Season 39 MBA Finals Game 1...Charleston at Dallas

CHARLESTON 70, DALLAS 66

MOUNTAINEERS TAKE CLOSELY FOUGHT GAME 1
DALLAS -- The Charleston Mountaineers, buoyed by a 25-point second-quarter burst, took a 10-point halftime lead and hung on for a 70-66 road win to start this best of five Finals.

The intense contest was exemplified by third-quarter fisticuffs between Beezow Bop-Bop of Charleston and Dallas center Naceg Gecan. Both players were hit with technical fouls and Gecan was ejected from the game.


PLAYER OF GAME
Six-nine power forward SVEN MARQUARDT of Dallas captured his second P.O.G. honor of the playoffs, scoring a game-high 18 points and pulling down 5 rebounds. He added 1 assist, getting the edge over All-MBA forward B. Quiet.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- Guard Beezow Bop-Bop of Charleston battled the great Lemon Jell-o to a standstill all game long. Bop-Bop finished tied for team-high in scoring with 13, tied for team-high in rebounding with 4, led everyone with 3 blocked shots, tied for game-high in steals with 2 and dished out 1 assist.
-- Two guard Lemon Jell-o of Dallas had 10 points, 4 rebounds, a game-high 4 assists and tied for game-high with 2 steals in a head-to-head match-up that will be a main focus of the Finals.
--Small forward Taylor Quackstick of Dallas continues to shine since being inserted as a starter. He has led everyone in rebounds in every playoff game, getting 7 in each semifinal game and 6 in the first game of the Finals. He scored 14 points, and added 3 rebounds and he totally out-played last season's MVP of the Playoffs, Art Vandelay.



THE LAST NINE MVPs OF THE PLAYOFFS

Season 39 MBA Playoffs...Semifinals Game 3 Dallas at Milwaukee

DALLAS 78, MILWAUKEE 66

DEMONS RETURN TO FIRST FINALS IN 11 SEASONS
MILWAUKEE -- There will be a six-win championship team for the first time in 30 MBA seasons. The Dallas Demons took out Milwaukee 78-66 in the decisive Game 3 of the semifinals and will meet the Charleston Mountaineers in the best of five MBA Finals. Both teams finished the regular season with 6-4 records.

After losing the first game of the semis 68-59, Dallas looked over-matched against the favored Milwaukee club. But the Demons came roaring back, winning Game 2 by 19 points, 80-61, and coasting home with a 78-66 lead in the final win on the road.

A 29-point third-quarter by Dallas, played almost in its entirety without the resting Lemon Jell-o, was the turning point in the game. Milwaukee had actually taken a one-point advantage in that quarter early on, but would never lead again.

Dallas, by virtue of its 102-98 thrilling overtime victory over Charleston in the Season 39 opener for both clubs, will open the series at home.

The Demons and the Mountaineers both have won three championships and have never faced off against each other in the finals.

Charleston won it all in their most recent finals appearance, Season 36.

Dallas last appeared in the finals in Season 28. They won the championship that season.


PLAYER OF GAME
Usually a defensive ace, Milwaukee small forward DANKE SHAME was his team's biggest weapon in the disappointing loss. Shame had a game-high 29 points, which is the most anyone has scored in this post-season thus far. Shame also led everyone in assists with 3 and pulled down 3 rebounds. The 6-5 fourth-year man was 13 for 15 from the floor, including 1-for-1 from beyond the arc. Five of his field goals came on a series of spinning dunks.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
--Retiring shooting guard Lemon Jell-o of Dallas was not ready to hang up his sneakers just yet. In this big Game 3 he scored 15 points, swiped a game-high 2 steals, pulled down 4 rebounds, had 2 assists and blocked 1 shot. He also held Hall of Famer Hrundi V. Bakshi to 5 for 17 shooting.
--After getting shut out by Danke Shame in a Game 1 defeat, retiring Dallas small forward Taylor Quackstick came up huge in the next two games, both wins, scoring 16, then 21 points. Many of his team-high 21 came in the fourth quarter in the finale while Dallas was wrapping up the win. And for the third time in as many games, the 6-6 Quackstick pulled down a game-high 7 rebounds. His play was the difference in this series.



THE ONE MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO FINALS TEAMS WAS A DOOZY
This cross-over game (below) way back in March was arguably the most entertaining contest of the season, with Dallas coming out on top in overtime. It was one of just two overtimes in Season 39 and the only time any team broke the 100-point barrier.

The Mountaineers will field the same lineup, but Dallas has since replaced T. Kanes Masterson with Lemon Jell-o at the two guard, moved Sven Marquardt from small to big forward and replaced Gulemon Mon-Mon in the starting lineup with Taylor Quackstick, who is at small forward.



NEXT UP: FINALS GAME ONE...CHARLESTON AT DALLAS

Season 39 Semifinals--Game 2, San Jose at Charleston

CHARLESTON 79, SAN JOSE 51

MOUNTAINEERS SAY ADIOS, AMIGOS, MOVE INTO FINALS
CHARLESTON -- The division-winning San Jose team played host Charleston tough in the first quarter, then spent the rest of this laugher choking on their dust.

The win ends the first-round sweep for the Mountaineers, who now await the winner of the next playoff game between Dallas and Milwaukee.

Charleston will be appearing in its seventh MBA Finals and first since winning the whole enchilada three seasons back. In the six previous Finals, the franchise has come away champions three times.

Four players remain from that Season 36 title team: Jesus Moron Joseph, Beezow Bop-Bop, B. Quiet and Buck Naked. Bop-Bop was the Playoff MVP that season, and appears to be a strong challenger for the honor again this season, based on his first two playoff games since coming back from injury...both triple-double efforts.

The MBA waved a fond farewell to Funsy VanSlochum, who appeared momentarily in this contest and will be retiring after a 16-season career that saw him finish seventh in all-time scoring in the annals of the league.

As for San Jose, they added two excellent rookies in the past two seasons in Pippi Pippistrelli and Dayshotta Leo, returning to prominence in the West. A couple more stalwarts are obviously needed to compete for the brass ring.

PLAYER OF GAME
After being held to 11 points in Game 1, All-MBA forward B. QUIET of Charleston broke loose for a game-high 28 points. That mark is the highest scoring game in the playoffs thus far this season. The league's second-leading scorer also pulled down 5 boards, had 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.

OTHER 20-GVP PERFORMANCES
-- Having Beezow Bop-Bop back in the lineup is a major lift for the Mountaineers. The 6-1 guard ripped off his second consecutive triple-double in the playoffs in as many games, getting 16 points and registering game-highs in both rebounds (6) and assists (5). He also added 1 steal and 3 more blocked shots.
-- San Jose rookie guard Dayshotta Leo led his team in scoring with 17 points while pulling down 3 boards.

NEXT UP: The win-or-go-home match with Dallas at Milwaukee. The victor moves onto the Finals to face Charleston. The winner will have home team advantage in the playoffs.



MBA CHAMPIONS AND FINALS OPPONENTS SINCE SEASON 30

Season 39 Semifinals Game 2--Milwaukee at Dallas

DALLAS 80, MILWAUKEE 61

DEMONS DOMINATE AT HOME TO STAY ALIVE
DALLAS -- After crapping the bed in Game 1, the left-for-dead Dallas Demons rose up and smacked down the visiting Milwaukee Greyhounds 80-61.

The rock-solid triumph means that this semifinal best of three series will return to Milwaukee for a single-game elimination to see which team goes to the finals.

After scoring just 59 points in their Game 1 defeat, Dallas got out of the gate in this one in fine style, out-scoring Milwaukee 25-12 in the first quarter. T.Kanes Masterson came off the bench for the home team to score 6 first-quarter points, contributing to the early lead that was never in danger of being relinquished.

Milwaukee shot 62.8 percent from the floor, a healthy offensive number, but for the second game in a row failed to get off at least 50 shots. This trend can be traced to the many turnovers Dallas guard Lemon Jell-o forces on the opposition.

And again, Dallas dominated the backboards, out-rebounding Milwaukee 23-14.

PLAYER OF GAME
Fourth-year Dallas power forward SVEN MARQUARDT needed to improve on his 10-point effort in Game 1 in order for the Demons to compete. He doubled that first effort, getting a game-high 21 points, grabbing 6 boards and popping in a trey as he went 10 for 13 from the floor.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- Dallas guard Lemon Jell-o again dominated Hall of Famer Hrundi V. Bakshi of Milwaukee. Jell-o scored 16 points, had 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block while Bakshi fouled out for the second consecutive game.
-- What a difference a game makes! After getting shut out by Danke Shame in Game 1, Dallas forward Taylor Quackstick evidently figured out how to attack his counterpart, getting 16 points and a game-high 7 rebounds. He also had 1 steal and 1 assist.
-- Point guard Baskets Weaver of Milwaukee was solid for the visitors with 12 points and a game-high 6 assists. Weaver also blocked 2 shots, which was high in the game.

NEXT UP; San Jose, down 1-0 in the three-game set, will scramble for life in Charleston. Maybe they'll find inspiration from this Dallas win.

Season 39 Semifinals Game 1 Charleston at San Jose

CHARLESTON 75, SAN JOSE 68

FREE THROWS THE DIFFERENCE IN CHARLESTON VICTORY
SAN JOSE -- A 12-point advantage at the charity stripe proved to be the difference in this semifinal opener for Charleston, as the Mountaineers used free throws to pull away late for a 75-68 win. They are now up 1-0 in this best of three series, needing one more win to get to the finals.

Both teams shot relatively the same percentage from the floor, and San Jose out-boarded Charleston by 10. But too many fouls were the undoing of the Fighting Amigos, who committed 20 to just 9 by the visitors.

It looked like a rout early, as Charleston got off a 9-0 run to start the game. But to the delight of their home fans, San Jose answered with a 10-0 start to the second quarter, and trailed by just one point at the half.

The Fighting Amigos actually took the lead about midway through the third, but only for a few time units.

When Louie Subgum fouled out for San Jose with 47 left, the Fighting Amigos trailed 58-54; and when Bruce Hammer was disqualified on fouls with 24 ticks left, Charleston was ahead 65-62.

A medium jumper by rookie shooting guard Dayshotta Leo of San Jose then brought the home team to within one, 65-64 before Charleston finally put things out of reach with a trey by B. Quiet, a steal by Joseph and a hoop by Art Vandelay.

This appears to be a tough match-up for San Jose, whose top two scorers, Leo and Pippi Pippistrelli, are up against two brilliant Charleston defenders, Beezow Bop-Bop and J.J. Gargantuan.

PLAYER OF GAME
Returning from a three-game injury, Charleston guard BEEZOW BOP-BOP immediately asserted himself with a triple-double, Player of the Game performance. The 6-1 guard had 13 points, tied for the game-high in rebounds with 6 and blocked 7 shots by San Jose's leading scorer, Dayshotta Leo. The block total was one short of the playoff record. Plus, Bop-Bop added 3 assists.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMERS
-- Jesus Moron Joseph ran an outstanding point, with a game-high 7 assists and a game-high 3 steals. He also scored 13 points and had 3 rebounds, dominating his opponent, Louie Subgum.
-- All-MBA center J.J.Gargantuan dominated last season's All-MBA center, Pippi Pippistrelli, easily winning the battle of fine second-year centers. Gargantuan scored a game-high 21 points, pulled down 3 rebounds and had 3 blocked shots, holding his opponent to 6 points...8 below his season average.
-- Rookie guard Dayshotta Leo of San Jose was right on his season scoring average with 16 points, but had to take 20 shots in order to get to that number. The 6-5 Leo tied for game-high rebounding honors with 6, but had 7 shots blocked and was 0 for 6 from beyond the arc. He also had 2 assists and a blocked shot.
-- The well-traveled Bruce Hammer of San Jose knows how to score and he did just that, taking advantage of the one weak spot in the Charleston defense, Art Vandelay. Hammer led his team in scoring with 19 and pulled down 6 boards. He also had 1 steal and 1 assist before fouling out.

NEXT UP: Milwaukee hits the road, traveling to Dallas. The Greyhounds lead 1-0 and can clinch a finals spot.

Season 39 Semifinals Game 1

MILWAUKEE 68, DALLAS 59

GREYHOUNDS SNUFF OUT DEMONS
MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Greyhounds won their first playoff game in eight seasons, shutting down the visiting Dallas Demons 68-59.

The win puts the favored Milwaukee team in the driver's seat in this first-round best of three series, which travels to Dallas for the next encounter.

Dallas, which shot a paltry 42.1 percent for the contest, kept it close for a little over three quarters by flexing their league-leading rebounding muscles. But in the two games they have faced Milwaukee in Season 39, the Demons have yet to shoot even 45 percent from the floor.

It appeared that Dallas might have a good chance for the road win when, with 54 time units remaining in the game, Hall of Fame Milwaukee guard Hrundi V. Bakshi fouled out. The home team led 55-53 at that point, but instead of collapsing, Milwaukee totally dominated the rest of the way.

The Greyhounds shot a robust 64.6 percent from the field and had four different players register blocked shots, totaling 7 in all.

The game might have been a runaway except for the excellent play of Dallas shooting guard Lemon Jell-0, who dominated Bakshi throughout.

And speaking of domination, shut-down small forward Danke Shame of Milwaukee pitched a shutout against his counterpart, Taylor Quackstick, who went 0 for 7 from the field.

PLAYER OF GAME
Retiring guard LEMON JELL-O of Dallas was brilliant in defeat, scoring a game-high 25 points, swiping the ball away 5 times and pulling down 5 rebounds --- a triple-double the hard way --- adding 1 assist for good measure. It was the third triple-double of his illustrious career.

OTHER 20-PLUS GVP PERFORMANCES
-- Ugatta Noluvfer Spikie, the big 7-1 third-year Milwaukee center was huge, battling Naceg Gecan to a standstill with a team-high 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.
-- Baba Brinkman, the MVP of the Greyhounds, registered a big game with 16 points, 5 rebounds,2 blocked shots and 1 steal. He even popped in a pair of treys.
-- Center Naceg Gecan of Dallas had a good game with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, but had his hands full defensively with Spikie.

NEXT UP: Charleston at San Jose in Game 1 of the other semi-finals.

Season 39 Post-Season Preview

SEMIFINALS: Dallas (6-4) vs. Milwaukee (7-3)
The caliber of these teams makes this semi match-up as good as many finals have ever been. Kind of a toss-up, but Milwaukee gets the favorite nod.

The teams met in the regular season one time with the Greyhounds overcoming a 10-point first quarter to win 62-57. Lemon Jell-o of Dallas was Player of the Game, harassing Hall of Famer Hrundi V. Bakshi of Milwaukee into 4 steals.

The Greyhounds, still the MBA team with the second-most titles, make their first playoff appearance since Season 32, breaking the longest current post-season drought. They have captured seven championships, but the last came in Season 18, which is the longest time without a title among the Final Four.

Dallas was the overwhelming favorite to win the West before the season began, but had to struggle to make it back to the playoffs. They are the only repeater from last season's Final Four.

The Demons are the league's most dominant team on the boards in the MBA, by far. They killed Milwaukee in that department during their cross-over meeting, 27-18, but still lost the game.

Dallas has three titles to its name, the last coming in Season 28.

One tidbit to remember...no team has won an MBA championship having won less than seven regular season games since Season 9. That's 30 seasons ago.





THE OTHER SEMIFINALS: Charleston (6-4) vs. San Jose (7-3)
Charleston has the most All-MBA players in the post-season, with J.J. Gargantuan and B. Quiet, and their 6-4 record belies the addition of Beezow Bop-Bop, who returns to the starting lineup after missing 30 percent of the regular campaign due to injury.

Although San Jose won their division, they are the underdogs here, and the longest shot to win it all.

Even without Bop-Bop at season's end, the Mountaineers led the league in shooting percentage, filling it up at a 60.3 percent clip.

The Fighting Amigos held teams to 69.1 points per game, second in the MBA and best among the Final Four teams. They also led the league in free throw percentage, shooting 81.7 percent.

San Jose has won one championship, in Season 25.

Charleston has three championships, the last coming in Season 36, which is the most recent title among the four teams still in the running. Bop-Bop led the team to glory that post-season and won Playoff MVP.