Season 52 Playoffs...Semifinals Game 1...Milwaukee at Sacramento

Milwaukee 84, Sacramento 63

'HOUNDS BLOW AWAY 'DOGS

SACRAMENTO -- Two teams going in opposite directions stayed their respective courses in this playoff opener as the visiting Greyhounds of Milwaukee coasted to their fourth consecutive win, 84-63, hanging a fifth straight loss on the short-handed, short-circuited River Dogs of Sacramento.

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

Milwaukee...2...2...0...2...Total=6

Sacramento..2...0...0...2...Total=4

TURNOVERS CAUSED BY QUARTERS

Milwaukee...3...1...4...3...Total=11

Sacramento..2...2...1...1...Total=6

TOP INDIVIDUALS IN POINTS PREVENTED

1. Entha Shortzone, Milwaukee...4

three others tied with 2

TOP INDIVIDUALS IN TURNOVERS CAUSED

1. Entha Shortzone, Milwaukee...5

2. Crentis Dentist, Sacramento...4

PLAYER OF THE GAME

33 GVP...They needed him to play great, and he did, but the game-high 27 points from Sacramento forward CRENTIS DENTIST were not nearly enough to ward off another R-Dogs loss. The 6-6 Dentist was magnificent in defeat, dominating his man Shortzone by going 11 for 16 from the floor. He canned 2 of 3 trey attempts, slammed home a couple and was perfect (3 for 3) from the foul line. He tied for team high in rebounds with 4, blocked shots with 1 and steals with 1 while causing 4 turnovers on the defensive end.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

30 GVP...After a disappointing regular season on offense, Milwaukee center Lothario Fartlek tied for team-high scorer in this Game 1 win with 19 points against one of the top defenders the MBA has ever seen as he dominated Hall of Famer J.J. Gargantuan. Fartlek got the Greyhounds off to a quick start with a 10-point first quarter that included 3 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal. For the game he finished with 6 rebounds, tied for game-high in assists with 3, blocked 1 shot and stole 1 pass.

25 GVP...Milwaukee point guard Flip Phelps seriously out-played Jeez-O Mann, scoring 13 points, tying for game-high in assists with 3, stealing 1 pass and leading everyone in the game with 8 rebounds. 

25 GVP...Shooting guard Thomas Thomas Thomas of Milwaukee tied for team-high in scoring with a very efficient 19, tied for game-high in steals with 2 and pulled down 4 rebounds.

23 GVP...The only guy other than Dentist on the R-Dogs who bothered to show up offensively was retiring two guard Buddy Pigglesworth, who scored 15 points while tying for team-high in rebounds with 4 and game-high in assists with 3. He added 1 steal.

20 GVP...Milwaukee power forward Ape Con Myth took it to fellow geezer Bogainvillea Hedge, holding him to 2 points while scoring 15 himself. The 6-10, 14-season veteran, grabbed 3 rebounds and added 2 assists.

Game notes: 

-- Milwaukee doubled the rebounding total of Sacramento, 32 to 16. The Greyhounds were just 2 rebounds shy of a playoff record first set by Houston in Season 9 and last tied by Houston in Season 36. 

NEXT UP: San Jose at the heavily-favored Demons of Dallas. Both teams are missing star forwards, but Dallas is still loaded with weapons and is heavily favored.

Season 52 Schedule Summary+Predictions revisited+Category Leaders+Team MVPs+Position Rankings+Playoff Team Comparisons and predictions+ Leaders + All-MBA Teams

San Jose MVPs Through the Years

S52--Gurd Jesse Shershot

S51--Guard Jesse Shershot

S49--Guard Jesse Shershot

S26--Forward Sagittal Occlusal

S25--Rookie Forward Sagittal Occlusal

S11--Forward Johnny Fartpants

Dallas Rookies of the Year Through the Years

S52--Guard Kopi Luwak

S51--Forward Satan Israel

S43--Forward Chip Battoe

S16--Forward Curly Hogbottom

SEASON 52 PREDICTIONS REVISITED

Standings--Close in the West, but only one standings spot correctly predicted by D and T, who predicted this division exactly the same...the one correct one was fourth place for Gillette. However, it should be pointed out that the two playoff teams were both correctly forecasted.

--Dave wins in the East and overall with 2 correct predictions to Tyler's 1.

--Both D and T predicted Shershot correctly as league MVP. Neither got Rookie of the Year correct. 

--All-MBA team prediction goes to Tyler 2-1. Both picked Shershot correctly, but Tyler gets the edge for his second correct prediction, D. Fenestration, at forward.

 

Season 52 Featured Game No. 10...Oklahoma City at Dallas

Dallas 77, Oklahoma City 73

DEMONS WIN; MILWAUKEE IN

DALLAS -- The Dallas Demons (now 8-2) clinched home court advantage throughout the playoffs with a spirited win over the visiting Oklahoma City Lariats (5-5), but lost starting forward Satan Israel to injury for the entirety of the post season. (He was replaced on the roster by Stan Doffish).

The Dallas victory finalized the fourth and final playoff spot to the surprising Milwaukee Greyhounds, eliminating Oklahoma City on the final game of the season for the East Division.

It was later determined that Charleston, with a 5-5 record, and not Oklahoma City (also 5-5) finished in last place in the East; the first time in 52 seasons a .500 team has ever finished in last place.

While Dallas finished in first at 8-2, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City and Charleston all finished 5-5. The first tie-breaker and the playoff spot went to Milwaukee, which won 4 divsion games, while the other three 5-5 teams each won 3 division games. The second tie-breaker for those three teams was head-to-head wins, with Philadelphia getting 3, Oklahoma City 2 and Charleston 1. 

PLAYER OF THE GAME

30 GVP...Rookie of the Year shoo-in KOPI LUWAK of Dallas nailed down his fourth POG of the season, tying him at this point with Hall of Fame guard Jesse Shershot of San Jose for the league lead in that department. The smooth-shooting Luwak scored a game-high 22 points on 9 of 15 shooting, hitting 2 of 5 from deep and going 2 for 3 from the foul line. The 6-2 guard added a game-high 2 steals and pulled down 4 rebounds. He finished the season with a robust scoring average of 17.7 ppg, good for second in the league behind Shershot at the moment.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

23 GVP...Dallas defensive ace Juzan Djinn nearly shut out Handsy Joe Potatoe of Oklahoma City, allowing him just 2 points on 1 of 8 shooting. Meanwhile, the third-year Demons star scored 12 points, tied for game-high in rebounds with 6, handed out 3 assists and added to his league-high blocked shots total with 2 more for a grand total of 31.

23 GVP...Rookie forward Pete Marzano of Dallas scored 14 points, topped everyone in blocked shots with 3, dished out a team-high 4 assists, stole 1 pass and grabbed 1 rebound in the win. 

23 GVP...Going head-to-head with heralded rookie Biggus Dickus, Oklahoma City center Chochky Galumpkus led his team in scoring with 19 points while grabbing 2 boards and assisting 2 times. He's in a major battle with Johnny Bananas of Charleston for his third All-MBA foil star.

20 GVP...In the game-within-a-game head-to-head battle for the second All-MBA spot at guard, Oklahoma City's King Czardines netted 20 GVP against Luwak's 30. Will it be enough to get him that foil star? He scored 13 points, grabbed 1 rebound and led everyone with 6 assists giving him a 4.7 per game average in that department. That means perennial assist champ, Hall of Famer Great Gruncle Terry, will need 4 assists in his final game to tie for the assists title and 5 to win it outright. 

MBA Standings … Season 52

EAST DIVISION

DALLAS………………….8-2 (clinched playoffs and home court throughout playoffs)

MILWAUKEE……….. 5-5 (clinched playoff spot)

PHILADELPHIA………5-5

OKLAHOMA CITY…..5-5

CHARLESTON……….5-5

 

 

WEST DIVISION

SACRAMENTO…6-3 (clinched playoff spot)

SAN JOSE………….5-4 (clinched playoff spot)

SEATTLE…………..5-5

GILLETTE………….3-6

LOS ANGELES…..1-8

 

NEXT UP:  Gillette at San Jose…The home team Fighting Amigos still have a smidgeon of a chance to get first place in the West Division. They need to beat the Humps (who they creamed behind Eddie Creamer 71-50 in their first meeting) and then hope that a 1-win Los Angeles team can take down a heavily-injured Sacramento in the final regular season game of Season 52.

 

Season 52...Featured Game No. 9...Dallas at Oklahoma City

Dallas 86, Oklahoma City 68

WHIZ KIDS WIN WIRE-TO-WIRE

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The fresh-faced Dallas Demons became the second MBA team of Season 52 to clinch a post-season berth (the other is Sacramento) as they controlled the Oklahoma City Lariats 86-68, never trailing in the game at any point.

The young Demons (now 7-2) showed off their defensive prowess in the first quarter, blocking 6 shots on the way to a 23-14 lead. The closest Oklahoma City (now 5-4) came to Dallas was when they came within 4 points halfway through the final quarter. Dallas then hit the warp speed button to close things out by 18 points. This is their third win in a row.

The free-throw discrepency is worth noting...21 Dallas attempts to 4 for Oklahoma City.

The same two teams meet in bracket 10 to close out the season, but by that time, Oklahoma City could be mathematically eliminated.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

34 GVP...He came on like gangbusters in the second half of the season in Season 51 to earn Rookie of the Year and All-MBA honors, and Dallas' second-year forward SATAN ISRAEL is following that same script. The 6-8 power forward captured his third consecutive POG (and third overall) with another brilliant performance. He dominated anyone the Lariats put up against him with a game-high 25-point performance that included 11 for 13 from the floor (including 4 power slams), 7 rebounds and a game-high 2 steals. He is right back in the running for All-MBA again.

Other 20-plus GVP performances

30 GVP...Powerful Dallas rookie center Biggus Dickus out-played 7-1, 2-time All-MBA pivot Chochky Galumpkus. Dickus was masterly in coming up with the first triple-double of his career, scoring 15 points and leading everyone in both rebounds (8) and assists (7) while limiting Galumpkus' scoring and eventually fouling him out.

27 GVP...Defending All-MBA guard Juzan Djinn of Dallas increased his league lead in the shot-blocking department, adding a game-high 6 blocks for a season total of 29. Offensively he scored 17 points, including three treys while handing out 2 assists and grabbing 2 boards. He's in a dogfight for the second All-MBA guard spot with teammate Kopi Luwak and King Czardines of Oklahoma City.

22 GVP...Third-year point guard King Czardines of Oklahoma City, who came into the game second in the league in scoring, led his club with 17 points, pulled down 3 rebounds and handed out 2 assists. He added 3 deep bombs to his resume from beyond the arc. He is currently second in the league in that department and leading the league in assists.

20 GVP...Second-year Oklahoma City forward Buba Lipa led his team with 7 rebounds while scoring 10 poiints, adding 1 steal and 2 assists.

MBA Standings … Season 52

EAST DIVISION

DALLAS………………7-2 (clinched playoff spot)

PHILADELPHIA………5-3

OKLAHOMA CITY…..5-4

MILWAUKEE……….. 3-5

CHARLESTON……….3-5 (eliminated from playoff contention)

 

 

 

WEST DIVISION

SACRAMENTO…6-2 (clinched playoff spot)

SAN JOSE………….4-4

SEATTLE…………..4-4

GILLETTE………….3-5

LOS ANGELES…..1-7 (eliminated from playoff contention)

 

NEXT UP:  The Philadelphia Phobia can become the third team to clinch a playoff spot with a win at home against visiting Charleston. The Mountaineers could put those plans on hold, having barely lost to the Phobia 86-84 in their last meeting. Odds are against it, however, since Charleston will be without star center Johnny Bananas, lost to injury.  A Philly win would also eliminate Oklahoma City and Milwaukee from the post-season.

Season 52 Featured Game No. 8...Dallas at Philadelphia

DALLAS 79, PHILADELPHIA 72

DEMONS SWEEP PHOBIA

PHILADELPHIA -- The Whiz Kids from Dallas wrested control of the game from the home team Phobia in the third quarter, out-scoring Philly 29-17, and were firmly in control from then on in a 79-72 road win over the Evil Empire.

The third-quarter charge was led by Dallas rookie point guard Kopi Luwak, who scored 12 of his 15 points in that period. 

The win gives Dallas a season sweep of Philadelphia, as well as control of both the division wins tie-breaker and the head-to-head. 

The Demons' win ended the three-game winning streak of the Phobia.

Philly got off to a 22-18 lead after the first quarter, thanks to the hot hand of its point guard Dick Papers, who scored the first 10 points for his team. They led by 3 at the half, 34-31, but the young Demons proved to be too much in the final two quarters.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

30 GVP...Offensive juggernaut SATAN ISRAEL again led his Demon brothers in scoring against the mighty Phobia. The 6-8 second-year forward scored a game-high 22 in the first meeting between these two teams and followed with a team-best 20 this time around. This was his second consecutive POG. He was 9 for 12 from the floor, canned 2 of 3 from beyond the arc and slammed home 4. He also tied for game-high in rebounds with 7, led his team with 2 assists and poached his club's only steal. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

29 GVP...Philly forward Wawa Wewa tied for game-high in scoring with a 21-point effort that included 5 rebounds and a game-high 2 steals. He also blocked 1 shot. 

24 GVP...Philadelphia point guard Little Dickie Papers also tied for game-higgh in points with 21 while grabbing 2 boards and 1 assist.

24 GVP...The other Phobia forward, D. Fenestration, tied for game-high in rebounds with 7, scored 14 points and handed out 3 helpers in the losing cause. 

20 GVP...Always lurking in the background, 7-foot rookie center Biggus Dickus of Dallas was his usual rim-protecting self in this win, blocking a game-high 3 shots while contributing 12 points, 4 rebounds and an assist. 

MBA Standings … Season 52

EAST DIVISION

DALLAS……………….6-2

PHILADELPHIA……...5-3

OKLAHOMA CITY…..4-3

CHARLESTON……….3-5

MILWAUKEE……….. 3-5

 

 

WEST DIVISION

SACRAMENTO…6-1

SAN JOSE………3-4

GILLETTE………3-4

SEATTLE……….3-4

LOS ANGELES….1-6

 

NEXT UP:  The long rivalry between Sacramento and San Jose continues as the first and second-place teams in the West go at it on the Fighting Amigos’ home court. The R-Dogs could clinch the division title with a victory and take another big step for securing home court throughout the playoffs. San Jose, meanwhile, would fall two games under .500 with a loss. Sacramento, in keeping with the strong rivalry tradition, won by 2, 80-78, in their first meeting. Hall of Famer Jesse Shershot scored 37, the most by anyone this season, in the losing cause.

 

Season 52...Featured Game No. 7...Gillette at Sacramento

GILLETTE 89, SACRAMENTO 72

HUMPS GIVE RIVER DOGS FIRST LOSS

SACRAMENTO--The visiting Gillette Humps used their first Featured Game of the season to make a big splash, as they ambushed the previously unbeaten R-Dogs 89-72.

The game was more or less decided in the first quarter when Gillette, the lowest scoring team in the MBA. exploded for 34 points in the first quarter against the league's top defense, thanks mainly to a 19-point initial outburst by a red-hot Freddy Gooch.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

44 GVP...Fourth-year point guard Freddy Gooch of Gillette came out of his long shooting slump with a vengeance, scoring 19 of his game-high 35 points in the first quarter to give his team a 17-point margin that turned out to be the final difference in scores. That first quarter saw Gooch out-score the entire Sacramento team as he hit his first 7 shots, going 7 for 8 for the quarter and 3 for 3 from beyond the arc, adding 2 free throws. For the game, the 6-2 Gooch was 10 for 16 from the floor, 4 for 7 from deep and 11 for 16 from the foul line. He tied for game-high in steals with 2, handed out 3 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds. He dominated every guard Sacramento put up against him. This was his second POG of the season

Other 20-plus GVP performers

27 GVP...Gillette small forward LaJon Brames played a key role in the upset, dominating none other than 2-time All-MBA Crentis Dentist.The 6-6 Brames scored 18 points, tied for game-high in rebounds with 6, blocked a game-high 2 shots and registered 1 steal.

25 GVP...The man Tyler loves to hate, Buddy "Stankpig" Pigglesworth, just keeps on producing for the River Dogs from his shooting guard position. Pigglesworth scored a team-high 20 points, tied for team-best in rebounds with 4 and handed out 1 assist.

23 GVP...Joe Momsawhore got his first start of the season for the Gillette squad and responded with the 2nd triple-double of his career. The 6-year man scored 11 points, tied for game-high in rebounds with 6 and handed out a game-high 6 assists.

22 GVP...Reliable Gillette swinger Billie "Be-Bop" Bauer contributed 16 points, 4 rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot to the victory.

22 GVP...Sacramento's prize rookie forward Kevin Duran-Duran was steady in defeat, scoring 17 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, blocking 1 shot and assisting 1 before fouling out late.

MBA Standings … Season 52

EAST DIVISION

DALLAS………………….5-2

PHILADELPHIA………5-2

OKLAHOMA CITY…..4-3

CHARLESTON……….3-4

MILWAUKEE……….. 2-5

 

 

WEST DIVISION

SACRAMENTO…6-1

SAN JOSE………….3-3

GILLETTE………….3-4

SEATTLE…………..2-4

LOS ANGELES…..1-6

 

NEXT UP:  Bracket No. 7 concludes with San Jose traveling to Seattle. On the surface, one would think this was a cakewalk for the Fighting Amigos, but Seattle is coming off an overtime win against Milwaukee and can move into serious playoff contention if they can pull an upset. And the underdogs in the league have been rising up and biting people lately.

Season 52 Featured Game No. 6...Oklahoma City at Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA 92, OKLAHOMA CITY 77

PHOBIA SHOOTS 74 % IN ROUT OF LARIATS

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phobia evidently have the Oklahoma Lariats figured out, besting them for the eighth consecutive time in the past four seasons, this time shooting 74.1 percent in a 92-77 triumph that was never in doubt.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

34 GVP...The only Oklahoma City starter to deliver in this game was third-year point guard KING CZARDINES, who led all scorers with 26 points and tied for game-high in assists with 6. Czardines added 1 rebound and 1 steal. He was nigh-perfect from the field, going 11 for 12 and potting 4 of 5 from downtown. The 6-footer scored 22 against the Phobia in the team's earlier meeting.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

31 GVP...Fourth-year Phobia forward D. Fenestration has really upped his offensive output this season with a move to small forward. Always fundamentally sound, the two-way star, fresh off his All Star Game MVP delivered a dominant 24-point performance here, going a perfect 11 for 11 from the floor that included 2 for 2 from long distance. His only foibles in this game came at the free throw line where he went 0 for 3. Fenestration also handed out 4 assists, grabbed 2 boards and blocked 1 shot. He destroyed his opposite, Buba Lipa.

26 GVP...Philadelphia point guard Dick Papers contributed 18 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds to the convincing win.

25 GVP...12-season veteran Wawa Wewa dominated foul-prone Toilety T. Paper with a 15-point game that included game-highs in both assists (6) and steals (2). He also had 2 rebounds.

21 GVP...More dominance came at the shooting guard position for Philly, where Ehhy Table took it to Handsy Joe Potatoe. The 6-5 Table scored 15 points, tied for game-high in rebounds with 4 and handed out 2 assists. 

MBA Standings … Season 52

EAST DIVISION

DALLAS………………….4-1

PHILADELPHIA………4-2

OKLAHOMA CITY…..3-3

MILWAUKEE……….. 2-3

CHARLESTON………..2-3

 

 

WEST DIVISION

SACRAMENTO…5-0

SAN JOSE………….2-3

GILLETTE………….2-3

SEATTLE…………..1-4

LOS ANGELES…..1-4

 

NEXT UP:  First-place Dallas travels to last-place Charleston, where a win would give Tyler’s two powerhouses in the East a stranglehold at the top of the division. The Demons, behind Juzan Djinn and Pete Marzano, easily bested the Mountaineers in the first meeting, 75-59.