Philadelphia 95, San Jose 69
PHOBIA OBLITERATES SAN JOSE IN OPENER
PHILADELPHIA -- The defending champion Philadelphia Phobia left little doubt that it planned to live up to its "favored" status, annihilating the challenging San Jose Fighting Amigos 95-69 in the post-season opener before a packed house of delirious fans.
The game was close for one quarter, after which the home team ran rampant, both offensively and defensively, establishing a 9-point halftime lead that increased steadily thereafter.
Philly got big games from the usually moderate hand of forward Wawa Wewa (28 points) and three bench players, center Jefferson "Budweiser" McNuggets, guard Guy "the Eye" Clark and guard Chai Walla, who contributed 24 points to the romp connecting on all 10 of their combined shots.
A plethora of fouls for both teams led to four starters fouling out, two for each team, including both starting guards for the Phobia, but it seemed to matter little.
Philadelphia was, as expected, dominating defensively and shot 66.1 percent for the game. Among other stopgaps, the Phobia held San Jose to 0 for 10 shooting behind the arc, preventing two made treys in the third quarter, where the game turned in their favor.
The Semifinals now return to San Jose where the Fighting Amigos hope to regroup and perhaps scratch out a win. But this game was a shot to their collective ego.
POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTER
San Jose.....2...2...0...0 Total=4
Philadelphia 0...6...2...0 Total=8
TURNOVERS CAUSED BY QUARTER
San Jose.....0...1...2...0 Total=3
Philadelphia 1...2...4...1 Total=8
TOPS IN POINTS PREVENTED
1. Mike Hunt, San Jose 4
2. Akbar Zagobia, Philadelphia 3
2. Wawa Wewa, Philadelphia 3
TOPS IN TURNOVERS CAUSED
1. Carga Larga, Philadelphia 3
3 with 2 each
PLAYER OF GAME
Fourth-year Philly forward WAWA WEWA pantsed his rookie counterpart Cam Caldwell, scoring a game-high 28 points, holding the playoff newcomer to 2 points and making him foul out on the first time unit of the fourth quarter. Wewa was spectacular, going 10 for 14 from the floor and plopping in a perfect 8 for 8 from the foul line. In his first post-season game for the Phobia, Wewa also pulled down 2 rebounds, dished 2 assists and blocked 1 shot.
Other 20-plus GVP performers
-- All-MBA point guard Colquitt Croix of Philadelphia scored just 13 points in a game where he eventually fouled out. But the MBA's newest Hall of Fame inductee still contributed big time with a game-high 5 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal.
-- Philly's veteran forward Sloppy Dollop has three championship rings and showed once more that he knows how to play his part in the big games. Dollop had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in this Game 1 victory.
-- San Jose's retiring point guard YourMajesty Lumpkins had a solid game against a Hall of Fame guard, getting 16 points, 3 rebounds and tying for team-high with 4 assists before fouling out.
-- Hunk R. Down, the Fighting Amigos' 7-foot center did not disappoint in the playoff opener, getting a team-high 18 points amid a bevy of down-low moves that resulted in 7 slam dunks. He also added 3 rebounds and blocked a game-high 2 shots.
NEXT UP: The Dallas Demons (7-3) and their MVP forward Chip Battoe travel to Sacramento (7-3) where the nine-season playoff drought has finally come to an end. The River Dogs have not won a playoff game in their last four post-season trips and have been defeated 10 times in a row in the post-season. The last time they won a post-season game was Season 21. (The actual calendar date was October 7, 2002). They have been in seven previous playoffs, advancing just once, in Season 15. This series pits the league's best offense (Dallas) against the league's stingiest defense (Sacramento). They met once in the regular season, with defense dominating and Sacramento coming from an 8-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 69-65. Battoe was the game's POG with 22 points, but Sacramento held the Demons to jut 50 percent shooting.
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