Season 51 Playoffs...Semifinals Game 2...Philadelphia at Los Angeles

Los Angeles 82, Philadelphia 80

DEFENDING CHAMPS BACK IN FINALS 

LOS ANGELES -- L.A.'s All-MBA forward Crentis Dentist deflected a pass by Philadelphia's Wawa Wewa on the Phobia's final posession, and the Big One's Flufferton Springs pounced on the loose ball to assure the defending champions a hard-fought 82-80 win and a trip back to the MBA Finals.

Thus, the Season 51 MBA Finals will feature the two teams who have won the last two championships, as red-hot Los Angeles, winner of five in a row including the regular season, will meet up with San Jose's Fighting Amigos. Both teams swept their Semifinal series 2-0, with San Jose besting Milwaukee.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

31 GVP...Philadelphia's rookie shooting guard, 6-8 VINNY ZAZEECH, led everyone in scoring with a 23-point performance while pulling down 6 rebounds and handing out 2 assists. Zazeech went 10 for 19 from the floor (2 for 7 from deep) and 1 for 1 from the foul line. He even slammed one home from down low. He averaged 20.5 ppg for the two games in the playoffs.

Other 20-plus GVP performers (all 5 starters for Los Angeles)

26 GVP...Defending Playoff MVP Great Gruncle Terry, of Los Angeles, shooting for his fourth championship ring, scored 17 points while topping everyone with 7 assists. He added 2 rebounds.

26 GVP...Veteran L.A. forward Christ Almighty had a blessed game, leading the victors in scoring with 22 points while securing 4 rebounds. His unlikely scoring output was probably the difference.

24 GVP...After a lackluster Game 1, Philly center Taco Toosdae recovered with a 21-point performance that included 2 assists and 1 rebound.

21 GVP...Second-year shooting guard Flufferton Springs of L.A. scored 15 points, added 5 assists and 1 rebound to the gigantic victory.

21 GVP...Retiring Los Angeles center Quick Tink grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds while scoring 12 points in the win. He added 2 assists and a blocked shot.

21 GVP...Third-year forward D. Fenestration of Philadelphia scored 13 points, grabbed 4 boards, handed out 3 assists and blocked 1 shot in the loss.

21 GVP...11-year Philly veteran forward Wawa Wewa had 14 points, 4 boards, 1 assist 1 steal and 1 blocked shot.

20 GVP...Two-way star forward Crentis Dentist registered a game-high 2 steals in addition to the game-winning deflection at the end. The 6-6 third-year man contributed 14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists as well. 

NEXT UP: The 51st MBA Finals Game 1 in the best of 5 as Los Angeles (6-4, 2-0) travels to San Jose (8-2, 2-0) in this all-West Division affair on the left coast.

Season 51 Semifinals Playoffs Game 2...San Jose at Milwaukee...plus, the last Golden team...Seattle

San Jose 76, Milwaukee 70

AMIGOS SWEEP THEIR WAY TO FINALS

MILWAUKEE -- The Fighting Amigos of San Jose will return to the Finals for the second time in three seasons, sweeping the Milwaukee Greyhounds 2 games to 0 with a 76-70 road win that was not as close as the score might indicate.

Milwaukee waited until they were down 16 points with 49 time units left in the game to make their run, and it was a big one, getting all the way to within 6 points with 5 ticks left. 

But instead, coach Frank Pettis' Greyhounds bowed out without winning a Semifinal game for the fourth time in their last five playoff appearances. They remain the team with the longest championship drought...33 seasons.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

35 GVP..."THE MILKMAN" Cometh...EDDIE CREAMER, San Jose's dependable power forward, delivered big time in this series clincher, posting game-highs in both scoring with 22 points and rebounds with 10. He also tied for game-high in steals with 2. The 6-9 Creamer was a monster inside all game long. In addition to his 10 boards, the 7-season veteran delivered 5 slam dunks, going 9 for 12 from the floor. His giant effort included going 2 for 2 from 3-point range and 2 for 2 from the foul line. He also added 1 assist. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

26 GVP...San Jose's Hall of Fame guard Jesse Shershot followed his POG performance of Game 1 with a 20-point game in the series finale that included a trio of treys, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.

23 GVP...13-season power forward Ape Con Myth of Milwaukee scored 12 points, had a team-high 9 rebounds and tied for game-high in steals with 2.

22 GVP...Milwaukee forward Entha Shortzone outplayed his counterpart Lupalin Greenbeard, who was held to just 4 points. Meantime, Shortzone scored 14 and grabbed 8 rebounds.

20 GVP...15 seasons in and San Jose point guard Cremeofsum Yunguy is still contributing to his team's victories. In this game, the 5-11 Yunguy scored 15 points, handed out a team-high 4 assists and provided 1 steal.

NEXT UP: Philadelphia travels to Los Angeles in Game 2 of the other Semifinals. L.A. took them down with ease in Game 1 and could return to the Finals to defend their title with another win here.

SHERSHOT UPDATE: With All-MBA and League MVP added to his card, San Jose's Jesse Shershot now has 14 awards, moving him past the following Hall of Famers in the all-time rankings:

Rip Slamjam, J.J. Gargantuan, Bill Rustler, Tree Fiddy, Raisin Sport, Guru Gannon and Tommy Zoop. 

He is now tied for 17th place with fellow guards Colquit Croix, Dan Mann and Cheetos Jones. There are only 15 more honored players ahead of him.

Shershot is just one of 13 players with 5 or more All-MBA stars on his card.

He is just one of three players to start his career with 5 consecutive All-MBA stars. The others?

Naf Naf...7 for 7.

Chip Battoe...6 for 6. 

HERE IS THE FINAL MBA GOLDEN TEAM TO BE UNVEILED...THE SEATTLE STAMPEDE

Season 51 Playoffs...Semifinals Game 1...Los Angeles at Philadelphia

 Los Angeles 87, Philadelphia 64 (Slaughter Rule Enforced)

DEFENDING CHAMPS BURY PHOBIA

PHILADELPHIA -- For the fourth time in as many playoff games in the past two seasons, the Los Angeles Big One emerged victorious over the Philadelphia Phobia; this time crushing them on their own home court 87-64.

At halftime, this Season 51 post-season opener resembled the final two barn-burner L.A. victories of last season's Finals, but the defending champion visitors took over completely in the second half. 

Starting with a 7-0 run to start the final quarter, the Big One used blocked shots (12 for the game by 6 different players), pinpoint passing (19 assists) and standout shooting (67.9 percent) to clean Philadelphia's plow. 

Los Angeles has now won four games in a row, while Philly has dropped their last three in succession. 

PLAYER OF THE GAME

35 GVP...Just as he dominated last season's playoffs as the post-season MVP, the magnificent Los Angeles point guard GREAT GRUNCLE TERRY came out of his corner throwing haymakers for the Big One. The 8-year star humiliated his opposite, Ehhy Table, blanking him in the scoring department while laying a triple-double performance on him. Terry scored 18 points, grabbed a game-high 7 rebounds and handed out a game-high 9 assists to record the 12th triple-double of his illustrious career (by far the most of any active player and just 4 short of tying Jimsy Redfern's longstanding record of 16). Terry was 6 of 10 from the field, including 1 for 3 from deep, dunked one and was 5 for 8 from the foul line. Not a bad start to possibly repeat as Playoff MVP.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

27 GVP...Retiring Los Angeles center Quick Tink disgraced Philadelphia pivot Taco Toosdae, holding the Phobia's top scorer to 10 points on 4 for 14 shooting, blocking a game-high 4 of his shots and rubbing out more than a few other baskets. Meanwhile, Tink scored 17 pooints, grabbed 4 boards and added 2 assists.

25 GVP...All-MBA forward Crentis Dentist of L.A. contributed 15 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot to the massacre.

24 GVP...After an All-MBA, Rookie of the Year first campaign, Los Angeles shooting guard Flufferton Springs, suffered through a bit of a sophomore slump. But he answered the playoff bell with a team-high 20-point game that included 3 assists and a rebound.

24 GVP...11-year stalwart, forward Wawa Wewa of Philadelphia, led everyone in the game in scoring with 21 points while grabbing 3 boards.

22 GVP...6-8 Phobia rookie guard Vinny Zazeech did well in his first MBA playoff game, scoring 18 points, grabbing 2 boards and getting 2 assists.

NEXT UP: It's on to Milwaukee, where the Greyhounds hope to stay alive as they trail San Jose 1-0 in the best of 3 semi. 

Season 51 Playoffs Semifinals Game 1...Milwaukee at San Jose

San Jose 86, Milwaukee 77

AMIGOS JUMP ON GREYHOUNDS 

SAN JOSE -- The home team San Jose Fighting Amigos took the lead early, led by as many as 16, then closed out the visiting Milwaukee Greyhounds 86-77 to take a 1-0 series lead in this best of three Semifinals.

Seven steals and 7 treys were keys to victory for the Amigos.

Trailing by 14 going into the final quarter, Milwaukee made a serious run and got within 6 points before succumbing.

San Jose is now one win away from the Finals.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

35 GVP...League MVP JESSE SHERSHOT of the victorious San Jose squad led a well-balanced attack. The Hall of Fame shooting guard popped in a game-high 25 points on 8 of 15 shooting, draining 4 3-pointers in 9 attempts. The fifth-year man also connected on 5 of 8 free throws while tying for game-high in rebounds with 7. The 6-5 Shershot added 2 assists and a steal.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

26 GVP...All-MBA center Lothario Fartlek of Milwaukee easily out-played his opposite, Twinkles Spatula in Game 1 of this series. The fourth-year man scored 18 points, grabbed 5 boards and blocked a game-high 3 shots.

25 GVP...Eddie "The Milkman" Creamer of San Jose, scored 17 points corralled 6 rebounds, dished 1 assist and had 1 steal in the win.

25 GVP...Milwaukee's retiring point guard Fatty McButterpants led the Greyhounds in scoring with a 20-point effort, adding 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. 

24 GVP...Second-year shooting guard Thomas Thomas Thomas of Milwaukee scored 16 points, grabbed 5 boards and tied for game-high in assists with 3. 

21 GVP...6-9 San Jose small forward Lupalin Greenbeard led the theft brigade for his team with a game-high 3 steals while scoring 15 points, blocking a team-high 2 shots and grabbing 1 board.

20 GVP...15-season Methuselah, point guard Cremeofsum Yunguy had a solid game for the winning San Jose club with 14 points, 2 steals, 2 assists and 2 rebounds.

NEXT UP: Los Angeles at Philadelphia in a rematch of last season's Finals, won by The Big One. This should be a doozy of a series.

Did you know that all four playoff teams from Season 50 are back in the post-season again?

 

Season 51 Regular Season Finale...

-- 7 of the 10 teams had plus differential numbers, but no team had a dominant number...Milwaukee led the way with a +5.9.

-- The four playoff teams were the four best at plus/minus differentials.

-- Dave correctly predicted the final finish of 4 of the 10 teams. 

-- Tyler correctly predicted the final finish of  1 of the 10 teams.

-- Visiting teams won as many games as home teams. (Home team won 34 games last season).

-- Only 10 games were slaughter rule contests as compared to 14 last season.

-- 14 games were barn-burners (decided by 3 or less points or overtime) as compared to just 3 last season.

-- Tyler teams beat Dave Teams 60 percent of the time in head-to-head games.

-- Dave picked 3 of the 5 All-MBA team, getting guard Ehhy Table of Philadelphia and center Chochky Galumpkus of Dallas wrong.

-- Dave missed on the MVP, picking Ehhy Table of Philadelphia.

-- Dave correctly predicted the rookie of the year, Satan Israel of Dallas.

-- Tyler picked 2 of the 5 All-MBA players, missing on predictions of guard Freddy Gooch of Gillette, Chochky Galumpkus of Dallas and D. Fenestration of Philadelphia.

-- Tyler correctly picked Jesse Shershot as League MVP. He did not predict a Rookie of the Year. 

With the exception of 3-point shooting, every team category leader is a playoff team.

Only 5 guards made it above the 20 GVP line...the lowest ever. This is a testimony to the defensive excellence at the position throughout the MBA.

 

Season 51 Featured Game No. 10...with Golden Team of the Chicago Gale

 Milwaukee 68, Philadelphia 63 (Fatty McButterpants Day)

GREYHOUNDS SWEEP PHOBIA

MILWAUKEE -- In a previously inconceivable scenario, the Milwaukee Greyhounds completed the season-ending sweep of first-place Philadelphia, polishing off the East Division champions 68-63 on Fatty McButterpants Day in Milwaukee.

Barring the biggest massacre in the history of the MBA in the Charleston vs. Seattle game, the victory all but assures the Greyhounds, who have now won three in a row, the second playoff spot in the East.

The Milwaukee win also knocks Dallas out of the playoff picture.

Philadelphia finishes the season with a 7-3 mark for the third campaign in a row. It is the second division title in a row for the Phobia.

Milwaukee finishes at 6-4 with 4 division wins (first tie-breaker). Charleston, currently at 5-4 with 4 division wins, plays Seattle its last game. Since this is not a division game, the Mountaineers can only hope to equal Milwaukee's record and division win total. Milwaukee and Charleston split during the regular season (second tie-breaker), meaning the third tie-breaker, points differential, would take effect. Right now, Milwaukee has a +5.9 point differential, and Charleston is a +0.9 going into its last game. Charleston would have to out-score its final opponent, Seattle, by more than 50 points. Considering Charleston is number nine in the league in offense, that is highly unlikely. 

Disclaimer: I always sucked at math, but I think I have this one. I sent the standings sheet after the ninth bracket was completed if you want to check yourself.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

30 GVP...For the third time this season and the second time in as many games against Philadelphia, Milwaukee center LOTHARIO FARTLEK captured POG. The 6-10 fourth-year man absolutely destroyed his opposite, Taco Toosdae in this all-important contest. Fartlek scored 18 points, grabbed 4 boards and had 1 assist in the win. He was 8 for 11 from the floor with a pair of slams and 2 for 3 from the foul line. Most importantly, the league leader in blocked shots swatted away a game-high 7, giving him a season total of 38, a career-high for the three-time league leader in that department. Five of the seven blocks came in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Toosdae fouled out, scoring zero points on 0 for 6 shooting. Fartlek, who was second in the league in center GVP to reigning All-MBA center Quick Tink of Los Angeles, could be getting his first foil star.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

28 GVP...Second-year Philly guard Ehhy Table tied for team-high in scoring with 15 points, grabbed a game-high 8 rebounds, tied for game-high in steals with 3 and handed out 2 assists in a losing cause. He pretty much embarassed Fatty McButterpants on his Day.

26 GVP...Milwaukee forward Entha Shortzone scored 14 points, led his team in rebounds with 6, tied for game-high in steals with 3 and tied for game-high in assists with 3.

25 GVP...Second-year Milwaukee guard Thomas Thomas Thomas led everyone in scoring with a 20-point game. He added 2 assists, 2 boards and a steal. 

23 GVP...11-year forward Wawa Wewa of Philadelphia tied for team-high in scoring with 15 points, snagged 6 boards, blocked 1 shot and handed out 1 assist.

FATTY MCBUTTERPANTS

The Milwaukee Greyhounds honored longtime favorite point guard Fatty McButterpants with a halftime ceremony ON HIS DAY!

The 6-7 “Fatman” came to the Greyhounds in Season 44 following the club’s bottom-out season of 0-10, and immediately gave some hope for the future.  The team gained a notch in the standings at 2-8, with McButterpants leading the team in points per game, rebounds and assists, as well as free throw percentage. In doing so he beat out fellow first-year guards Great Gruncle Terry and Lannigan Lord Hobo for Rookie of the Year honors.

Fatty followed up that campaign with his best scoring year (16.5 per game) in which he led the MBA in free throwing. The team rose to third place at a 5-5 mark and they would never go below .500 on his watch.

In his eight MBA seasons, all with Milwaukee, McButterpants made four All Star game appearances to go along with his Rookie of the Year honor. A first tier career that was acknowledged with a standing ovation by the home crowd.

MBA Standings … Season 51

EAST DIVISION

PHILADELPHIA…..7-3 (5 division wins) (clinched playoff spot)

MILWAUKEE……….6-4 (4 division wins)

CHARLESTON…… 5-4 (4 division wins)

DALLAS……………….5-5 (5 division wins) (eliminated from playoff contention)

OKLAHOMA CITY..3-7  (2 division wins) (eliminated from playoff contention)

 

WEST DIVISION

SAN JOSE………….7-2 (6 division wins) (clinched division and playoff spot)

LOS ANGELES….. 5-4 (4 division wins)

GILLETTE…………..4-5 (4 division wins)

SEATTLE……………3-6 (2 division wins)(eliminated from playoff contention)

SACRAMENTO…..2-7 (2 division wins)(eliminated from playoff contention)

 

NEXT UP: San Jose at Gillette. The Humps, for the first time in the history of the franchise, actually have a chance for the playoffs going into the final bracket of games. Not much of a chance, but a chance nonetheless. They would have to complete their sweep of first-place San Jose and hope that somehow, Sacramento upends Los Angeles in the final game of the season. Not likely in either case. But…

The Golden Team of the

CHICAGO GALE

(most honored lineup through first 50 MBA Seasons)

Season 51 Featured Game No. 9...Milwaukee at Philadelphia...plus Milwaukee's All-Time Golden Team

 Milwaukee 73, Philadelphia 46 (Slaughter Rule Enforced)

'HOUNDS HOWL IN PHILLY

PHILADELPHIA -- In some kind of deviation of the space and time continuum the visiting Milwaukee Greyhounds completely flattened the first-place Philadelphia Phobia in front of a jeering home crowd, 73-46, keeping their East Divsion playoff hopes alive. 

The unexpected ambush tied for the worst beating of the season and set a Season 51 record for lowest point total by any team in any one game.

The Milwaukee win ended Philly's five-game win streak.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

32 GVP...Fourth year Milwaukee center LOTHARIO FARTLEK completely dominated his opposite, Taco Toosdae, setting the tone for a smashing victory. The 6-10 Fartlek led all scorers with 22 points, potting a near-perfect 10 of 11 shots from the floor and going 2 for 2 from the foul line. He also pulled down 2 boards and had 3 assists. But perhaps his main contribution was the game-high 5 blocked shots, which increased his league-leading total to a career-best 31 blocks and pretty much assures him of a third consecutive title in that category. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers  (none from Philadelphia)

25 GVP...Thirteen-season veteran Ape Con Myth of Milwaukee,   https://www.apeconmyth.com/ was outstanding in this huge win, getting game-high totals in both steals (3) and assists (6) while scoring 12 points and tying for team-high in rebounds with 4. The trio of steals puts him in the league lead with 10, which ties his best total for any season.

22 GVP...Milwaukee small forward Entha Shortzone completed the front court domination for the Greyhounds as he held Wawa Wewa to 6 measly points while scoring 14 of his own. The 6-9 Shortzone added 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.

MBA Standings … Season 51

EAST DIVISION

PHILADELPHIA…..7-2 (5 division wins) (clinched playoff spot)

CHARLESTON…… 5-3 (4 division wins)

MILWAUKEE……….5-4 (3 division wins)

DALLAS……………….3-5 (3 division wins)

OKLAHOMA CITY..3-6  (2 division wins) (eliminated from playoff contention)

 

WEST DIVISION

SAN JOSE………….7-2 (6 division wins) (clinched division and playoff spot)

LOS ANGELES….. 5-4 (4 division wins)

GILLETTE…………..4-5 (3 division wins)

SEATTLE……………3-6 (2 division wins)(eliminated from playoff contention)

SACRAMENTO…..2-7 (2 division wins)

 

NEXT UP: Charleston at Dallas. The Mountaineers can clinch the second playoff spot in the East with a division win here. Dallas, which still has a shot at that same post-season bauble if it wins out, just beat Charleston 77-66 behind the POG of Juzan Djinn. Hang onto your scrotums.

The Golden Team of the

 Milwaukee Greyhounds

(most honored lineup through first 50 MBA Seasons)