Semifinals Game 2 Dallas at Chicago

Chicago 71, Dallas 62

CHICAGO DEFENSE COMES UP BIG TO TIE SERIES

CHICAGO -- This best of three semifinal will go the distance, with the Chicago Gale evening up the series 1-1 with a hard-fought 71-62 home victory.
Entering the final quarter, Chicago had things pretty much in hand, thanks to a defensive mindset that held the visitors to just 46.4 percent shooting for the game and a first-quarter injury to Dallas All-MBA forward Gulemon Mon-Mon that put him out for the rest of the game.
Despite the fact that the worst shooter on the Gale, Poppy Poppalucco, took 19 shots, Chicago was able to hold off a charge led by Dallas' Lemon Jell-o, which cut the deficit from 17 to 6 with 27 time units remaining.
So the series finale will take place in the home of the Demons, with the home team each winning the first two games.
Fasten your seat belts.

20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- LEMON JELL-O, the top Dallas scorer all season, was stymied offensively in this series by Poppy Poppalucco of Chicago until the Demons' Lapiz Lapiz Boligrafo fouled out with 61 time units left in the game. Then Jell-o moved to the point guard spot and wreaked near-havoc on the Gale. Eleven of his team-high 17 points came in the fourth as the Demons outscored Chicago 24-16 to put a matinee horror-film scare into the Gale fans. Jell-o also led his team with 6 rebounds, adding 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot to his final numbers.
-- Hall of Famer Max Payne, Chicago's center, contributed 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots to the victory, with many of those points coming in the final period. He was 7-for-7 from the floor.
-- Second-year Chicago forward Pap Smearz followed up his 7-rebound performance of Game 1 with a game-high 10-rebound effort in this one. He also had 9 points, 2 assists and 1 blocked shot.
-- Chicago's small forward Art Vandelay topped the victors in scoring with 21 points, grabbing 4 rebounds in the process.

NEXT UP: Philadelphia, down 1-0 in the best-of-three, looks to ward off elimination as it travels to Oklahoma City. It must be pointed out that the Phobia was down 1-0 to this same team last season in the first round before winning the last two to advance to the Finals.

Game 1 Semifinals...Oklahoma City at Philadelphia

Oklahoma City 72, Philadelphia 70

LARIATS FRITTER AWAY BIG LEAD BUT HANG ON TO WIN PLAYOFF OPENER

PHILADELPHIA -- The Oklahoma City Lariats escaped a late-game ambush by the home team Philadelphia Phobia in the first contest of this best of three semifinals, winning 72-70.
The Lariats led by as many as 18 points in the first half, and by 10 going into the last quarter. But the Phobia (which still holds a magical 30-10 lifetime advantage over Oklahoma City) closed the gap methodically, and was within 4 points with 50 time units remaining.
Pythogoras Theorum subbing for the fouled out Bruce Hammer, tied the game 70-70 for the home team, sending the fans into fits of frenzy. (Good name for the league...Fitzo Frenzy). That came with 14 time units left and would be the last points scored by Philly.
The winning bucket came from Oklahoma City center Hodor, who took a pass down low from Walter Sobchack and scored with 2 time units left to give his team a 72-70 lead.
With everyone covered, Phobia center Diss Reflexia found himself with the ball beyond the 3-point arc and time running out. His first attempt to launch a trey was denied by Hodor, and the second attempt proved to be off the mark.

Game notes: Philly out-rebounded OKC 24-16, out-shot them 66.7 percent to 50.8 percent, but took only 45 shots to 61 by the Lariats, thanks in large part to Reckless Abandon of Oklahoma City, who was denying shots all over the court.
Oklahoma City, which shot 54.1 percent from beyond the arc, was just 4 of 22 and still won. That's a good sign for Lariats fans.

20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- League MVP Naf Naf of Oklahoma City had a bad day shooting the ball, but still managed to help his team with 14 points, a team-high 5 rebounds and 3 assists. He was just 5 for 17 from the floor and 3 for 11 from 3-point range, both percentages way off his usual production pace.
-- Oklahoma City two guard Simon Barsinister played well against his old team, tying for team-high scoring honors with 16, grabbing 2 rebounds, dishing a game-high (tied) 4 assists and getting 1 steal. His defense helped keep T.K. Masterson of Philly from going completely wild.
-- The man who led the MBA in MVP of the Game performances during the regular season, T.KANES MASTERSON of Philadelphia, added a playoff game MVP to his resume with a game-high 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. His scoring kept the Phobia within shouting distance in the first half.
-- Philadelphia center Diss Reflexia's game-high 11 rebounds was more than double the next-highest tally in the game, as second-half domininace on the boards led to the Phobia comeback. He added 8 points, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.

NEXT GAME; The Chicago Gale fights for its life at home against the Dallas Demons, who lead the series 1-0.

Game 1 Semifinals

Dallas 66, Chicago 58

DALLAS AND BOOGART PUT GALE IN GAME 1 CHOKE HOLD

DALLAS -- The Dallas Demons, led by All-MBA forward Matthew Vanden Boogart, overcame a rough first quarter and dominated the visiting Gale of Chicago 66-58 to capture the opening game of the Season 38 MBA playoffs.
Chicago totally controlled the initial period of play, leading 20-13 at the first break. But the home team Demons outscored the Gale 23-6 in the second quarter, leading to a 10-point halftime lead they never relinquished.
Sixth-season small forward Matthew Vanden Boogart, who scored 11 of his team's 13 first-quarter points, led the decisive second-quarter charge with 11 more points. And Dallas, the league's leading rebounding team began controlling the boards.
Baskets were hard to come by in this contest, which is to be expected when the No. 1 and No. 2 defensive teams in the league lock horns. But the 17-2 outburst by Dallas to start the second quarter was all the eventual winners needed to put the game in the win column. Chicago got within five points in the third quarter, but no closer.
It's obvious that Boogart was the difference-maker in the outcome. Matched up with the previous season's All-MBA forward and the man he bested for this year's team, Art Vandelay, Boogart dominated. He went 14 of 15 from the floor, with his only miss of the game a 3-pointer.
The teams travel to Chicago for Game 2, which, in this best of three first-round, is always an elimination game.

20-plus GVP performances
-- Pap Smearz, Chicago's power forward subbing for the injured Stu Gatz, had the best game of all the Gale players with a team-high 15 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
-- Lapiz Lapiz Boligrafo, Dallas' point guard subbing for the injured Bootlace Barnaby, put in 15 points, had 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a game-high 2 steals. He was, however, 6 of 19 from the field, going 0 for 6 from beyond the arc.
-- MATTHEW VANDEN BOOGART continued his remarkable season with a 30-point MVP performance. Dominant on the scoreboard, the 6-7 veteran was just as impressive on the backboards, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds. He was 1 for 1 from the free throw line and also added an assist.



NEXT UP: Oklahoma City (7-3) at Philadelphia (7-3) in a rematch of last season's first-round upset won by Philly.

Season 38 Review and Playoff Preview

Four teams go 7-3, Naf Naf of Oklahoma City named MVP second time in his first two seasons and visitors, for the first time in MBA history, get more wins than do the home teams.








Naf Naf walks away with the top individual honor, but two unlikely MVP candidates from Dallas (yes, Boogart is from Dallas even though sheet doesn't say so)are second and third in the voting. Mon-Mon, in his 12th season, gets his first All-MBA star, as does his fellow forward Matthew Vanden Boogart, who was a last-minute starter for the Demons in his 6th season.
In a league experiencing the most talented group of centers active at one time, rookie Pippi "Bats" Pippistrelli of San Jose outplays them all to win both Rookie of the Year and All-MBA honors.
Sacramento rookie forward Bill Cull becomes the lone bright spot for the River Dogs.


Team MVPs show a good mix of youngsters and veterans.
Lemon Jell-o, who joined Dallas from Oklahoma City, probably made the hugest difference in his new team from the previous campaign. Jell-o, who led the league in steals for a record sixth consecutive year, was most responsible for the Demons going from the worst defensive team in Season 37 to the league's best defensive team in Season 38.
Likewise, Charleston's rookie center J.J. Gargantuan was undeniably most responsible for keeping the Mountaineers in contention until the final game of the season after they lost veteran star Beezow Bop-Bop early in the year.
Chicago rejoined the playoff picture after getting Hall of Fame center Max Payne in the draft and the league's other Hall of Famer Hrundi V. Bakshi of Milwaukee led the Greyhounds to a near-playoff spot, falling just short at 6-4.



Look at the centers. Less than one GVP separates the All-MBA center from the fourth-rated pivot in the league, and the fifth-rated center was only 1.5 GVP points off the pace. Pippistrelli gets top honors, but the next four centers are all playing on in the post-season.



This post season is up for grabs.

Oklahoma City vs. Philadelphia is a re-match of last season's upset, which saw the Phobia oust the favored Lariats.
The Lariats are the highest scoring team in the league, but Philadelphia is the second-highest.
Oklahoma City, largely due to a record year by league MVP Naf Naf, was the top 3-point shooting team ever.
Philadelphia has the highest shooting percentage in the league at 62.1 percent; but Oklahoma City is second at 61.9.

Chicago vs. Dallas should be another tough series, but it's likely to be lower in scoring. Dallas is the league's top defensive team and by far the best rebounding team in the MBA.
But Chicago is the next best defensive team, leading the league in blocked shots. However, they will be without their second-best shot blocker Stu Gatz, lost to injury.

I want to say Oklahoma City is favored because of Naf Naf, but then Philly comes at you with two superstars in T.Kanes Masterson and Diss Reflexia. Dallas, too, could be considered a favorite, with four starters having brilliant years and both forwards making All-MBA.

The only team it's tough to make a case for is Chicago, but they have Max Payne, who is looking for his fourth championship ring with four different franchises.

The Home Stretch for Season 38

SEVEN TEAMS STILL ALIVE
Seven of the league's 10 teams are still in the playoff hunt as we head into the home stretch of Season 38, and not one team has clinched a post-season berth as of yet.
Three of the five teams in the West are still mathematically in the hunt, and four of the five in the East.
The toughest schedules in order of toughest to easiest are rated as follows for the remaining seven contenders.
1) Philadelphia (5-3)--Remaining games against first-place Chicago (7-2) and second-place Charleston (5-3), both of whom beat the Phobia this season. The good thing is that both Philly games are at home. Like last season when they made the final after being picked for last, the Phobia began the season as big underdogs, predicted to finish fourth by both Dave and Tyler in the East.
2)Milwaukee (5-3)--Two home games, one against first-place Oklahoma City (6-2) and the other against lowly Houston (0-8). The good news is that the Greyhounds are getting power forward Puddles Pondhopper back while the Lariats will be without their power forward Reckless Abandon, whom they demonstrated they missed greatly in their recent loss to Dallas.
3) (tie) San Jose (4-4)--Even if they win their final two games, they still might not make it in. The next game, on the road against Dallas, is an eliminator if the Fighting Amigos lose. The final game is against Seattle (1-6), which has the offensive firepower to pull an upset.
3) (tie) Dallas (5-3)--Demons seem to need one win in their two remaining games against San Jose (4-4) and Sacramento (2-6). Right now they hold a two-game tie-breaker lead over San Jose in division wins and an 8-plus point differential in the second tie-breaker.
5)(tie)Oklahoma City (6-2)--The Lariats, like Dallas, need one win to clinch a playoff spot, it would seem. Their remaining games are a tough road game crossover against a strong Milwaukee team (5-3) and a final home game against Seattle (1-6).
5) (tie) Chicago (7-2)--Even with 7 wins and just one game to go, the Gale are not yet assured of a playoff spot. Their remaining contest is against Philadelphia (5-3) on the road. A win would do it, and Chicago pounded the Phobia 95-68 earlier this season. But a loss could still leave the Gale vulnerable to the rest of the East pack.
7) Charleston (5-3)--The Mountaineers have a home game against win-less Houston and a road game against Philadelphia (5-3). On the surface this looks like the easiest road to the playoffs out of all the contenders, but the Houston game might just be a trap game. Charleston has wins against both these teams, but beat Philly at the buzzer.
It's gonna be a madman finish, folks.

38th MBA All Star Game

EAST 106, WEST 94



Tyler called it one of the worst all star teams he has ever seen, but all the East Division All Stars did was break a four-game losing streak to the West while scoring the most points by any team in All Star Game history.
The 106 points eclipsed the previous record of 102 set by the East in Season 21. The West scored 100 in last season's overtime win.
This was the third 100-point game in All Star history and the first time the two teams combined for 200 points.

20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES

-- T.KANES MASTERSON of Philadelphia was the All Star Game MVP, leading the winning team with 23 points, tying for top honors in rebounding with 5 and getting 1 assist.
-- Dallas point guard Yu Raing, playing in his first All Star Game, delivered 20 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
-- Philadelphia forward Bruce Hammer scored 14 points, grabbed 5 boards and registered a pair of assists.
-- Forward Art Vandelay of Chicago added 20 points, a game-high 5 assists and 3 rebounds in the victory.
-- Second-season guard Naf Naf of Oklahoma City had 20 points and an assist, going 6 for 7 from beyond the arc.
-- The much-improved Yipeekayee Masterfalcon of Seattle drilled 7 treys en route to a game-high 27-point performance in his first All Star Game appearance. He also grabbed 1 rebound.
-- Forward Reckless Abandon of Oklahoma City had 18 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in the losing cause.

NEXT BRACKET OF GAMES;
Oklahoma City (4-1) at Dallas (4-1) as the two top teams in the West tussle for the first time.
Chicago (3-2) travels to San Jose (3-2) for an important crossover game with both teams fighting to remain in the hunt.
Sacramento (1-4) at Seattle (0-5) in a clash of West Division bottom feeders.
Milwaukee (4-1) at Philadelphia (3-2) in another big East contest. The Greyhounds won the first match 85-75.
Charleston (3-2) at Houston (0-5) as the injured Mountaineers try to stay in the East playoff picture.

MBA Season 38 Mid-Season All Star Game Report

We go into the halfway break with seven of the 10 MBA teams still in the running for a playoff spot.
Two teams, Seattle and Houston have been shut out in the wins department.
Nobody is unbeaten.
The East has four teams who are at least 3-2, while the West has Dallas currently ahead of Oklahoma City (but the two teams have two games remaining against each other.)





Naf Naf of Oklahoma City is in position to destroy the single-season scoring record of 26 points per game held by Cheetos Jones. Naf is tickling the twine at a 30-points per game average. He has half of the top scoring games this season and has been the Game MVP in four of the five games he's played.
San Jose rookie center Pippi Pippistrelli is the lone player to be among league leaders in both scoring and rebounds.
Milwaukee's Puddles Pondhopper leads the league in two categories; blocked shots and free throwing.







Every team is represented in this season's All Star Game.
Gulemon Mon-Mon of Dallas joins a select list of players who have started in five All Star Games.
Likewise, Lemon Jell-o of Dallas is on a limited list of players who have been selected to six All Star Games. This selection for Jell-o gives him nine career awards, just one short of the Hall of Fame, which he appears to have made at some point in the not-too-distant future.
Three rookies made this season's All Star Game and both starting center positions are manned by rookies, despite the vicious competition for All Star Game spots at the pivot.



Only 11 players will retire from the ranks of the MBA this season.
San Jose was hit hardest with both starting forwards announcing they will hang up the jockstraps.
Puddles Pondhopper, a 4-time All Star Game selection and former Rookie of the Year currently having his best campaign, will also, in the grand tradition of the MBA, hang it up early for Milwaukee.
Only three starters overall will be retiring, which points to an even deeper talent pool in the league next season.