Season 57 Finals...Game 5...Oklahoma City at Dallas

DALLAS 71, OKLAHOMA CITY 55

D nets Big D record sixth title

DALLAS -- The  juggernaut that is the Dallas Demons held the challengers from Oklahoma City to a 5-point third quarter on the way to a resounding 71-55 Season 57 championship; a record sixth title in a row.

The win broke a record originally set by Philadelphia, who won five championships in a row from Season 29 through Season 33 and was tied by Dallas last season. This was the 11th title for the Demons franchise, a number only exceeded by the 16 won by the Phobia. 

Although the final game was a blowout in favor of the Demons, it was their most challenging title of the six, having spotted the surprising Lariats to a 2-0 lead in the best of five Finals.

The game was close at halftime, with Dallas holding a 35-32 edge before the champions put the hammer down defensively in the third quarter. The only question remaining in the fourth quarter was whether the Lariats could avoid the humiliation of the "Slaughter Rule," which they managed to do.

It was the last game ever for Dallas' pair of Hall of Famers...Biggus Dickus and Pete "the Steakman" Marzano, both of whom won championship riings in every season of their MBA careers. For the first time in his career, Dickus was pulled from the starting lineup by coach Buzzy Bazinksi, who opted for 7-footer China P to go against Poop-Rupiah 3000 of Oklahoma City. 

PLAYER OF THE GAME

25 GVP...A familiar card led the way for Dallas in this sixth consecutive championship, as Hall of Fame two guard JUZAN DJINN dominated at his position with a game-high 18 point performance, tying for team-high in rebounds with 5 and tying for team-high in blocked shots with 2. The eighth-year star started the championship game with a 3-point bomb that put his team in front right out of the gate, a lead they never relinquished. He was 5 for 10 from the floor (1 for 3 from deep) and 7 for 8 from the foul line. The championship ring gives Djinn 22 awards on his well-decorated card. That pushes him past Uncle Bob Masterson into a tie for third-most honored player of all time with Max Payne and the other Dallas legend, Chip Battoe. He is now one award behind Naf Naf for second place all time and three away from the top player ever, Curly Hogbottom, who collected 25. And Djinn will return next season.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

22 GVP...Oklahoma City point guard Bellybutton Inquisition...14 points...5 rebounds...3 assists.

20 GVP...Dallas' retiring Hall of Fame forward Pete "the Steakman" Marzano...12 points...4 rebounds...2 blocked shots...2 assists.

NEXT UP: Playoff stats leaders and naming of MVP of the Playoffs.

Season 57 Finals Game 4...Dallas at Oklahoma City

DALLAS 83, OKLAHOMA CITY 74

DEMONS IN DRIVER'S SEAT

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Dallas Demons warded off the Oklahoma City Lariats for the second game in a row, coming up with a clutch road win, 83-74, and sending the championship series back to the Big D for the decisive fifth game.

Down 2-0 in the Finals, the five-time champion Demons now have the home court advantage and the opportunity to grab a record-breaking sixth title in a row.

A pressing defense in Game 4 netted Dallas 6 steals and numerous other turnovers by the Lariats that led to the victors getting off 18 more shots than their opponents. So, despite the fact that Oklahoma City had its best shooting game in the Finals at a blistering 61.1 percent; Dallas overcame its 47.2 percent shooting with one more made field goal and 4 more 3-point buckets.

Dallas guards came up huge in the triumph, with both Mini Carfart (25 points) and Hall of Famer Juzan Djinn (21 points) potting 3 treys each. Oklahoma City countered with two 20-point scorers in Bellybutton Inquisition (26) and Poop-Rupiah 3000 (20).

Dallas led by 6 at the half, but with Carfartt and Pete Marzano on the bench with foul trouble in the third quarter, the home team came roaring back to take a 63-62 lead going into the final stanza.

The visitors took the lead immediately to start the fourth and held it throughout. The lead increased to 8 with 31 ticks left. The closest the home team could get from that point on was 4 with 24 ticks remaining.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

34 GVP...Brilliant in defeat, Oklahoma City center POOP-RUPIAH 3000 secured his third POG of the playoffs and second of the Finals, going 10 for 11 from the floor with a trio of slams while tying for game-high in rebounds with 6. He sent regular season MVP, Hall of Fame center Biggus Dickus to the bench with 8 first-half shot rejections as he dominated the man who edged him out for All-MBA. He's now averaging 19.2 ppg in the playoffs and is the distinct front-runner for the MVP of the Playoffs honor going into the final game.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

33 GVP...Oklahoma City point guard Bellybutton Inquisition...26 points...4 rebounds...3 assists.

31 GVP...Dallas point guard Mini Carfartt...25 points (3 treys)...6 assists.

27 GVP...Dallas Hall of Fame two guard Juzan Djinn...21 points (3 treys)...3 rebounds...2 steals...1 blocked shot.

22 GVP...Dallas retiring Hall of Fame small forward Pete "the Steakman" Marzano...14 points...4 blocked shots...2 rebounds...1 assist...1 steal.

NEXT UP: It's for all the marbles in Dallas Sunday night. 

Season 57 Finals Game 3...Oklahoma City at Dallas

DALLAS 75, OKLAHOMA CITY 61

DEMONS FAR FROM DEAD

DALLAS -- The Dallas Demons showed that they are definitely still in this championship series, besting the upstarts from Oklahoma City 75-61 to make the Finals 2 games to 1, with the Lariats still clinging to the advantage.

The series returns to Oklahoma City for Game 4, with the Lariats looking at their best chance to put away the five-time defending champs.

Although Dallas won this game by 14, Oklahoma City made things interesting in the fourth quarter. The Lariats, getting almost no offense from anybody with the exception of their center Poop-Rupiah 3000, trailed by 19 points early in the third quarter. Pressure defense by Dallas led to numerous turnovers by the visitors (and 7 eventual steals for Dallas) as the Mighty Demons pounded the Lariats in the second quarter on the way to a 43-26 lead. 

In the third quarter, Oklahoma City defenders held Dallas to just 10 points while the Lariats rallied for 18 of their own. And when Ol' Roy of Oklahoma City opened the fourth quarter with a 3-point bomb, the 19-point lead had been cut to 6 and the game was on. 

Oklahoma City whittled away at the Dallas lead, getting it down to a 2-point advantage with half the last quarter still to go. But that was as close as the visitors could get before running out of gas. And when Dallas' Hall of Fame center Biggus Dickus hit a short jumper at the 17 time unit mark, the Demons lead at 10 seemed insurmountable. It was.

Dallas went on to shoot 61.1 percent for the game with its defense yielding just 49.2 percent accuracy for Oklahoma City.

'PLAYERS OF THE GAME

26 GVP...Fourth-year veteran forward VENIAL SINN got a surprise start...the first of his career, in place of Nick Kenpoop at the power position. He responded with a POG performance that helped spark the champions to the win. The 6-8 twin (brother Mordle Sinn plays for Sacramento) tied for game-high in scoring with 16 points while pilfering a game-high 3 steals, pulling down 4 boards, blocking 2 shots and assisting 1 time. He was 7 for 8 from the floor, his only miss coming from deep, and he slammed home three while going 2 for 3 at the foul line. Coach Buzzy Bazinski assures fans that his team will not go without Sinn the next game.

AND

26 GVP...Retiring Hall of Fame center BIGGUS DICKUS was not ready to call it a career yet. After yielding 12 points to his opposite, center Poop-Rupiah 3000, in the first quarter, Dickus only allowed the biggest gun on Oklahoma City to score 4 more points the rest of the game. Meanwhile, Dickus matched 3000's 16-point game-high total in points and pulled down a team-best 5 boards. The big 7-footer added 2 assists, 2 blocked shots and 1 steal, playing his usual solid game in the middle. He was 8 for 14 from the floor.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

25 GVP...Oklahoma City center Poop-Rupiah 3000...16 points (4 slams)...6 rebounds...3 blocked shots.

NEXT UP: Game 4 marks a return to Oklahoma City, where the Lariats try to complete what everyone thought was impossible. A win by Dallas would be foreboding, indeed.

Season 57 Finals...Game 2...Dallas at Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY 69, DALLAS 61

LARIATS SMELLING TITLE

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The astonishing Oklahoma City Lariats are within one victory of defeating the five-time-defending champion Dallas Demons for the Season 57 MBA championship.

To the delight of their home fans, Oklahoma City bested Dallas with a wire-to-wire 69-61 victory, their second in a row in the Finals, which they now lead 2 games to 0.

It was the fifth consecutive win for the Lariats, who now have the next three games to best Mighty Dallas one time in order to walk away with a most unprobable title; which would be the first by a 5-win team in league history.

This game was won on the boards by Oklahoma City, which won the battle of the glass 27-12, and on the defensive end in which the Lariats (first in the league in D this season) held the Demons to 47.3 percent shooting. 

The hot and heavy back and forth culminated with a fistfight with 46 time units remaining, as a frustrated Juzan Djinn of Dallas  and L.S. Island of Oklahoma City exchanged blows, each receiving a technical foul and Djinn getting tossed from the game. Dallas was down 7 points at the time, but the closest they could get was within 5 with 29 remaining.

And so now we return back to Big D, with Dallas fans not yet counting out their champions, who must win three straight for yet another crown.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

35 GVP...The man in the middle for Oklahoma City, third-year star center POOP-RUPIAH 3000, battled his 7-foot nemesis Biggus Dickus with a fierce madness on the way to a triple-double, Player of the Game performance. It was the 6-9 wunderkind's second POG of the playoffs and second triple-double of his career. He was 10 for 16 from the floor, with a pair of slams and 1 for 1 from the foul line...a team-leading 21 points. The jumping jack pivot controlled the boards with a game-high 8, also swatting away a game-high 5 shots by his opponents. He tacked on a steal for good measure. 3000 was the leading candidate for Playoff MVP entering the game and his performance only strengthened that lead. He is now averaging 19.8 ppg and 7 rebounds for the playoffs.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

29 GVP...Dallas point guard Mini Carfartt...24 points...4 assists...1 steal

22 GVP...Dallas' retiring  Hall of Fame forward...Pete "the Steakman" Marzano...12 points...5 rebounds...3 assists...2 blocked shots.

20 GVP...Dallas' retiring Hall of Fame center Biggus Dickus...15 points...3 rebounds...2 blocked shots.

NEXT UP: The teams travel to Dallas for Game 3 as the Demons stare down elimination.

 

Season 57 MBA Finals Game 1...Oklahoma City at Dallas

 

OKLAHOMA CITY 80, DALLAS 79 (BUZZER BEATER!!!)

LARIATS WIN AT THE HORN!

DALLAS -- "The Mighty Mite," Bellybutton Inquisition swished a medium jumper over Dallas Hall of Famer Juzan Djinn at the buzzer and the Oklahoma City Lariats bested the five-time-defending champion Dallas Demons on their home court, 80-79 to take a 1-0 lead in this best of five Finals.

There were outrageously radical pendulum swings in this game, as Oklahoma City went off for a 29-15 lead after one quarter, only to have Dallas win the next stanza 25-11 to make it 40-40 at halftime. 

Mighty Dallas continued its surge with a 12-0 run to start the third, but the game group from Oklahoma City cut that lead in half going into the fourth. 

Staying mostly within four points for a vast majority of the last frame, the visitors finally took their first lead in the half on a slam dunk by the 5-11 Inquisition with 11 ticks left. A put-back slam by Demons forward Nick Kenpoop gave the home team a 1-point lead with 6 time units remaining.

Dallas held that lead until their Hall of Fame forward Pete Marzano missed a medium jumper that was rebounded by Inquisition, who took and made the game-winner at the horn.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

30 GVP...Retiring Hall of Fame forward PETE "THE STEAKMAN" MARZANO added to his storied career with a game-high 23-point performance in what turned out to be a losing cause. The 6-8 sixth-year man, who has been a pain in the ass to all opponents throughout his career, delivered baskets on 11 of the 16 shots he took, slamming home a pair down the stretch and going 1 for 2 at the foul line. He also tied for team best in rebounds with 4 and blocked shots with 3.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

29 GVP...Oklahoma City center Poop-Rupiah 3000...20 points (6 slams)...5 rebounds...4 blocked shots.

27 GVP...Oklahoma City guard Bellybutton Inquisition...15 points...8 rebounds...4 assists.

27 GVP...Dallas power forward Nick Kenpoop...19 points (5 slams)...4 rebounds...3 assists...1 blocked shot. 

25 GVP...Oklahoma City guard Oblio Assbag...13 points...5 assists...3 blocked shots...2 steals...2 rebounds.

21 GVP...Oklahoma City small forward L.S. Island...14 points...4 rebounds...1 assist...1 steal...1 blocked shot.

NEXT UP: The teams travel to Oklahoma City where the Lariats, now on a 4-game winning streak, hope home court advantage can work in their favor.

 

Special note: 

Unfortunately, those automatic Google Search links that recently started appearing in Blogger posts cannot currently be disabled. They’re part of a new feature Google rolled out, and there’s no setting to turn them off. The only workaround is to ignore or dismiss them when they pop up.

Season 57 SemiFinals Game 2...Seattle at Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY 91, SEATTLE 72

IT'S AN ALL-EAST FINALS

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The surprising Oklahoma City Lariats made it an all-East Division Finals for the sixth consecutive season as they turned what appeared to be another 1-point barn-burner entering the fourth quarter into a blowout, coming away with a 91-72 victory and 2-0 sweep of the Seattle Stampede.

POINTS PREVENTED BY QUARTERS

Seattle...9...0...4...2  Total=15

OKC.....5...0...4...6   Total=15

Tops in Points Prevented

1. Hilbee "the Skinny German" Juggleboy, Seattle...7

2. Ol' Roy, Oklahoma City...6

TURNOVERS CAUSED BY QUARTERS

Seattle...2...2...3...0  Total=7

OKC......2...2...5...4  Total=13

Tops in Turnovers Caused

1. Oblio Assbag, Oklahoma City...4

1. Poop-Rupiah 3000, Oklahoma City...4

1. Kevin Duran-Duran, Oklahoma City...4

PLAYER OF THE GAME

35 GVP...Third-year standout center of the Oklahoma City Lariats, POOP-RUPIAH 3000, came up big again in a decisive contest, putting up game-high numbers in points (24), rebounds (7), steals (2) and turnovers caused (4) as the 6-9 pride of the franchise dominated Laughing Boy Lasso of Seattle. The 6-9 3000 was 11 for 13 from the floor, delivering 4 slam dunks. Tied for the regular season free-throw title with his teammate Duran-Duran, he went 2 for 3 from the charity stripe, adding 1 assist and 1 blocked shot. He'll square off in his first Finals in a power match with All-MBA pivot Biggus Dickus of Dallas. The two fought for the foil star all season long, finishing 1-2 as the best pair of centers in the MBA.

Other 20-plus GVP performers

31 GVP...Seattle's All-MBA power forward Eric A. Crocidale...23 points (6 slams)...5 rebounds...1 assist...1 steal...1 blocked shot.

28 GVP...Oklahoma City's power forward Kevin Duran-Duran...22 points...3 rebounds...2 steals...1 assist...4 turnovers caused.

25 GVP...Oklahoma City small forward L.S. Island...21 points...2 rebounds...1 assist...1 blocked shot.

24 GVP...Seattle's All-MBA shooting guard Hilbee "the Skinny German" Juggleboy...12 points...6 blocked shots...3 rebounds...3 assists...7 points prevented.

20 GVP...Seattle's Rookie of the Year small forward J.J. "Jake" Pickle...11 points...5 rebounds...3 blocked shots...1 assist.

NEXT UP: Game 1 of the 57th MBA Finals with Oklahoma City at Dallas. The Mighty Demons are seeking to add to their already impressive list of accomplishments with an unprecedented sixth straight championship, while the Lariats look to buck all the odds in the book and become the first 5-5 team to ever win an MBA title. This marks the third time Dallas and Oklahoma City have met in the Finals, with all three times coming in the past five seasons. Dallas won the previous two times in Season 53 and 54. The Season 53 Finals went the distance, with Dallas winning the decisive fifth game in overtime. The Season 54 Finals was a Demons sweep. Dallas won both regular season meetings against the Lariats this season, by 10, then 9 points.

    

Season 57 SemiFinals Game 2...Dallas at Los Angeles

DALLAS 69, LOS ANGELES 66

DEMONS RETURN TO FINALS

LOS ANGELES -- The five-time-defending champs from Dallas are back in the MBA Finals with a chance to become the first team in league history to win six consecutive titles.

They did so in a SemiFinals that saw them blow away a worthy Los Angeles team, then demonstrate their capability of coming up huge in a close encounter as they swept their way past The Big One with a 69-66 Game 2 triumph.

This was a crazy game that featured a first half where neither club could get untracked; partly due to the defense of their opponent and partly because of just plain bad shooting. Dallas maintained the lead throughout, but Los Angeles never trailed in the contest by more than 8 points.

Both offenses picked up the scoring pace considerably in the second half, but Dallas remained ahead by 8 going into the final stanza. 

The home team Big One got to within two points of the visitors on three occasions down the home stretch before Dallas' Hall of Fame guard Juzan Djinn, having a horrid shooting night, rose up at the 6 time unit mark and buried his only trey of the game, which turned out to be the vanquishing blow.

Rumpy Pumpy Lewis of Los Angeles scored immediately to reduce the lead from 5 to 3. But by the time L.A. got the ball back, their only hope was a full court desperation attempt by Vicious Hick that was just off the mark.

Dallas showed its depth in this win, with Mini Carfartt suffering a rest-of-game injury early in the third quarter. Wrinkly Tinkly Toe, brother of Pinky Toe on Los Angeles, stepped in and scored 7 points, and when he went out on a forced rest, 15-season veteran Hurricane Furrwizard spelled him with an immediate 3-pointer, leading to 8 important points in the second half of the third quarter.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

32 GVP...Former Demon VICIOUS HICK did his best to derail his old team's championship chances, coming up with the fifth Triple-Double of his Hall of Fame career, but it was not to be. The Los Angeles point guard scored zero points, taking just four shots in the first half, but turned on the juice for 10 in the third quarter on the way to a game-high (tied) 16 points. Hick did contribute defensively, stopping Carfartt twice and even frustrating Biggus Dickus out of a basket. The 6-2 Hick was a monster on the boards throughout, pulling down a game-high 11. For the game he was 6 for 12 from the floor, including 3 treys in 4 tries and going 1 for 1 at the foul line. He also handed out a game-high 5 assists in the losing effort. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

29 GVP...Regular season MVP, Dallas' retiring Hall of Fame center Biggus Dickus...14 points...8 rebounds...3 blocked shots...2 steals...2 assists.

23 GVP...Hall of Fame Dallas guard Juzan Djinn...14 points...4 rebounds...3 assists...2 blocked shots.

23 GVP...Los Angeles retiring center Chat Bot...12 points (3 slams)...5 rebounds...4 blocked shots...2 assists.

20 GVP...Los Angeles shooting guard Pinky Toe...16 points...2 rebounds...2 assists.

NEXT UP: Seattle faces elimination on the road as it travels to Oklahoma City. These two teams have split two one-point games this season. It doesn't get any closer than that.