oklahoma City after winning his second assist title this past season.
The Phobia now await the winner of the other semifinal series between San Jose and Chicago, which currently has the Fighting Amigos and Gale tied one game each. Philadelphia will be going after its first championship since Season 33 when it won its mind-boggling fifth consecutive title.
This will be the 22nd time the Phobia have appeared in the MBA Finals, which is more than half of the league's championship series. And don't forget, the Phobia did not even exist in Season 1, coming in as an expansion franchise in Season 2. Their last two finals appearances were in Seasons 37 and 38, where they fell short to Seattle and Chicago, respectively.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Normally content with playing smothering defense and grabbing rebounds, Philadelphia two guard AKBAR ZAGOBIA did those things and more in this Semifinals clincher. Playing in front of his old home crowd, Zagobia registered the third triple-double of his career, scoring 17 points, pulling down a team-high (tied) 7 rebounds and distributing a game-high 8 assists. He also added 1 steal to go with the 4 thefts he had in Game 1. The 6-4, fourth-year man was 6 for 11 from the floor and 5 for 9 from the foul line.
Other 20-plus GVP performers
-- Retiring Philadelphia center Diss Reflexia was virtually unstoppable near the bucket, getting 19 points, grabbing 2 boards, netting 2 assists and blocking 1 shot in the win.
-- Philadelphia power forward Sloppy Dollop followed his 24-point POG performance of Game 1 with a team-high 20-point effort in this game. The former Lariat also grabbed 5 rebounds and had 1 assist.
-- Second-year power forward Goodbar "Muddy" Masterson of Oklahoma City matched Dollop's effort with 15 points, a game-high 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 blocked shot.
-- All-MBA forward Bang-Bang Reiner concluded his brilliant fifth season with an 18-point effort that included 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.
-- It took until the final opportunity of his seventh season for Oklahoma City guard Cremofsum Yunguy to show what he could do with extended playing time, and given the chance, the longtime cut pile guy gave a little hope for the Lariats in the future and the index cards pining away in the discard envelope. With Mel A. Noma in constant foul trouble, Yunguy came into the game and kept his team within shouting distance, scoring a game-high 26 points, getting 2 rebounds and 1 assist. Yunguy spent five long years amidst the rejects, but maybe Oklahoma City has a YourMajesty Lumpkins-type success story on its hands.
NEXT UP: The decider. Chicago goes back to San Jose minus key starting forward Pietro Destroyer (injured) in Game 3 of this semifinal series.
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