Dallas 69, Charleston 68
DEMONS WIN 1-POINT THRILLER TO GAIN PLAYOFFS
CHARLESTON -- Late-game heroics by second-year superstar forward Chip Battoe earned the visiting Dallas Demons the final playoff spot as they edged the Charleston Mountaineers 69-68 in a showdown game that more than lived up to expectations.
As was fitting for the competitive contest this was, Charleston had the ball in the closing time units, down 3, with Player of the Game Flip Testerton taking a 3-point shot that would have tied the game. The shot was off, but Testerton rebounded, and with no time left to do anything else, put it back in as the buzzer went off, giving Dallas a one-point victory.
Dallas and Charleston both ended the season with 7-3 records, but the Demons held the tie-breakers. The Mountaineers thus become just the second team to not make the playoffs with 7 wins. The other was also Charleston.
The East is a bitch.
PLAYER OF GAME
Fifth-year small forward FLIP TESTERTON of Charleston kept his team in the game for much of the second half, scoring and handing out assists. The 6-5 leaper tied for game-high scoring honors with 20 points and led everyone with 5 assists, while grabbing 3 boards and blocking 1 shot. He was 10 for 15 from the floor (0 for 1 from deep and 0 for 1 from the foul line). If there was any doubt that he joins Chip Battoe at forward on the All-MBA team, this game removed it. It was his fourth POG this season.
Other 20-plus GVP performers
-- Behemoth Demons center Gotoo Grot had a monster game that matched his 7-2 size at the exact right moment for Dallas. Grot, who came into the game averaging a little over 10 points, scored 17 points against the best defensive center in the game while cleaning the backboards for a game-high 8 rebounds. He also dished 1 assist and blocked 1 shot.
-- Sure to grab his second MVP award in as many campaigns, Dallas forward Chip "the Crip" Battoe turned on the juice late in the fourth quarter to tie for game-high in scoring with 20 points. His quick-as-shit drive late in the game turned into a 3-point play that was a turning point for Dallas, tying the game when they had been down five just a few time units prior. The league's premier shot-blocker rejected a game-high 6 shots and added 1 assist. When Frog Morton of Charleston was killing Dallas in the first half, Battoe switched over to guard him and shut the rookie down. That was the key move of the game by coach Tyler Masterson.
-- Charleston shooting guard Cat Timol did a little of everything for the Mountaineers in this game, and was especially effective scoring in the first half. Timol scored 15 points, grabbed 3 rebounds, dished 3 assists, blocked 1 shot and was game-high in steals with 2.
-- Charleston's rookie forward Frog Morton scored 15 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, had 1 assist and blocked 1 shot, with most of the scoring coming in the first half before Battoe switched to him defensively.
NEXT UP: The anti-climatic final game of the regular season, a cross-over, with Milwaukee (2-7) at Los Angeles (5-4). Milwaukee needs to upset The Big One to even up the cross-over games, or The West will come away a rare winner in this regard. Milwaukee point guard Fatty McButterpants is in a dead heat with Dayshotta Leo for All-MBA and needs a big game in order to earn the right of slapping that star on his card.
BONUS QUESTION ON QUICK HALL OF FAMERS
In answer to Tyler Masterson's question as to how many of the 48...soon to be 49...Hall of Fame members gained the distinction in their first six games in the league, we will answer with a quiz.
The short answer is 17, which is approximately 35 percent of the current members of the Hall (which is more than I thought it would be). It would be unfair to have quiz participants name all 16, so we will list 26 players and ask which which 9 players did not achieve MBA immortality within six seasons. Here are the players.
Name the nine imposters.
Forward -- Gato DoMato
Forward -- Bub Wright
Center -- Alex Pal
Guard -- Ginger Vampire
Forward -- Ceasar Seizure
Guard -- Tommy Zoop
Forward -- Art Vandelay
Center -- Tom "the Bomb" Kondla
Guard -- Cheetos Jones
Forward -- Link Lennex
Guard -- Naf Naf
Guard -- Joey Two-Tones
Guard -- Shucks Oyster
Center -- Mable Reed
Guard -- Wes Montgomery
Guard -- Hrundi V. Bakshi
Guard -- Soul Duran
Guard -- Jalapa Valley
Center -- Diamond Dallas Paige
Forward -- Cam Bodia
Forward -- Sagittal Occlusal
Forward -- Guru Gannon
Forward -- Gulemon Mon-Mon
Forward -- Curly Hogbottom
Forward -- Boone Doggle
Guard -- Cappy Gambol
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