Milwaukee 69, Sacramento 51 (Game 1)
MILWAUKEE--Veteran point guard Benny Lava (game-high 22 points, game-high 6 rebounds)led the way for the home team Greyhounds who took over after a close first half and coasted to a 69-51 decision in the first of the best of three playoff games.
Lava and All-MBA Hall of Famer Hrundi V. Bakshi (18 points)proved to be a potent one-two punch for Milwaukee. The league's top scoring team shot 51.9 percent compared to the league's worst point-producing bunch, which was held to just 46.2 percent accuracy. The stats held true in the rebounding department as well, as the best team in basketball mauled the worst in that department 23-12.
Zingo Mamaluke played well for the losing River Dogs, scoring 18 points and recording three steals.
The game saw a plethora of thefts, with the River Dogs recording six while the Greyhounds accounted for eight. Blocked shots were flying all over as well. Sacramento recorded 11 blocks, and Milwaukee nearly matched that number with 10.
Milwaukee 83, Sacramento 56 (Game 2)
SACRAMENTO--The beating was more thorough this time, with the Greyhounds of Milwaukee shamelessly picking on the underdog River Dogs 83-56 in front of the losers' home crowd.
It was the Milwaukee guards again leading the way and this time Benny Lava was joined by running mate Hrundi V. Bakshi as co-MVP of the Game. Lava led both teams in scoring again with 21 points, despite fouling out, and Bakshi rang up 19, while leading his team with 5 rebounds.
Stretch Cunningham led Sacramento with 14 points and both teams with 6 boards.
The Greyhounds now await the winner of the Philadelphia-San Jose series to play for the MBA title for the first time in 12 seasons.
Milwaukee's franchise has not advanced this far since Hall of Famer Tommy Zoop left the franchise after the team fell one game short of a championship in Season 20. Zoop was a fresh-faced rookie the last time the Greyhounds tasted champagne from the MBA loving cup, way back in Season 18. Milwaukee has been eliminated in the first round five times since the Zoop era ended.
Still, they trail only Philadelphia in overall titles, winning seven times in the first 18 seasons.
San Jose 80, Philadelphia 60 (Game 1)
SAN JOSE -- The Fighting Amigos shocked the basketball world in this semifinal opener, clobbering the three-time defending champion Phobia 80-60 in a game they dominated from start to finish.
Fat Bob Herzfeld (18 points, 4 steals) delivered a 4-point play on the first time unit of the ball game, hitting a trey, getting fouled and making his free throw. And the Amigos were off to the races, despite the fact that Tyler Masterson was tossing the dice for the Philadelphia team.
L.B. Damned (21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks) was the Game MVP for San Jose. Herzfeld's back court mate Funsy Van Slochum added 15 more for the winners.
Meanwhile, the toughest defense in the league was holding Philly to 43.6 percent shooting, making the next contest between these two a do-or-die for the Phobia.
Philadelphia 91, San Jose 66 (Game 2)
PHILADELPHIA--Apparently the Philadelphia Phobia is comfortable on its home floor. With every starter in double figures and none scoring fewer than 14 points, the three-time defending champs not only stayed alive in their hunt for a fourth title, they made a bold statement with this game, exceeding the 20-point margin of victory of San Jose in Game 1 and scoring 91 points against the best defense in the MBA.
After a close first half in which they led 42-39, Philadelphia totally dominated the third and fourth quarters. Center Ama Spikie was the game's high scorer with 24 and the MVP of the Game. Tug Hershorts, the Phobia's 6-11 power forward, registered the second triple-double of his career, scoring 15 points, grabbing a game-high 6 boards and dishing out 5 assists.
The Fighting Amigos blocked nine Philadelphia shots, but it mattered little, as the home team shot a smoking 61.3 percent while getting off 62 shots in the process. Jerry Curl chipped in with 17, Cheetos Jones had 15 and Sunny Osiris added 14 in the romp.
The only notable scorer for San Jose was Game 1 MVP L.B. Damned, who had 18.
The win sets up a winner-takes-the-series showdown in Game 3 at San Jose.
Batten the hatches.
Philadelphia 81, San Jose 76 (Game 3)
SAN JOSE--A 31-point fourth quarter by the home team Fighting Amigos was not enough to make up a 16-point deficit, so the Philadelphia Phobia will have a chance to go after their fourth consecutive title.
San Jose cooked its own goose with 10 fouls in the opening quarter that gave Philly 9 points at the charity stripe and a more-than-solid 26-14 lead. The advantage increased at the end of the next two quarters, thanks to some smoking 3-point shooting by the visitors (10 for 14 from long range).
But with no hope in sight and Cheetos Jones fouled out for Philly, the Amigos began a comeback that saw them cut the 16-point deficit to 8, then 6, then 4 points at 76-72 before Philadelphia's power forward Tug Hershorts (12 points) delivered the dagger in the form of a 3-point basket, putting an end to the late charge.
Hall of Famer Sagittal Occlusal, playing in his final contest for the San Jose franchise, was at the forefront of the comeback attempt and named the Game MVP for his game-high 21 point performance, which included 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots.
They will never see his like again.
Cheetos Jones led Philadelphia in scoring with 20 (including 5 for 8 from 3-point range), and again, all five starters were in double figures for Philly.
When it came down to it, the calling card of San Jose, the league's best defense, was trumped by the offense of Philadelphia.
The Phobia, the franchise with the most titles in MBA history (13), will now face the franchise with the next-most titles, Milwaukee (7).
The two Eastern Division powers met twice in the regular season, with Milwaukee winning both encounters; the first a home win (69-54) and the second an 84-76 overtime win on Philadelphia's home court.
The two franchises have met in the MBA finals five times prior to this, in Seasons 4,6,11,18 and 19. The first four times they met in the finals, Milwaukee was victorious. But Philadelphia prevailed in Season 19, which happens to be the last time the Greyhounds made it to the final series.
Until now.
