Thursday, June 20, 2024

54 Regular Season Stats and Awards and playoff preview


 Observations

-- As usual, the East won the cross-over battle

-- For the first time in recent memory (probably ever), every team averaged at least 70 points per game

-- Only three teams...Dallas, Oklahoma City and Charleston...had positive point differentials...none in the West.

-- Dave teams again bested Tyler teams more times than not in head-to-head competition

-- There was a lot of slaughter rule games...30 percent of the games played.

-- This was the most 100-point games ever in one season. 

-- Dave and Tyler tied for standings predictions 3-3 correct each, all in the East. Nothing was correct by either in the West.


Observations

-- Pinky Toe's 22.1 scoring average is the highest since Season 47 when Dr. Marcus Brody (also of Los Angeles) scored 22.8 to lead the league.

-- Pinky Toe is the first rookie to lead the league in scoring since Naf Naf of Oklahoma City topped all scorers in Season 37, 17 seasons ago. Naf scored 22.9 per game that season.

-- Pinky Toe is the eighth rookie to lead the league in scoring.

-- Sheetrock Hudson, in his final campaign, wins his third rebounding title. Only Hall of Fame center Bart Pitbull, with 4, had more.

Observations
-- The only team to place more than one player on the First Team All-MBA squad is Charleston, which did not make the playoffs.
-- Crentis Dentist is the first player from Oklahoma City to make All-MBA since Chochky Galumpkus seven seasons ago.
-- Juzan Djinn is the only player from last season to repeat as All-MBA.
-- With Juzan Djinn winning the regular season MVP, a Dallas player has won the top honor 10 times. Djinn is only the second Dallas guard to get the honor, the first being Joey Two-Tones in Season 23.
Dallas winners are as follows:
Season 54...guard Juzan Djinn
Season 53...forward Pete Marzano
Season 47...forward Chip Battoe
Season 46...forward Chip Battoe
Season 45...forward Chip Battoe
Season 44...forward Chip Battoe
Season 43...rookie forward Chip Battoe
Season 33...center Tom Kondla
Season 23...guard Joey Two-Tones
Season 16...forward Curly Hogbottom


Los Angeles and Houston Rookie of the Year Winners through the years
Season 54...guard Pinky Toe
Season 50...guard Flufferton Springs
Season 36...forward Vic Hitler
Season 7...forward Link Lennex
Season 3...guard Soul Duran 

In the predictions department...Tyler and Dave tied with two correct predictions each.  Tyler nailed Pinky Toe and Crentis Dentist for All-MBA and Dave correctly named Juzan Djinn All MBA and MVP. Here's what was predicted.

ALL-MBA PREDICTIONS FROM TYLER
Guard-Vicious Hick, Dallas (also MVP and Rookie of the Year)
Guard-Pinky Toe, Los Angeles (rookie)
Center-Chochky Galumpkus, Oklahoma City
Forward-Erik A. Crocidale, Seattle (rookie)
Forward-Crentis Dentist, Oklahoma City (Hall of Famer)

ALL-MBA PREDICTIONS FROM DAVE
Guard-Juzan Djinn, Dallas (also MVP)
Guard-Vicious Hick, Dallas (also Rookie of the Year)
Center-Blob Dylan, Gillette
Forward-Phillip Mianus, Oklahoma City
Forward-Pete"the Steakman"Marzano, Dallas



POSITION RANKINGS

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER -- Splash Gordon, Charleston
Past Most Improved Winners
Season 53...Charles Broccoli, San Jose
Season 52...King Czardines, Oklahoma City
Season 51...Thomas Thomas Thomas, Milwaukee
and Lothario Fartlek, Milwaukee
Season 50...Buddy Flakes, Sacramento
Season 49...Sheetrock Hudson, Charleston
Season 48...Wardy Joubert, Milwaukee
Season 47...Potatos O'Gratin, Seattle

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

THE TEAMS



PLAYOFF PREVIEW
SEMIFINALS...Oklahoma City (7-3) vs. Sacramento (8-2): The River Dogs surprised the hell out of everyone this season. Going into the draft they had a roster of just four players. Even after the draft, which included a number of pick-ups from the cut pile, Sacramento was picked for last. Instead, they went 8-2 to finish atop the West. The Lariats, the acknowledged next-best-thing to Dallas, would have been favored in this Semifinals matchup even before the top scorer for the R-Dogs, Karma Chameleon, was lost to injury for the initial series. Without Chameleon and his 18.5 ppg scoring average, the Lariats should have no trouble dispatching the River Dogs in two straight, setting up a rematch of last season's Finals against Dallas.

SEMIFINALS...Los Angeles (5-5) vs. Dallas (10-0): The Big One was nearly as big a surprise as the R-Dogs in the West. Picked unanimously for fourth, they finished comfortably in second thanks mainly to Rookie of the Year/All-MBA/league's leading scorer Pinky Toe and his 22.1 ppg. Meanwhile, the two-time defending champion Whiz Kids blew through the regular season schedule with a 10-0 mark. They showed only the slightest hint of being beatable...taking overtime to best Philadelphia and edging Oklahoma City twice by four points. They beat Los Angeles during the regular season in a cross-over game 85-73. They should win the Semis in a sweep.

FINALS...We predict Oklahoma City and Dallas in a rematch of last season, with the Lariats maybe winning one game. But we would not be surprised if the Demons swept to become just the second team ever to run the table with a 15-0 mark. 

Next: Game One...Oklahoma City at Sacramento


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