Season 57 MBA Finals Game 1...Oklahoma City at Dallas

 

OKLAHOMA CITY 80, DALLAS 79 (BUZZER BEATER!!!)

LARIATS WIN AT THE HORN!

DALLAS -- "The Mighty Mite," Bellybutton Inquisition swished a medium jumper over Dallas Hall of Famer Juzan Djinn at the buzzer and the Oklahoma City Lariats bested the five-time-defending champion Dallas Demons on their home court, 80-79 to take a 1-0 lead in this best of five Finals.

There were outrageously radical pendulum swings in this game, as Oklahoma City went off for a 29-15 lead after one quarter, only to have Dallas win the next stanza 25-11 to make it 40-40 at halftime. 

Mighty Dallas continued its surge with a 12-0 run to start the third, but the game group from Oklahoma City cut that lead in half going into the fourth. 

Staying mostly within four points for a vast majority of the last frame, the visitors finally took their first lead in the half on a slam dunk by the 5-11 Inquisition with 11 ticks left. A put-back slam by Demons forward Nick Kenpoop gave the home team a 1-point lead with 6 time units remaining.

Dallas held that lead until their Hall of Fame forward Pete Marzano missed a medium jumper that was rebounded by Inquisition, who took and made the game-winner at the horn.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

30 GVP...Retiring Hall of Fame forward PETE "THE STEAKMAN" MARZANO added to his storied career with a game-high 23-point performance in what turned out to be a losing cause. The 6-8 sixth-year man, who has been a pain in the ass to all opponents throughout his career, delivered baskets on 11 of the 16 shots he took, slamming home a pair down the stretch and going 1 for 2 at the foul line. He also tied for team best in rebounds with 4 and blocked shots with 3.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

29 GVP...Oklahoma City center Poop-Rupiah 3000...20 points (6 slams)...5 rebounds...4 blocked shots.

27 GVP...Oklahoma City guard Bellybutton Inquisition...15 points...8 rebounds...4 assists.

27 GVP...Dallas power forward Nick Kenpoop...19 points (5 slams)...4 rebounds...3 assists...1 blocked shot. 

25 GVP...Oklahoma City guard Oblio Assbag...13 points...5 assists...3 blocked shots...2 steals...2 rebounds.

21 GVP...Oklahoma City small forward L.S. Island...14 points...4 rebounds...1 assist...1 steal...1 blocked shot.

NEXT UP: The teams travel to Oklahoma City where the Lariats, now on a 4-game winning streak, hope home court advantage can work in their favor.

 

Special note: 

Unfortunately, those automatic Google Search links that recently started appearing in Blogger posts cannot currently be disabled. They’re part of a new feature Google rolled out, and there’s no setting to turn them off. The only workaround is to ignore or dismiss them when they pop up.

Season 57 SemiFinals Game 2...Seattle at Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY 91, SEATTLE 72

IT'S AN ALL-EAST FINALS

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The surprising Oklahoma City Lariats made it an all-East Division Finals for the sixth consecutive season as they turned what appeared to be another 1-point barn-burner entering the fourth quarter into a blowout, coming away with a 91-72 victory and 2-0 sweep of the Seattle Stampede.

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

Seattle...9...0...4...2  Total=15

OKC.....5...0...4...6   Total=15

Tops in Points Prevented

1. Hilbee "the Skinny German" Juggleboy, Seattle...7

2. Ol' Roy, Oklahoma City...6

TURNOVERS CAUSED BY QUARTERS

Seattle...2...2...3...0  Total=7

OKC......2...2...5...4  Total=13

Tops in Turnovers Caused

1. Oblio Assbag, Oklahoma City...4

1. Poop-Rupiah 3000, Oklahoma City...4

1. Kevin Duran-Duran, Oklahoma City...4

PLAYER OF THE GAME

35 GVP...Third-year standout center of the Oklahoma City Lariats, POOP-RUPIAH 3000, came up big again in a decisive contest, putting up game-high numbers in points (24), rebounds (7), steals (2) and turnovers caused (4) as the 6-9 pride of the franchise dominated Laughing Boy Lasso of Seattle. The 6-9 3000 was 11 for 13 from the floor, delivering 4 slam dunks. Tied for the regular season free-throw title with his teammate Duran-Duran, he went 2 for 3 from the charity stripe, adding 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. He'll square off in his first Finals in a power match with All-MBA pivot Biggus Dickus of Dallas. The two fought for the foil star all season long, finishing 1-2 as the best pair of centers in the MBA.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

31 GVP...Seattle's All-MBA power forward Eric A. Crocidale...23 points (6 slams)...5 rebounds...1 assist...1 steal...1 blocked shot.

28 GVP...Oklahoma City's power forward Kevin Duran-Duran...22 points...3 rebounds...2 steals...1 assist...4 turnovers caused.

25 GVP...Oklahoma City small forward L.S. Island...21 points...2 rebounds...1 assist...1 blocked shot.

24 GVP...Seattle's All-MBA shooting guard Hilbee "the Skinny German" Juggleboy...12 points...6 blocked shots...3 rebounds...3 assists...7 points prevented.

20 GVP...Seattle's Rookie of the Year small forward J.J. "Jake" Pickle...11 points...5 rebounds...3 blocked shots...1 assist.

NEXT UP: Game 1 of the 57th MBA Finals with Oklahoma City at Dallas. The Mighty Demons are seeking to add to their already impressive list of accomplishments with an unprecedented sixth straight championship, while the Lariats look to buck all the odds in the book and become the first 5-5 team to ever win an MBA title. This marks the third time Dallas and Oklahoma City have met in the Finals, with all three times coming in the past five seasons. Dallas won the previous two times in Season 53 and 54. The Season 53 Finals went the distance, with Dallas winning the decisive fifth game in overtime. The Season 54 Finals was a Demons sweep. Dallas won both regular season meetings against the Lariats this season, by 10, then 9 points.

    

Season 57 SemiFinals Game 2...Dallas at Los Angeles

DALLAS 69, LOS ANGELES 66

DEMONS RETURN TO FINALS

LOS ANGELES -- The five-time-defending champs from Dallas are back in the MBA Finals with a chance to become the first team in league history to win six consecutive titles.

They did so in a SemiFinals that saw them blow away a worthy Los Angeles team, then demonstrate their capability of coming up huge in a close encounter as they swept their way past The Big One with a 69-66 Game 2 triumph.

This was a crazy game that featured a first half where neither club could get untracked; partly due to the defense of their opponent and partly because of just plain bad shooting. Dallas maintained the lead throughout, but Los Angeles never trailed in the contest by more than 8 points.

Both offenses picked up the scoring pace considerably in the second half, but Dallas remained ahead by 8 going into the final stanza. 

The home team Big One got to within two points of the visitors on three occasions down the home stretch before Dallas' Hall of Fame guard Juzan Djinn, having a horrid shooting night, rose up at the 6 time unit mark and buried his only trey of the game, which turned out to be the vanquishing blow.

Rumpy Pumpy Lewis of Los Angeles scored immediately to reduce the lead from 5 to 3. But by the time L.A. got the ball back, their only hope was a full court desperation attempt by Vicious Hick that was just off the mark.

Dallas showed its depth in this win, with Mini Carfartt suffering a rest-of-game injury early in the third quarter. Wrinkly Tinkly Toe, brother of Pinky Toe on Los Angeles, stepped in and scored 7 points, and when he went out on a forced rest, 15-season veteran Hurricane Furrwizard spelled him with an immediate 3-pointer, leading to 8 important points in the second half of the third quarter.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

32 GVP...Former Demon VICIOUS HICK did his best to derail his old team's championship chances, coming up with the fifth Triple-Double of his Hall of Fame career, but it was not to be. The Los Angeles point guard scored zero points, taking just four shots in the first half, but turned on the juice for 10 in the third quarter on the way to a game-high (tied) 16 points. Hick did contribute defensively, stopping Carfartt twice and even frustrating Biggus Dickus out of a basket. The 6-2 Hick was a monster on the boards throughout, pulling down a game-high 11. For the game he was 6 for 12 from the floor, including 3 treys in 4 tries and going 1 for 1 at the foul line. He also handed out a game-high 5 assists in the losing effort. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

29 GVP...Regular season MVP, Dallas' retiring Hall of Fame center Biggus Dickus...14 points...8 rebounds...3 blocked shots...2 steals...2 assists.

23 GVP...Hall of Fame Dallas guard Juzan Djinn...14 points...4 rebounds...3 assists...2 blocked shots.

23 GVP...Los Angeles retiring center Chat Bot...12 points (3 slams)...5 rebounds...4 blocked shots...2 assists.

20 GVP...Los Angeles shooting guard Pinky Toe...16 points...2 rebounds...2 assists.

NEXT UP: Seattle faces elimination on the road as it travels to Oklahoma City. These two teams have split two one-point games this season. It doesn't get any closer than that.

Season 57 SemiFinals...Game 1...Oklahoma City at Seattle

OKLAHOMA CITY 72, SEATTLE 71

LARIATS STEAL GAME 1 BARN-BURNER 

SEATTLE -- Down by as many as three starters in the fourth quarter, the visiting Oklahoma City Lariats managed to escape Seattle with a 72-71 Game 1 SemiFinal victory.

With their top scorer, Bellybutton Inquisition out on fouls early in the fourth and starting forward L.S. Island felled by injury in the third, Oklahoma City managed to come back from a 4-point deficit with 15 time units remaining. 

Seattle also found itself short-handed when, with 12 ticks left, Rookie of the Year J.J. Pickle joined starting center teammate Laughing Boy Lasso on the bench, both having fouled out and their team now trailing by a point.

All-MBA Seattle forward, Erik A. Crocidale, having a rugged shooting game, missed a short jumper, but Hall of Fame teammate Crentis Dentist tipped it in at the 5 time unit mark to give the home team a 71-70 lead. 

Lariats center Poop-Rupiah 3000 then fed the hero of the game, power forward Kevin Duran-Duran down low, who scored over Crocidale with 1 time unit remaining to give the visitors a 72-71 lead. Dentist, a more than capable 3-point shooter, had time to get a long one off as the buzzer rang out, but his shot was off and Oklahoma City had a hard-fought victory. 

This was the second one-point game played by these teams this season, with Seattle having won the regular season cross-over 89-88. 

PLAYER OF THE GAME

28 GVP...Oklahoma City's veteran power forward KEVIN DURAN-DURAN had his best offensive game of the season when his team needed it the most, getting a game-high 21 points in a contest in which he dominated his opposite, All-MBA star Erik A. Crocidale. Traded from Seattle to Oklahoma City at the beginning of the season, Duran-Duran played a complete game, holding Crocidale to just 4 points while going 9 for 13 from the floor on his own, including the game-winning hoop. He was 1 for 2 from deep and 2 for 2 from the foul line (where he led the league, tied with teammate Poop-Rupiah 3000). The 6-9, sixth-year man added a game-high 2 steals, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

26 GVP...Seattle point guard King Czardines...20 points...4 rebounds...2 assists. 

23 GVP...Oklahoma City center Poop-Rupiah 3000...14 points...8 rebounds...1 assist. 

22 GVP...Seattle's All-MBA two guard Hilbee "the Skinny German" Juggleboy...13 points...5 blocked shots...3 assists...1 rebound.

20 GVP...Seattle's Rookie of the Year small forward J.J. "Jake" Pickle...12 points...5 rebounds...2 assists...1 blocked shot.

NEXT UP: Mighty Dallas looks to end its SemiFinal series on the road against Los Angeles after laying 103 points on The Big One to open the series. 

 

Season 57 Semi-Finals Game 1...Los Angeles at Dallas

DALLAS 103, LOS ANGELES 66 (SLAUGHTER RULE ENFORCED)

STATEMENT WIN!

DALLAS -- If anyone had ideas about the five-time defending champion Dallas Demons vacating its top of the pyramid status in the MBA, this 103-66 massacre of a solid Los Angeles team to open the Season 57 playoffs should put an end to such notions.

After a competitive first quarter, Mighty Dallas kicked its title machine into post-season gear and left its former Hall of Fame guard Vicious Hick and L.A. teammates wondering how that talk of a first-round upset could have even been conceived.

The Demons delighted their entitled home fans with their best game of Season 57, hitting the century mark in points while making the visiting Big One's usually powerful offense seem little with 9 blocked shots and 7 steals.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

38 GVP...Coming off perhaps his quietest regular season campaign, one of the league's greatest players ever, Hall of Famer JUZAN DJINN, flexed his playoff muscles to show why he's been the winner of three Playoff MVP honors. The eighth-year wonder went off for a game-high 30 points,  more than doubling his 13.4 regular season average, while leading everyone with 4 assists. The 6-2 superstar was 12 for 19 from the floor, connecting on 3 of 7 from beyond the arc and going 3 for 4 from the foul line. He added 2 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. He's already tied with Cappy Gambol and Stu Nod for most Playoff MVPs. Another ring and another MVP would tie him with Naf Naf for second place overall on the Hall of Fame list. This is a great start in that direction. And just think...Dallas beat the odds by having him return to the team in free agency.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

32 GVP...Dallas point guard Mini Carfartt...26 points...3 assists...2 steals...1 rebound.

25 GVP...Los Angeles shooting guard Pinky Toe...17 points...6 rebounds...2 assists.

23 GVP...Dallas power forward Nick Kenpoop...14 points...4 rebounds...3 assists...2 blocked shots.

22 GVP...Dallas Hall of Fame small forward Pete "the Steakman" Marzano...15 points...5 blocked shots...2 steals.

21 GVP...Dallas Hall of Fame center Biggus Dickus...10 points...8 rebounds...2 steals...1 assist.

NEXT UP: Game 1 of the other SemiFinal with Oklahoma City at Seattle. The two met in the regular season in a whale of a contest, won 89-88 by the Stampede, despite a 24-point POG performance by Lariats center Poop-Rupiah 3000.

Season 57...Regular Season Wrap-up

 

-- Home teams were dominant in the second half of the schedule, going 17-8.

-- The top four differential teams, unsurprisingly, were the four teams that made the playoffs.

-- Dave's playoff predictions were a perfect 4 for 4, although the West teams were in reverse order.

-- Dallas, although still the class of the regular season, was not nearly as dominant as in the past five seasons where their points differential was a plus 10 or more every season but one. The Dallas defense, this season, was the worst in the East. Still, an 8-2 record is superb and they are still the playoff favorites with a chance for a record 6 straight titles.

-- Oklahoma City surprises everyone with the best overall defense in the league.

Season 57's All-MBA Team

For the first time in MBA history (since Season 1 when everyone was making it for the first time) all five First Team All-MBA players are first-time foil star getters.

Plus, all five are from Tyler teams, which I do believe is also a first.

Plus, retiring Dallas center Biggus Dickus, who makes All-MBA on his sixth and final try also nails down the regular season MVP honor and gains entry to the Hall of Fame. He gets to play in the post season with the Hall of Fame designation along with longtime teammates Juzan Djinn and Pete "the Steakman" Marzano. Three Hall of Famers in the same lineup seems kind of unbeatable. We will see.

Seattle lands two starters on the First Team All-MBA...Crocidale and Juggleboy.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR--from Seattle 

NEXT UP...Post season begins with Game 1 of Semis ... Los Angeles at Dallas as the Mighty Demons begin their quest for an unprecedented sixth consecutive title.