So Cal Surf 54-35 (5-3)

Fresno Stars 63-19 (3-5)

Score (click for boxscore)	Game MVP	Hi Points	Hi Rebounds	Hi Assists
1. Stars 126, Surf 91	Magic Johnson	29 Chris Mullin	12 J.Kersey/M.Cage	10 Magic Johnson
2. Surf 148, Stars 129	Chris Mullin	35 Chris Mullin	14 Patrick Ewing	16 Magic Johnson
3. Surf 141, Stars 135	Mitch Richmond	36 Patrick Ewing	14 Moses Malone	20 John Stockton
4. Stars 135, Surf 119	Patrick Ewing	37 Patrick Ewing	13 Patrick Ewing	16 Magic Johnson
5. Stars 171, Surf 131	Patrick Ewing	42 Chris Mullin	16 Blair Rasmussen	10 Magic Johnson
6. Stars 149, Surf 114	Magic Johnson	30 Mitch Richmond	11 Jerome Kersey	11 John Stockton

Game 1 – Fresno exploded out of the gates, establishing a 20-point lead fueled by fastbreak dominance (17 fastbreak points in the half) and efficient offense. Magic Johnson led the charge with 9 early points and 5 assists, orchestrating a quick tempo that So Cal could not match. In the 2nd, Fresno’s bench contributed massively (61 total bench points), with Terry Teagle and Blair Rasmussen combining for 36 points off the bench. The third period saw So Cal tighten their defense and briefly cut into Fresno’s lead behind Chris Mullin’s scoring. Fresno sealed the win in the 4th with a balanced attack and dominant paint presence (68 points in the paint vs. So Cal’s 40). A 12-4 scoring run midway through the quarter by Fresno killed any comeback hopes. Magic was named MVP with 25 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds. Blair Rasmussen added 22 points and 8 boards. For So Cal, Mullin finished with a game-high 29 points and hauled in 10 boards. Mitch Richmond tallied 20 points.

Game 2 – The game began with a high-scoring pace as both teams traded baskets early. Fresno briefly held a 3-point lead—their largest of the game—but So Cal’s offensive execution, spearheaded by John Stockton’s playmaking and Chris Mullin’s scoring, saw them close the quarter on a strong run. Mullin scored efficiently, and Stockton racked up assists early to fuel So Cal’s slight 4-point edge after one. Momentum swung firmly in So Cal’s favor in the second quarter. Chris Mullin dominated with mid-range jumpers and aggressive drives, finishing the half with a game-high scoring pace. So Cal’s ball movement, highlighted by Stockton’s precision passing and Mitch Richmond’s all-around play, helped open up the floor. Meanwhile, Fresno kept pace largely due to Patrick Ewing’s inside dominance and Dražen Petrović’s sharp shooting, but turnovers (14 total in the game) and defensive lapses began to hurt. So Cal extended their lead to 9 points at halftime. So Cal widened the gap with efficient half-court offense and aggressive defense. Danny Manning and Moses Malone asserted themselves inside, while Mullin remained unstoppable, drawing fouls and converting at the line (15-16 FT overall). Fresno began to unravel, with mounting foul trouble and missed defensive assignments. Ewing continued to battle inside, tallying blocks and rebounds, but couldn’t stem the tide as So Cal took a 16-point lead into the final frame. espite a valiant effort from Fresno’s bench—Tony Teagle and Jerome Kersey contributed solid scoring—the deficit proved insurmountable. So Cal kept their foot on the gas with balanced scoring, transition opportunities, and elite free-throw shooting (42-48 FT overall). Magic Johnson, despite a modest scoring output, orchestrated Fresno’s offense and tallied 16 assists but also committed 8 turnovers under pressure. Ultimately, So Cal’s relentless pace and offensive efficiency (57% FG) sealed the win. Mullin: 35 points (9-10 FG, 15-16 FT), 6 rebounds – Game MVP. Stockton added 30 points and 14 dimes. Ewing’s 29 points and 14 boards topped the defending champs.

Game 3 – After exchanging convincing wins in Selland Arena, the So Cal Surf and Fresno Stars headed south down State Highway 99 to the Fabulous Forum. The Surf were essentially unstoppable in the first quarter, riding 61% shooting from the field to take a 37-32 lead. The Stars were just happy to keep it that close. John Stockton led the charge with 9 assists. To start the second quarter, Fresno applied a halfcourt trap, which led to many steals and fastbreak points enroute to an 18-7 run and a 50-44 lead. At the 6:44 mark, John Stockton picked up his third foul, and Fresno hoped this could be a chance to expand its lead. However, So Cal played Fresno even the rest of the quarter, and the Stars entered halftime with a 72-66 lead, leaving Fresno feeling like it lost an opportunity. The third quarter was a close affair, ending with So Cal shaving 3 points off of Fresno’s lead, leaving the score 102-99 Stars heading into the fourth. So Cal fiercely defended its homecourt in the fourth quarter, starting out with a 15-7 run in the first 5:20 of the quarter to grab the lead 114-109. Fresno would get as close as 125-123 with 3:33 left to play, but the Surf asserted itself and pulled away to get the 141-135 win. John Stockton took MVP honors with 16 points and 20 assists. Danny Manning also contributed with timely scoring, garnering 28 points on 13-16 shooting.

Game 4 – Fresno entered Game 4 needing to even the series with a SoCal team that had won the last two game by flexing its offensive muscle, netting 140+ points in each victory. In the first quarter, SoCal continued its high-powered offense, shooting 79%. However, the first quarter ended with the score tied at 33 due to Fresno grabbing 8 offensive rebounds and causing 7 SoCal turnovers. In the second quarter, Fresno managed to slow down SoCal’s offense a bit, but the Surf took a 67-61 lead into halftime. The Stars came out strong in the third quarter, tying the game at 81 with 5:43 left. Foul trouble put Mullin and Richmond on the bench for the Surf. The teams continued to battle evenly through the rest of the quarter, with SoCal taking a 102-100 lead into the fourth. SoCal’s shooting percentage for the game was 68% to this point. The only thing keeping Fresno in the game was it generated 20 turnovers from the Surf and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. Fresno decided to play Deny defense against all of SoCal’s players except Malone, who it played Tight. The strategy seemed to work in the first part of the fourth quarter, as Fresno took a 118-114 lead with just under 6 minutes remaining and both teams in the bonus. Then, Fresno went on an 11-3 run to take a 129-117 lead with 1:52 remaining. Chris Mullins, plagued with foul trouble all game fouled out after playing just 12:28 but still scoring 13 points. Fresno went on from there to get the 135-119 win. Patrick Ewing led Fresno with 37 points and 13 rebounds. SoCal was paced by John Stockton and his 18 points and 13 assists. SoCal, hot from the field through the first three quarters, shot just 32% in the fourth quarter. Along with its defense in the fourth, the keys for Fresno were its getting 22 offensive rebounds and generating 28 turnovers against 27 assists for the Surf.

Game 5 – This one was bad, embarrassingly bad for the So Cal faithful. All was going well for the Surf until about the midpoint of the 2nd Quarter, then everything crashed for the Tide Guys… Fouls were a big issue for So Cal early (John Stockton received his 3rd halfway thru the 1st, which was the beginning of the end looking back at it), and throughout. Couldn’t stop the Stars Shooting, matched by not being able make a shot, to go with continuously turning the ball over for no reason. It became a mess and Fresno rightly shoved SCS’ noses in it. Sigh… The Surf hope to force a Game #7 where anything can happen (to use the cliché) in Game Six on their home court, they certainly cannot play any worse.

Game 6 – Fresno and SoCal headed back to the Fabulous Forum for Game 6, where Fresno was hoping to close out the series. The beginning of the game did not look good for the Stars, with SoCal holding a 20-14 lead midway through the quarter, Magic sitting on the bench with 2 fouls, and the Surf shooting 75% from the field. However, the Fresno bench picked up for Magic with 10 points, leaving the Stars ahead 31-30 after one. The first half of the second quarter was an even battle, with the score tied 52-52 at the 5:34 mark. However, from there, Fresno went on a 25-12 run to finish the half ahead 77-64. Patrick Ewing and Magic Johnson led the charge, scoring 12 points apiece in the quarter. The Stars continued their hot ways, outscoring the Surf 42-20 in the third, leaving the score 119-84 entering the fourth. In the fourth, the Surf could not reduce the deficit, with the teams playing evenly, 30-30, leaving the final score 149-114 Stars. The key to the game seemed to be rebounding, where Fresno held a 63-37 advantage. The last two games went Fresno’s way, but the Stars leave the series with a sense of escape. The Surf have an incredibly potent team, all orchestrated by perhaps the best PG in history in John Stockton, all of whom are just entering their prime. The Surf look to be very tough for the foreseeable future.