LOS ANGELES 77, OKLAHOMA CITY 66
BIG ONE SWEEPS LARIATS TO CAPTURE FIRST IN WEST
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Los Angeles Big One won the battle for first place in the West, 77-66, sweeping the season series over the Oklahoma City Lariats and assuring themselves home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Both teams finished the regular season with records of 7-3, but L.A.'s 6 division wins give them the West crown, since the Lariats finish with 5 division wins.
The teams entered the game as the two best defenses in the MBA, but Los Angeles was the better stopper tonight.
This was the first home loss for Oklahoma City this season.
Los Angeles center Chutcher Mouthchair probably secured his first rebound title with his 6 boards, giving him 57 for the season over Tree Fiddy's 55 for Sacramento. Anurag Dickshit, also in the rebound title race, snared 6 boards as well, finishing tied with Fiddy at 55.
Along those same lines, guard Norman Conquest of L.A. needed one steal to tie Potus Obama for a steals crown. He did not get it, finishing with 13 thefts.
The Big One's 7-3 record is the best for the franchise since moving to L.A. from Houston six seasons ago. It also marks their first playoff campaign in La La Land. They narrowly missed the post-season last season with a 6-4, third-place mark. This season is their best since Season 34 in Houston when they went 9-1 and captured the championship with a 5-0 playoff run. The Season 45 record was achieved despite the loss of two top scorers for big portions of the campaign, as guard Dr. Marcus Brody missed the entire second half of the season and Baba Brinkman missed three games.
Oklahoma City surprised its fans with a 7-3 record and playoff berth, since they were predicted unanimously to finish in last place. Lariats backers are used to success, since the franchise has now made the playoffs 10 of the past 12 seasons, winning it all three times in that span.
POINTS PREVENTED BY LOS ANGELES -- 8
POINTS PREVENTED BY OKLAHOMA CITY -- 2
TOP INDIVIDUAL IN POINTS PREVENTED -- Baba Brinkman of Los Angeles with 4.
PLAYER OF GAME
The main addition to the Los Angeles club prior to Season 45, forward SLOPPY DOLLOP waited until the final game of the regular season to capture his first POG. The 6-7 forward, retiring after this campaign, tied for game-high in points scored with 17, grabbed 4 rebounds, had 1 assist, 1 steal and tied for game-high with 2 blocked shots. Dollop was 7 for 10 from the floor with 3 slam dunks and 3 for 4 from the foul stripe.
Other 20-plus GVP performances
-- The other starting forward who will also be retiring for L.A. is Baba Brinkman, who scored 16 points, had 1 block and 1 assist and topped all players in points prevented while also registering a game-high 3 steals for a career-high total of 10 for the season. Brinkman potted three 3-pointers in the win. He was matched up against Oklahoma City's Anurag Dickshit, his closest competitor for All-MBA and the two battled to an excellent standstill. Brinkman is on the verge of the Hall of Fame, needing two more awards.
-- Oklahoma City center Willie Carry McCoffee dominated Chutcher Mouthchair in every way except rebounding in this game. The 7-footer scored 15 points, had a game-high 5 assists and pulled down 4 rebounds.
-- Oklahoma City forward Goodbar "Muddy" Masterson's understated effectiveness held true again in this game. The 6-7 forward scored 12 points, had 4 rebounds, delivered 2 assists and led his team with 2 steals while tying for game-high in blocked shots with 2.
-- The other Lariats forward, Anurag Dickshit, fought hammer and tong all game long with Baba Brinkman, finishing tied for game-high in points with 17, pulling down 6 rebounds and getting 1 assist. His bid for All-MBA may have fallen a tad short, but his efforts have been invaluable to the Oklahoma City playoff cause.
NEXT UP: The Charleston Mountaineers (5-4) can clinch a first-place finish in the East with a win at lowly Kansas City (1-8). They beat them 77-69 earlier this season.
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