45th All Star Game will go down as "the Great Slaughter"
LOS ANGELES -- Forget the score. Forget the winner of the game. Forget who was MVP. This will go down in MBA history as the most unhinged game in the history of the league. And I'm not just talking about All Star Games, but any of the multiple-thousands that have been played to this date.
Three...count them...three all star players who came into the game as the top scorers on their respective teams...all went down to 3-game injuries, which changes the entire complexion of the remainder of Season 45.
* First to fall was two-time MVP Chip "the Crip" Battoe of the Dallas Demons, who went down after just 24 time units had been played in the game.
* Next was second-year forward and two-time All Star Frog Morton of Charleston, who suffered his debilitating injury just 16 time units after Battoe had suffered his.
* And finally, when everything felt safe and back to normal, the last 3-game injury blow was delivered to Los Angeles forward Baba Brinkman, playing before his home crowd in his seventh and final All Star Game before his retirement. This crippling blow came with just 9 time units remaining in the game.
All three of the teams represented by these three are in contention:
--Los Angeles (4-1) is in first place in the West, and has already lost its star point guard Dr. Marcus Brody for the rest of the regular season. Brinkman, at 19.0 ppg, was the team's top scorer.
-- Charleston (3-2) is in first in the East, but only via tie-breaker. Two other teams have the same record. Frog Morton, the team's top scorer at 15.0 ppg, now joins starting point guard Lapiz Lapiz Boligrafo on the injured list. Boligrafo will miss the next two games due to injury. This is a team that has scored just 51 points in their two most recent games. And earlier this season, they were hit with a one-game injury to starter Akbar Zagobia.
-- Dallas (3-2) is one of those two teams hot on the heels of Charleston. Battoe was not only their best scorer at 20.6 ppg, but the top scorer in the entire league.
The other team breathing down the neck of Charleston is Philadelphia (3-2), which lost the services of Hall of Fame guard Colquitt Croix, who was leading the league in scoring (23.3 ppg) when he went down.
So the complexion of the East has changed remarkably. Does this clear the way for the currently injury-free Milwaukee Greyhounds (2-3) to mount a playoff push in the second half of the season? (For the record, the Greyhounds suffered a 1-game injury to starting forward Walter Sobchack, but he is now back in the fold).
Certainly Kansas City (0-5) would need a ton more injuries to occur on East rosters in order to even be mentioned. By the way, they suffered a 1-game injury to a starter too...Bougainvillea Hedge.
Truth be told, I would have to say that with all of the injuries that have occurred, the Bastard Angels are the only team I can truly count out of the playoff hunt at the moment.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
After leading the All Star Game in scoring last season as a rookie with 23 points, Milwaukee's star point guard FATTY MCBUTTERPANTS upped the ante considerably with a triple-double performance that netted him the MVP of the All Star Game. The league's tallest guard at 6-7, McButterpants scored 24 points, pulled down a game-high 6 rebounds and tied for most assists in the contest with 5. He was 7 for 8 from the floor, including 1 for 1 from downtown, and slammed one home on a drive. At the free-throw line, the second-year man was 9 of 10.
Other 20-plus GVP performers
The tallest center in the league, Dallas' Gotoo Grot, has really come into his own in this, his third season. The 7-2 pivot lit it up for 19 points in his first All Star appearance, grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing a pair of assists and getting 1 steal. He even bombed home a trey.
Speaking of being a bomber man, fifth-year Dallas sharpshooter Bingo Bango knocked down 5 treys on the way to a team-high 25 points in his third All Star contest. He added 4 assists.
Sacramento center Tree Fiddy, in his fifth Star classic, was good for 15 points, a team-high 5 rebounds and had the only blocked shot for the West team.
Seattle forward Pietro Destroyer, in his sixth Star event in as many seasons, was a perfect 5 for 5 from the floor, including a trey and a trio of slams. He added 3 rebounds and tied for game-high with 5 assists.
Before succumbing to the first injury of his 8-season career, forward Baba Brinkman was putting on a show for the home town fans with a game-high 26-point performance that included 3 long-range bombs and 2 slam dunks. He also had 3 rebounds and was high in the game with 2 steals.
NEXT UP: BRACKET NO. 5
-- Will defending champion Sacramento (1-4) finally get up off the matt and get back in the race with a giant win at first-place Los Angeles (4-1). The Big One is currently missing its top two scorers and seems ripe for a loss. L.A., behind Norman Conquest, edged the River Dogs and Pap Smearz in a defensive struggle earlier this season, 63-62.
-- FEATURED GAME: Seattle (3-2) at second-place Oklahoma City (4-1). Both teams are making their featured game debuts in this important West contest. The surprising Lariats, on a 3-game win streak, suffered their only loss to Seattle 92-70 despite a POG by rookie Flip Phelps of Oklahoma City in their first encounter.The Stampede has since changed rookie horses at the point, with AnDamian Wayne giving the team a big lift as of late. A win by Seattle puts them right in the thick of things.
-- Dallas (3-2), even without Chip Battoe, should have no trouble with win-less Kansas City (0-5).
-- Philadelphia (3-2) at Milwaukee (2-3) will be well worth watching. Philly. led by Soupy Poops, won the first meeting easily, 90-74. But that was before Colquitt Croix went down. This is the Greyhounds chance to climb into the picture.
-- The cross-over game is also intriguing, with San Jose (2-3) traveling to first-place Charleston (3-2). The Mountaineers are hanging onto first by a thread, suffering back-to-back losses in which they scored just 51 points. Now they play crippled, without their top scorer Frog Morton for the next three contests and their starting point guard Lapiz Lapiz Boligrafo for the next two.
San Jose, in a rebuilding year, with the league's youngest starting lineup, can actually get back in the hunt with what looks like a win-able game.
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