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Costa Mesa Condors 79-13 (0-2)

Fresno Stars 86-6 (2-0)

Game 1 – The Condor-Stars rivalry commences again in a VBA Final for the third time in 4 years.  Each has won a Championship vs the other with this year’s series to ‘settle the score’.  Both teams have ridden their respective stars with a deep supporting cast bench.  Magic and Patrick Ewing, Akeem Olajuwon and  Zeke, and starting support from Alvin Robertson and Jerome Kersey, Rolando Blackman and Harold Pressley and former teammates playing on opposite sides acquired by their respective teams at the trade deadline, Hot Plate Wililams and Kevin McHale.  Also, incredible bench players of Doc Rivers, Charles Oakley, Vinnie Johnson and Cliff Levingston, (who would probably start on other teams). Sold-out Selland Area was buzzing with excitement with the anticipation of the two run-and-gun style teams bringing the action.  The Condors open the game with the first 5 points, but the Stars close the 1st quarter on a 13-4 run to establish a 37-33 lead.  Robertson and Kersey pickup the slack of Ewing and his backup, LaSalle Thompson’s, early foul trouble (2 fouls in the opening 2 minutes, 2 fouls 6minues in, respectively).  Though Costa Mesa was not able to capitalize as Olajuwon got his second with 3 minutes to play in the 1st.  McHale and Isiah Thomas led the visitors with 10 and 8, respectively.  Mid-second period, the Condors go on a 14-6 run to take the lead at 52-50.  The two heavyweights traded baskets until the halftime buzzer with the Condors leading 65-64.  The Selland crowd greets the hometown team with a big cheer to get the team going out of the half.  The Stars respond by breaking out a 13-2 run to go up 10 at 77-67.  The Condors got off the floor from that haymaker and responded with their own run of  7-2 to close out the 3rd to bring the score to a 94-92 Stars lead.  The 4th kept the crowd on the edge of their seats as the teams alternated on mini runs back-and-forth.  With 4 minutes left the Stars take their turn by rattling off a 7-0 run, making it a 126-115 lead with 2.53 left.  The undaunted Costa Mesa squad responds with a 6-0 run of their own. Coach Mark Landhuis yells from the sidelines to double-team Thompson as he receives the ball on the blocks.  Thompson wiggles a pass to knife through the double-team to find Kersey open.  Olajuwon was a step late to block the shot and ended up fouling Kersey – SWISH and ONE!  The Selland crowd goes crazy.  Kersey makes his 6th FT out of 7 to extend the home team’s lead to 129-121.  And that was enough to seal the game, Stars defeat the Condors 133-124. Game MVP award goes to the clutch shot and FT shooting of Kersey who finished the game with 25p 8r to pick up the slack from Ewing getting only 20+ minutes.  Robertson and Rivers contributed both offensively and defensively this game, 26p 13r 4stl but 9to and 21p 7a 5stl off the bench, respectively.  The Condors were led by Thomas’ 23p 12a, McHale with 28p 10r and Olajuwon 28p 12r 4stl 3blk.  In the postgame interview coach Mark Landhuis stated that he thought that his team executed the game plan pretty well, getting the Stars players in foul trouble but the issue was the great defense of Robertson and Rivers to hold the Condor backcourt to a collective 8-42 shooting excluding Zeke’s 8-12.  The two giants will take the day off tomorrow and resume the day after in this powerhouse matchup.

Game 2 – Round 2 Game 2 between the two VBA heavyweights and the Selland Arena is sold out again to witness the battle. This game it is Jerome Kersey and John Williams that get into foul trouble with both riding the pine with 2 each with 8 minutes left to play in the 1st. Patrick Ewing soon followed them to the bench with his own 2 fouls with 5:15 to play in the first. You would think that the Condors would have the Stars right where they want their opponent with their main big men sitting out some of the game in foul trouble. But Fresno kept coming with their reinforcements and finished the quarter on a 15-6 run to take a 42-34 lead. Magic with bench help LaSalle Thompson and Paul Pressey scored 11, 8 and 8 respectively. The visitors were led by Rolando Blackman and Akeem Olajuwon with 11 and 10. Mid-second quarter the Fresno squad started on a 21-6 run to establish a solid 19 point lead at 71-52 with 3:18 left before intermission. But the Condors cut the lead in half before heading to the locker rooms, 77-69. The Stars turned up their fast break machine with the big men in foul trouble by scoring 24 of their points in transition in one half! Coach Landhuis must have had inspirational speech at half as the Costa Mesa club trailed by only 2 to start the 4th quarter, 102-100. Fresno opened the final quarter with a 12-5 run, to establish a 9 point lead. The Condors whittled the lead down several times only to see the home team extend it back. The final ended up sending the home crowd happy with a 140-132 victory over Costa Mesa. Game MVP Magic Johnson was hounded all day by I​siah Thomas​, but despite his turnovers (11!!) had an excellent linescore of 28p 12r 13a 3stl for a triple​-double. The winners had a solid bench performance from Lasalle Thompson with 18p 12r 3a and Pat-Man finishing 15p 9r and didn’t foul out despite the early foul trouble 5. The Condors were led by Blackman’s 34p 6r, Olajuwon’s 18p 7r and McHale’s 30p 6r. The defending Champions are looking good for a three-peat hav​ing captured the first two contests. The Costa Mesa partisan crowd will be waiting to coax a rally from their team.

Game 3 – Costa Mesa jumped out to a 21-11 lead in the first 6 minutes of the game. Fresno slowly worked its way back to tie it at 30-30 until the end of the quarter, when unsung hero Jerome Lane converted a 3-point play at the buzzer to give the Condors a 33-30 lead after one. LaSalle Thompson led Fresno with 9 points, and Isiah scored 8 for Costa Mesa. Early in the second quarter, Akeem Olajuwon picked up his 3rd foul and headed to the bench, but instead of Fresno taking advantage, Costa Mesa had a great quarter, winning it 39-27 to take a 72-57 lead into halftime. Isiah had a brilliant first half, scoring 23. The Condors’ defense also shined, causing 15 Fresno turnovers against just 11 assists. Fresno played better in the 3rd quarter, but Costa Mesa also had a good quarter, extending its lead to 109-91 to enter the fourth. Fresno started the fourth on a 14-4 run to cut the lead to 8 with 9:40 to play. Hope was returning to the Stars, but immediately Patrick Ewing picked up his 5th foul, sending him to the bench. However, Ewing was back in the game just a couple of minutes later, as Fresno needed him if they wanted to come back. Then, with 5:58, Ewing fouled out. At the 5:15 mark and down by 14, Fresno applied full court pressure. The strategy worked, as Fresno went on a 17-6 run to cut the lead to 135-132 with 1:37 to play, including Olajuwon picking up his 6th foul at the 3:32 mark. However, Rolando Blackman hit a clutch jump shot with 1:26 remaining to get the Condors’ lead back to 5. Fresno scored to cut the lead to 3 again, but Kevin McHale hit an inside shot with 50 seconds left to play, giving the Condors a 5-point lead, and Fresno could not get any closer, giving the Condors the 143-136 victory. Isiah Thomas was game MVP with 31 points and 9 assists.

Game 4 – This was an amazing game, with 22 lead changes and 18 ties. The biggest lead by either team was 10. Both teams had their fast breaks working (Fresno 34 points on 17-23 shooting and Costa Mesa 39 points on 18-27 shooting). This close affair came down to the fourth quarter, with the score 137-136 for Fresno and 2:36 to play. Then, Patrick Ewing blocked an Akeem Olajuwon shot and Fresno scored on a fast break to take a 3-point lead. At 1:55, Costa Mesa could have retaken the lead, but Vinnie Johnson missed 2 free throws. On the next possession, Fresno went inside to Jerome Kersey, who was matched up against a smaller Rolando Blackman. Blackman fouled Kersey, and Kersey hit the free throws to take a 3-point lead. Fresno decided to try a half-court trap, and Ewing got the steal. At 1:13, Fresno again went to Kersey inside against Isiah Thomas on a switch, and Kersey scored to give Fresno a 5-point lead. At 1:04, Olajuwon scored inside to cut the lead to 3. The next time down the court, Costa Mesa’s defense was very tough. Fresno missed its shot, but Magic got the offensive rebound. He passed up the shot attempt to reset the offense. With 30 seconds left, Magic was fouled and he made the free throws, giving Fresno a 5-point lead, and the Stars held on from there to get the 150-142 win. Magic was the MVP, with 41 points, 11 rebounds and 17 assists. For the Condors, Isiah, Akeem, and Blackman all scored 30+.

Game 5 – With the Condors down 3-1 and playing in hostile territory, they looked to scratch back to continue the series.  The visitors score the first two baskets but the Stars go on a 19-4 run.  The teams trade mini runs to end the quarter 36-29 with the Stars leading.  Both teams have balanced scoring, but have foul trouble as LaSalle Thompson picked up his second at 6:44 left in the first.  The Condors claw back to a 2 point deficit at half 72-70.  The Stars continue to spread the ball around where 6 players scored 8 or better in the half.  The Condors were led by Akeem Olajuwon with 16p and Vinnie Johnson with 12p.  The Stars open the second half with a 22-7 run.  The Condors trap most of the game leading to a lot of fouls by both teams, as the Condors cut the lead to 10 at 113-103.   The trap seemed to wear down the home team as the Condors took the lead on 3 consecutive fast break buckets, 135-132 with 3:28 left to play.  The rough game is epitomized by a double foul at the 2 minute mark that fouled out Patrick Ewing with Olajuwon getting his 5th.  The Stars fight back with a couple fast breaks of their own to go up 138-137 with 1:25 left.  The home team steals the ball looking to go up by 3 points but Magic gets a little too fancy with his pass and it ends up out of bounds – Condor ball.  The Condors get the ball to Olajuwon in the lane – no good, offensive rebound by Rolando Blackman.  Blackman is fouled in the act of shooting by Jerome Kersey.  Blackman is almost automatic from the line during the playoff with 95%, making them both to go up by one, 139-138.  Blair Rasmussen playing late in the game for the fouled out Ewing hits a short jumper – 140-139 Stars lead at 0:38 to go.  Rasmussen fouls Olajuwon on the other end and Akeem hits the first but misses the second to tie things up at 140 a piece. Olajuwon steals the pass from the offensive set on the Stars court, the Condors find the outlet pass and Blackman finds Olajuwon on the trailer on the break to go up 142-140 with 0:21 ticks left.  Charles Oakley makes a crucial errant pass and the Condors run out the clock to steal a “W” on the road. The rough game had a combined 72 fouls (CMC 33, FRS 39) and both teams had 46 FTA.  The home team was led by Magic’s 32p 20a 6stl 5r, Kersey added 20p 12r and John Williams chipped in 21p 10r from the bench.  The victors were led by Olajuwon’s game MVP effort of 26p 15r 7stl.  He was helped by Zeke’s 22p 10a 5r and Blackman chipping in 27p 7r 6a. Game 6 goes back to Costa Mesa, with Condor’s hopes of forcing a game 7 where anything can happen.

Game 6 – Fresno headed down California State Highway 99 to take on the Condors in Game 6. The game started out like a track meet, with the first 7 shots being made and Costa Mesa leading 11-10 after just two minutes. The game slowed down after that, but the Condors controlled most of the pace and took the first quarter 33-26. Akeem Olajuwon led the Condors with 10. In contrast, Fresno’s Magic Johnson had ZERO points and 5 turnovers. In the second quarter, Fresno worked its way back to a 40-40 tie at the 7:58 mark. However, the Condors again asserted themselves, taking a 64-54 lead into halftime. The Condors were led by a balanced attack of Isiah Thomas (15), Rolando Blackman (13) and Olajuwon (10 points, though held scoreless in the second). The key factor for Fresno was Magic, who entered halftime still with ZERO points and now 8 turnovers. In the third, Fresno opened with a 12-6 run to cut the lead to 4. However, Patrick Ewing picked up his fourth foul and headed to the bench. Though Ewing was on the bench and Magic was still struggling, Fresno took the lead 75-74 with 5:39 left in the quarter. Fresno maintained a 3-5 point lead for most of the rest of the quarter, but a bucket and foul 3-point play by Jerome Lane of the Condors with 0:00 remaining in the quarter tied the game 89-89 heading into the fourth. The teams traded the lead back and forth through the first 8 minutes of the quarter, but then two quick fast break baskets by Harold Pressley and Thomas gave the Condors a 112-107 lead with 3:36 left to play. That seemed to be the turning point in the game. After that, Fresno could get no closer than 3 points. With 2:46 left to play and the Condors up by 3, Isiah scored 5 consecutive points to give Costa Mesa an 8-point lead with 2:14 to play. Fresno scored a couple of quick buckets to cut the lead to 4 with 1:48 to play, and no one scored for about a minute as both defenses showed their mettle. Then, with 51 seconds left to play, Vinnie Johnson hit a jumper to give the Condors a 6-point lead. Costa Mesa added 8 more points from the foul line, giving the Condors a 129-115 victory. The game MVP was Akeem Olajuwon with 27 points and 15 rebounds. The series heads back up Highway 99 for a decisive game 7 at Fresno’s Selland Arena.

Game 7 – The 1988-89 VBA season comes to a close tonight with either a Three-peat Champion or another dual Championship franchise.  The Costa Mesa Condors have forced a game 7 in the Championship Series where anything can happen.  GM Joe Watkins said “we are a good team and our franchise has had its successes recently but we are not taking this Costa Mesa team lightly tonight.”  Selland Arena is the focus of the basketball world with the fans filling the space to the rafters.  The first quarter has the two heavy weights trading body blows.  Fresno leads 36-35 after 12 minutes, with neither team leading by more than 4 points. Patrick Ewing led the Stars with 13 points and Jerome Kersey chipped in 9. The Condors had 9 points by Kevin McHale and 7 by Akeem Olajuwon.  Starters Harold Pressley for the visitors and John Williams for the home team picked up 2 fouls fairly early and had to ride the pine.  The battle continues into the second quarter where Magic Johnson (9:16 left) and Isiah Thomas (6:41 left) both pick up their 3rd foul so both teams are functioning without their respective field generals.  The Condors led most of the quarter after hitting the period’s first shot.  The lead bounces from tied to 4 points up as both teams continue their hot shooting and neither team can sustain a run.  The heat builds as coach Mark Landhuis picks up a Technical Foul with 6 minutes left as he disagrees with the refs on an offensive foul by Thomas followed by a tickle foul by Cliff Levingston that sends Kersey to the line picking up his 15th point of the game.  The Condors see their slim lead evaporate to go down by 2.  But the Stars can only go up by 4 with that momentum before settling to a one bucket lead at the break, 72-70.  Kersey led the quarter scoring with 10 as the Condors had 9 players score in a balanced attack.  Both teams are shooting red hot in the game at half with the Stars shooting 63% from the field and the Condors shooting ‘only’ 54%.  There were 14 ties and 12 lead changes in the half in this tight contest and neither team was able to get a lead bigger than 6 points.  The Stars were able to match that 6-pt spread with 10:30 left in the quarter.  Then things boiled over with a flagrant foul (at 9:28) and subsequent ejection of Alvin Robertson.  Rolando Blackman hits both FTs to narrow the lead to 81-80, Condors down by 1 with the ball.  But a turnover on the inbound pass and several missed shots later the Stars build a lead to 95-87 score.  But the Condors trap starts getting turnovers and the score narrows to a 2-point Stars’ lead at the quarter end, 112-110.  With the Condor big men in foul trouble, seldom used Brad Lohaus gets 8p in 5 minutes work and Blackman led all scorers with 13p.  Also with the Condor big men in foul trouble, Ewing toppedd the Stars with 12p and Kersey chipped in 8p. Strap in folks, we have one last quarter of the season with these heavy weights slugging it out.  The Condors go on a 18-11 mini run to take a 5 point lead at 7:29 left but the Stars regain the lead at 3:36 left, 134-133.  Neither team can eliminate the other with trading baskets to a score of 136 a piece at 2:46.  In the frenzy, Costa Mesa gets called for an illegal defense.  Magic misses the FT but they get the ball.  Magic is looking to drive and he runs over Thomas for his 6th foul.  The Condors in bound the ball or do they.  The ball was deflected off of a Condor player for a turnover.  Kersey gets the ball from Ewing passing out of a double team and dunks it, 138-136 Fresno.  Condors miss a shot, the Stars’ Charles Oakley drives and he tries to dish to Ewing.  Olajuwon steals it and Blackman finishes the break with a layup, 138 a piece.  Ewing on the other end gets a dunk in the full court pressure chaos, 140-138 Stars lead! 1 minute left and Fresno presses, the Condors feed the ball to Olajuwon who splits the double team for a layup, 140 a piece.  34 seconds left, Costa Mesa doubles Oakley, but McHale tickles his arm for a foul.  Oakley hits both to take a 142-140 lead.  Stars apply full court pressure, but leave Blackman alone at the foul line extended for a jumper – swish – tied at 142 (8 second left).  The Stars are out of time outs so they quickly toss a long pass to their star center in the blocks.  Pat-man splits the double team to get a layup, 144-142 Stars lead (3 seconds).  Condors call time out to set up a half court play with 3 ticks of the clock left down 2.  Coach Landhuis calls a play to Olajuwon who will be double teamed and either shoot if he can split the double or to kick the ball to an open teammate for an easy shot.  Olajuwon gets the ball, and he sees an open McHale under the basket, but he leads McHale too much on the pass and the ball falls out of bounds and a Fresno victory is sealed.  And the Selland crowd blows the roof off with their celebration.
Congratulations to the Stars as the VBA has a Three-peat champion in Fresno!!  Game MVP and clutch performer Ewing led all scorers with 37p and had 9r, 6a and 4blk.  Kersey had 31p 9r and Paul Pressey, getting quality minutes due to the Robertson ejection and Magic foul trouble, had 14p 8a.  The runners up had McHale’s 27p 10r with Blackman’s 30p.  Coach Mark Landhuis said after the game from a quiet locker room after the loss, “we played hard but came up just short against a fantastic team.  We congratulate the Fresno team and we look to stop their championship run next year.  It hurts to not finish with a W, but we have nothing to hang our heads about.”  Robertson summed it up for the Stars in between dousings of champagne, “I lost my cool in a tightly contested championship game but my teammates picked me up.  We are a team with top talent 1-9 and when the second squad is called upon, we don’t miss a beat.” 

Series MVP – Jerome Kersey
20.4 pts, 10.7 rebs, 2.0 blks