Season 55 Featured Game No. 6...Dallas at Charleston

DALLAS 84, CHARLESTON 52

DEMONS EXACT REVENGE

CHARLESTON -- This was more of an execution than a game as the three-time-defending champions from Dallas (now 5-1) continued their inevitable march to a fourth consecutive championship with an 84-52 ass-whipping of the Charleston Mountaineers (now 3-3).

The 32-point victory for the Demons was extreme payback for their only loss this season...a confounding 89-69 defeat at the hands of these same Mountaineers.

It was the third straight loss for a spiraling Charleston team and a fourth consecutive triumph for Dallas. 

PLAYER OF THE GAME

30 GVP...Dallas Hall of Fame guard JUZAN DJINN racked the his third triple-double of the season and sixth of his storied career, resulting in a third POG honor in his last four contests. The third POG ties him with Pinky Toe of Los Angeles and Chochky Galumpkus of Seattle for the league lead in that department. The six-season veteran 16 points were actually below his 17-per-game average entering the contest, and his shooting was a tad off, going 8 for 17 from the floor (0 for 2 from deep). But, of course, the stat-stuffing Djinn more than made up for that with a game-high 7 blocked shots, 6 rebounds and 1 assist, putting his personal stamp on the victory and destroying his one-time running mate Kopi Luwak in the process. After 6 completed brackets, Djinn is at the top of the list to repeat as league MVP.

Other 20-plus GVP performers (nobody from Charleston)

28 GVP...Dallas small forward Pete "the Steakman" Marzano...19 points...3 steals...3 rebounds...2 blocked shots...1 assist.

25 GVP...Dallas point guard Vicious Hick...18 points (4 treys)...5 rebounds...2 assists.

25 GVP...Dallas power forward Satan Israel...16 points (3 slams)...8 rebounds...1 assist.

20 GVP...Dallas center Biggus Dickus...13 points...3 rebounds...2 steals...2 blocked shots.

Bracket 6 Summary

--Philadelphia's pounding of Oklahoma City and the destruction of Charleston at the hands of Dallas secured second place in the East for the Phobia and they exchanged places with Oklahoma City, who dropped to third.

--No changes in the standings in the West

Next up

-- Bracket 7 starts out with Philadelphia at Milwaukee, which at first glance might be considered a mismatch. But Milwaukee, which is facing a possible exit from the city, is coming off of its first win of the season and played the Phobia tough in the season opener before losing 79-78.

-- The Featured Game of the bracket will be the last one...a cross-over contest with Seattle at Dallas, the two teams atop their respective divisions and the two clubs with the best records in the league. Dallas has to be favored, but Seattle has a chance to see how much of an opponent they can be in the post-season.

55th MBA All Star Game

EAST 91, WEST 80

FAMILIAR STORY AS EAST TOPS WEST

PHILADELPHIA -- In a high-octane all star contest in which both squads shot over 60 percent from the field, the East came out of the gate quickly and sustained their double-digit advantage to the end, triumphing 91-80.

Los Angeles second-year star Pinky Toe and Hall of Fame veteran Crentis Dentist of Oklahoma City lit it up offensively, each scoring 30 points for their respective teams. Toe dominated the ball for the West, shooting 25 times and tossing up 12 3-pointers (of which he hit 4), managing to come up with his large point total despite being guarded by Juzan Djinn, one of the league's premier defenders.

Trailing by 8 going into the final quarter, the West cut the lead to 6 early in the stanza before the East took control again. 

This was the 35th win by the East (to 20 for the West) and marks the fourth time they've won this star contest in the past 5 seasons. 

Dallas Hall of Famer Juzan Djinn also shined in this, his fifth All Star Game outing, and his 7 assists ties him all time with Percy Faith in All Star contests with 20. Additionally, Djinn's game-high 4 blocks makes him the All Star leader in that department with 18. He is now averaging 20 points per game in All Star competition. 

CAREER LEADERS IN ALL STAR ASSISTS

20--Juzan Djinn, Dallas

20--Percy Faith, Dallas/Oklahoma City

19--Uncle Bob Masterson, Philadelphia

18--Pietro Destroyer, Charleston/Chicago/Seattle

15--Marcus Pettis, Sacramento/Houston

CAREER LEADERS IN ALL STAR BLOCKED SHOTS

18--Juzan Djinn, Dallas

16--Curly Hogbottom, Dallas/Philadelphia

16--J.J. Gargantuan, Charleston/Dallas/Sacramento/Milwaukee

15--Tom "the Bomb" Kondla, Seattle/Houston/Chicago/Dallas

14--Jimsy Redfern, Charleston

PLAYER OF THE GAME

35 GVP...Hall of Fame forward CRENTIS DENTIST of Oklahoma City became one of just 10 MBA players to capture multiple MVP of the All Star Game honors, capturing his second in three seasons with a 30-point explosion that included tying for game-high in rebounds with 4 and swiping 1 steal. The 6-6 small forward was 14 for 16 from the field, his only two misses coming on long bombs (in which he was 1 for 3). He was also 1 for 1 at the foul line. He did all this despite spending a good deal of time on the bench in foul trouble and eventually fouling out with 29 time units remaining in the game.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

34 GVP...Los Angeles point guard Pinky Toe...30 points...3 rebounds...1 assist.

28 GVP...Dallas guard Juzan Djinn...15 points...7 assists...4 blocked shots...2 rebounds.

25 GVP...Charleston forward Piping Plover...19 points...4 rebounds...1 assist...1 steal.

25 GVP...San Jose small forward Scobee Bryant...20 points...3 rebounds...1 assist...1 blocked shot.

NEXT UP: The second half of Season 55 kicks off with a cross-over game between the only two teams yet to chalk up a victory. Los Angeles travels to Milwaukee in a contest in which one of them HAS to win. 

The next three games in the bracket are all important, but the featured game is the final one in which Dallas visits Charleston, with the three-time defending champions looking for revenge for a slaughter-rule loss to the Mountaineers. 

 

Season 55 All Star Game Rosters and observations

History of All Star Games Played in Philadelphia

-- Season 8...West won 72-69...MVP was Hall of Fame center Mable Reed of Seattle who was also the game's top scorer with 23 poiints.

-- Season 12...East won 86-71...MVP was hometown hero, Hall of Fame guard Uncle Bob Masterson of Philadelphia who was also game's high scorer with 23 points.

-- Season 24...East won 100-66...MVP was Hall of Fame guard Tommy Zoop of Oklahoma who was also game's high scorer with 29 points.

-- Season 40...East won 77-75...MVP was Hall of Fame guard Beezow Bop-Bop of Charleston...top scorer in game was Hall of Fame guard Naf Naf of Oklahoma City with 19 points.

-- Season 46...East won 88-80...MVP was hometown hero, Hall of Fame guard Colquit Croix of Philadelphia who was also game's high scorer with 26 points.

Most All Star Game Appearances

11--Hall of Fame center Max Payne

11--Hall of Fame center J.J. Gargantuan (still active)

10--Hall of Fame guard Uncle Bob Masterson

10--Hall of Fame guard Mamadou Zongo

9---Hall of Fame forward Curly Hogbottom

20-plus GVP players left off this year's teams

G-King Czardines, Oklahoma City 23.4

G-Ehhy Table, Milwaukee 23.2

G-Bellybutton Inquisition, Seattle 20.2

F-Leonard Pinth Garnel, Philadelphia 20.2

F-Turk Attaturk, Philadelphia 20.0

NEXT UP...55th MBA All Star Game to be held in Philadelphia

East has won 34, West has won 20...East has won three of last 4

 

Season 55 Featured Game No. 5...San Jose at Seattle...plus a new bonus feature

 

Seattle 80, San Jose 54 (Slaughter Rule Enforced)

Stampede tramples Amigos

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Stampede (now 4-1) assured itself of entering the All Star Game break in first place in the West by blowing away the visiting San Jose Fighting Amigos (3-2) 80-54; the biggest margin of victory by anyone this season.

The win ended the 3-game winning streak for San Jose and split the season series between the two at one each. 

After scoring just 55 points against the Amigos in their first meeting, it was Seattle's turn to frustrate San Jose by holding the visitors to just 44 shots in a performance that they dominated from the opening tip.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

31 GVP...Seattle's fine second-year forward ERIC A. CROCIDALE assured himself of his second All Star Game appearance in as many seasons with a game-high 25-point performance in which he dominated his opposite, Scobee Bryant. In their first meeting it was Bryant dominating Crocidale for the POG. But "The Croc" turned things around with a 10 for 15 shooting night that included 4 slam dunks and 5 for 6 from the foul line. Additionally, the 6-8 star blocked a game-high 3 shots and pulled down 3 rebounds. This was his first POG of the season. He was the team MVP as a rookie last season and Seattle fans are hoping he will buck the tradition of moving on to a different franchise.

Other 20-plus GVP performers (None from San Jose)

24 GVP...Seattle point guard Bellybutton Inquisition...19 points...3 rebounds...2 assists. 

MBA Standings … Season 55

EAST DIVISION

DALLAS………………3-1

CHARLESTON………. 3-1

OKLAHOMA CITY…..2-2

PHILADELPHIA………2-2

MILWAUKEE……….. 0-4

 

WEST DIVISION

SEATTLE…………..4-1

GILLETTE………….3-1

SAN JOSE………… 3-2

SACRAMENTO… 1-3

LOS ANGELES….. 0-4

 

NEXT UP: A rematch of the two bottom feeders in the West with Los Angeles at Sacramento. The R-Dogs got their lone win thus far in their previous meeting in an 81-79 barn-burner. The game means more to L.A. since another last-place finish means that The Big One could be rolling the cube of chance to see if it leaves LaLa Land.

BONUS...CAN YOU GUESS WHO THIS RETIRED MBA PLAYER IS?

 

SEASON 55 RETIREMENTS

This was one of the lightest number of players to announce their retirements, with just 9 of a possible 45 saying they will leave the MBA following this season.

Only 6 of those 9 are currently on rosters, and only 2 players were starters at the time of retirement rolls.

The biggest losses were those two starters, with Splash Gordon, the league leader in scoring at the time of his announcement, leaving Philly and longtime forward and current Seattle starter Frog Morton also hanging it up.

Morton is one of three ancient MBA players who will retire, the others being Ape Con Myth of Milwaukee and the man who holds the all-time consecutive games played record, Wawa Wewa of Charleston. 

No team lost more than one player to retirement and four teams did not lose anyone. 

 

Season 55 Featured Game 4...Seattle at San Jose

SAN JOSE 65, SEATTLE 55

AMIGOS OUTSLUG STAMPEDE

SAN JOSE -- The young Fighting Amigos created a logjam at the top of the West Division standings with this defensive battle as they survived a 6-point first quarter to win 65-55 over Seattle. The loss was the first of the season for the visiting Stampede, giving three West teams (Seattle, San Jose and Gillette) 3-1 records. 

Points prevented by quarters

Seattle...3...6...4...5  Total=18

S. Jose...2...2...6...0  Total=10

Tops in points prevented

1. Tweed Bassman, San Jose...6

1. Bellybutton Inquisition, Seattle...6

PLAYER OF THE GAME

31 GVP...Second-year San Jose forward SCOBEE BRYANT dominated another second-year forward, Seattle's Erik A. Crocidale to capture his second POG this season. While Crocidale fouled out with 6 points to his name, the 6-8 Bryant posted game-high numbers in both scoring (20 points) anbd rebounds (7 boards). Bryant was a precise 8 for 10 from the floor (0 for 1 deep) and contributed to a perfect game at the free throw line for the Amigos by going 4 for 4. He also led his team with 2 blocked shots and added a pair of assists. He's now averaging 15.8 points per game and 5.3 rebounds.

Other 20-plus GVP performers (none from Seattle)

25 GVP...San Jose guard Vinny Zazeech...15 points...5 rebounds...3 steals...2 assists.

21 GVP...San Jose rookie power forward Tweed Bassman...14 points (including 3 slams)...4 rebounds...1 assist...1 steal...1 blocked shot.

MBA Standings … Season 55

EAST DIVISION

CHARLESTON………. 3-0

DALLAS………………2-1

OKLAHOMA CITY…..2-2

PHILADELPHIA………1-2

MILWAUKEE……….. 0-3

 

WEST DIVISION

SEATTLE…………..3-1

SAN JOSE………… 3-1

GILLETTE………….3-1

SACRAMENTO… 0-3

LOS ANGELES….. 0-3

 

NEXT UP: The two win-less teams in the West, both playoff teams a season ago, fight for their first victory as Sacramento visits Los Angeles.

 

 

Season 55 Featured Game No. 3...Dallas at Oklahoma City

DALLAS 94, OKLAHOMA CITY 73 (Slaughter Rule Enforced)

DEMONS REBOUND WITH DOMINANT WIN

OKLAHOMA CITY -- After losing their first game in 19 contests, the three-time defending champs from Dallas responded with a vengeance, slaughter-ruling Oklahoma City on the Lariats' home court 94-73. 

The win over Oklahoma City marks the seventh consecutive triumph over the team that has been Dallas' main challenger in the past two seasons. Perhaps Charleston, which handed the Demons their loss, will now be considered the top opponent.

Dallas grabbed the lead in the first quarter and never let it go, increasing the margin as the periods progressed with 62.9 percent shooting and a dominant rebounding edge of 25-14. Demons guards were nearly unstoppable, accounting for 52 combined points. 

Dallas substitute forward Venial Sinn was injured in the first quarter and will be out the next game when Dallas takes on lowly Milwaukee. Horsehead Henderson awaiting a call-up?

PLAYER OF THE GAME

38 GVP...Hall of Fame Dallas guard and defending league MVP JUZAN DJINN registered his first POG this season in style, dominating on both sides of the ball and notching the fourth triple-double of his career and the first by anyone this season. Djinn led all scorers with 27 points hitting from all four areas of the court on the way to a 11 for 16 shooting day that included 1 for 4 from deep and a perfect 4 for 4 from the foul line. On defense he held Handsy Joe Potatoe to just 2 points, blocking a game-high 5 shots. Djinn, now in his 6th campaign, also led his team in assists, dishing out 5. He came into the game averaging just 12.5 ppg and left with a scoring average of 17.3.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

33 GVP...Dallas point guard Vicious Hick...25 points (including 6 treys)...7 rebounds...1 assist.

26 GVP...Dallas center Biggus Dickus...19 points...6 rebounds...1 assist.

26 GVP...Oklahoma City point guard King Czardines...17 points...7 assists...1 rebound...1 steal.

26 GVP...Oklahoma City rookie center Poop-Rupiah 3000...18 points...4 rebounds...2 assists...2 blocks

26 GVP...Oklahoma City Hall of Fame forward Crentis Dentist...20 points...2 rebounds...2 steals...1 assist...1 blocked shot. 

MBA Standings … Season 55

EAST DIVISION

CHARLESTON………. 2-0

DALLAS………………2-1

OKLAHOMA CITY…..2-1

PHILADELPHIA……..1-2

MILWAUKEE……….. 0-2

 

WEST DIVISION

SEATTLE…………..3-0

GILLETTE………….2-1

SAN JOSE………… 2-1

SACRAMENTO….. 0-3

LOS ANGELES…....0-3

 

NEXT UP: Bracket No. 3 concludes with first-place Charleston hosting win-less Milwaukee.