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. 

Season 52 All Star Game

EAST 91, WEST 73

EAST THE BEAST ONCE AGAIN

SAN JOSE -- Despite the presence of three Hall of Fame players in the West starting lineup, the East prevailed easily 91-73 in this 52nd All Star Game. They now lead the series 33-19.

Hall of Fame center J.J. Gargantuan of Sacramento's 2 rebounds in this game tied him for fifth place all time in All Star Game rebounds with Hall of Fame center Bart Pitbull. Both have 26. The all-time leader in that category is Diamond Dallas Paige with 45. 

MVP OF THE GAME

36 GVP...As correctly predicted by Dave Masterson, Philadelphia's first-time All Star D. FENESTRATION took MVP honors. The fourth-year forward follows teammate Ehhy Table's MVP of the All Star Game last season. The 6-7 do-everything Fenestration posted a game-high 26 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, tied for team-high with 3 assists, blocked 1 shot and accounted for his team's only steal. He was 12 for 15 from the floor and 2 for 3 from the foul line in his ASG debut. 

Other 20-plus GVP performers

31 GVP...Perhaps the league's finest two-way guard, Juzan Djinn of Philadelphia delivered a triple-double while frustrating Hall of Famer and league scoring leader Jesse Shershot into a low-percentage shooting game. The third-year man scored 17 points, snared 7 rebounds and tied for game-high in blocked shots with 5, adding 2 assists for good measure.

28 GVP...Sacramento's shining star rookie forward Kevin Duran-Duran did not disappoint in his first All Star Game, leading the West in scoring with 20 points and in rebounds with 4. The 6-9 newcomer also doled out 3 assists and had 1 steal.

22 GVP...Silky smooth rookie guard Kopi Luwak of Dallas showed off his superb offensive chops in the East victory. Despite being guarded by Great Gruncle Terry, the 6-2 Luwak scored 14 points, had 5 rebounds and tied for team-high in assists with 3. 

22 GVP...Third-year Gillette forward Billie "Be-bop" Bauer celebrated his first All Star start with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. 

21 GVP...Oklahoma City center Chochky Galumpkus had to really work, but managed to score 17 points against Hall of Fame defender J.J. Gargantuan, adding 2 assists, 1 rebound and 1 blocked shot. 

20 GVP...Hometown hero Jesse Shershot was shadowed most of the game by defensive master Juzan Djinn, but the Hall of Famer used volume shooting to put in 19 points despite the harrassment. He added 1 board. 

NEXT UP: We start the second half of the season with the FEATURED GAME of bracket No. 6 as third-place Oklahoma City travels to second-place Philadelphia. The Phobia had an easy time with the Lariats in their earlier meeting, besting them 80-63 behind the POG performance of D. Fenestration.

 

Season 52 All Star Rosters, League Leaders, All Star Game facts...plus Newest Hall of Famer

Season 52 All Star Game Rosters

--first appearance of critics' favorite D. Fenestration of Philadelphia

-- Sheetrock Hudson of Charleston is the only repeat starter for the East from last year's star team

-- Half of the two all star rosters, i.e. 10 players, are first-timers in the Star Game

-- Last season's All Star Game MVP, Ehhy Table of Philadelphia, did not make it back to the game. Thus, this guarantees there will be a new ASG MVP this season.

-- The East leads the series 32-19

-- Hall of Fame center J.J. Gargantuan of Sacramento is making his 10th All Star Game appearance, tying him with Uncle Bob Masterson and Momadou Zongo for second-most appearances ever. The most appearances ever belongs to Max Payne, with 11. It is Gargantuan's first ASG appearance since Season 47.

-- The West All Stars have a Hall of Fame backcourt in the starting lineup in Great Gruncle Terry and Jesse Shershot. Add Gargantuan to that starting lineup and the West has three active Hall of Famers in its starting lineup. 

-- This ASG appearance by Jesse Shershot gives him 15 awards on his card, tying him for 15th place all-time in the Hall of Fame with Doc Watson and Cam Bodia. Shershot moves past Cheetos Jones, Dan Mann and Colquitt Croix in the rankings.

-- This will be the final All Star Game for Great Gruncle Terry of Los Angeles. It will also be the first and last All Star Game appearance for Buddy "Stankpig" Pigglesworth of Sacramento. Both will be retiring.

-- Three rookies made it to the game this season, with two making it as starters.

-- One of the three rookies in the game, Kopi Luwak of Dallas, was not even deemed "excellent" in pre-draft scouting reports. He is currently leading the way for Rookie of the Year honors.

Recent All Star Games 

This Season's Game will be players in San Jose.

League leaders at the Halfway Mark

Great Gruncle Terry ... 57th Member of the MBA Hall of Fame

-- One of the greatest defensive guards of all time and one of the most impactful

-- A record six-time league-leader in assists who led every team he was on in that department.

-- In eight seasons thus far, led four teams to championships from his point guard position -- two in Sacramento and two in Los Angeles. In five of those seasons, his teams won their division and his teams made the playoffs in every season but two.

-- He led his team in blocked shots five times. One of the times he did not lead his team in blocks was the season he blocked a career-best 25 shots for Milwaukee.

-- Did not even make the All-Rookie team his first year, losing out to Fatty McButterpants and Lannigan Lord Hobo; but he was the only one of that special rookie trio of guards to make the Hall of Fame. 

-- Enjoy him while you can...this is his ninth and final season.

Ten Most Recent Hall of Famers

Season 52...Great Gruncle Terry...guard...Active

Season 51...Dr. Marcus Brody...guard (by veteran's committee)

Season 50...Jesse Shershot... guard ... Active

Season 49...Doo-rag Dripp... forward

Season 48...Tree Fiddy... center

Season 47...Dis Reflexia... center (by veteran's committee)

Season 46...Baba Brinkman... forward (by veteran's committee)

Season 45...Chip "the Crip" Battoe...forward

Season 44...J.J. Gargantuan... center ... Active...and Colquitt Croix... guard

Anybody care to make a prediction on which Division will win the game or who will be the Game MVP?

I'm predicting the West...with D. Fenestration as my pick for MVP. 

NEXT UP: The 52nd MBA All Star Game

 

Season 52 Retirements

 

-- Spicey "Chicken" Choop-Choop's long residency in the cut pile comes to an end after 11 long seasons...never having seen the light of day (or the tabletop lamp) in the MBA. He was the longest "active" member in the cut pile, but fell well short of the record 16 consecutive seasons served by Jalapa Valley.

-- 18 players retired, meaning that the MBA will be two players less next season, since 16 rookies join the league every season. Six of the 18 players were starters.

-- Amazingly, half of the franchises suffered zero retirements.

-- Two-time defending champion Los Angeles was the hardest hit team, losing four players, including two starters, one being Great Gruncle Terry, the most accomplished new retiree, who led Los Angeles to its two most recent championships and Sacramento to two others.  

-- Sacramento lost three players, including both starting guards.

-- San Jose lost three players, including starter Otto Palindrome, who, in the tradition of MBA retirees,  is having the best year of his career.

-- Milwaukee lost two players, including starting forward Entha Shortzone.

-- Seattle lost two bench guys.

-- Gillette, Charleston, Dallas, Philadelphia and Oklahoma City all escaped without a retirment. Note that four of this quintet are from the powerful East Division.

-- 8 guards, including 4 starting guards, retired.

-- 8 forwards, including 2 starting forwards, retired.

-- just 2 centers, neither a starter, retired.

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