GOOOD!!! What a save.

I'm glad, now win two more and they can get the title.

I hope B-Hop's foot injury doesn't come back to haunt the Thrust anytime soon.

Great work on this. we get to see them again for a very pivotal Game Six. It's still the Mayors in the driver's seat though.

It was a huge play, took the breath away from the crowd. Really upset Huntsville fans who wanted to see their team receive the trophy on their court. Still, you know way out in California, thousands of Stanislaus fans all screamed together at their TVs.

Game Six is going to be hard, but hopefully a little easier with home court advantage.

Nice! Damn, the Katzenjammer can still play with the best of 'em...It's time he got that ring! and careful with the bunny's foot...achille's tendons are no fun when screwed up. Good on Doral for getting a swish too.

He may be an old cat, but Manuel Katz can still dazzle. Von Wasser wasn't crazy when he fought to convince Katz to hang on just a couple more years for his team.

It's still a tight game, though. And if the Thrust lose either of the next 2 games, Katz will end a 23 year career having visited the Finals four times... and never won a title. That'll be tough for the old cat.

There Is No Spoon! fuck yeah, matrix reference, yeah.
Also go the katzenjammer! yeah.

You gotta love sports writing. No other journalism allows you the kind of references and silliness that sports writing allows.

Wow, that was one hell of a game! Came to this kinda late though, but it was fun listening to this being made, mmhmmm!

Now I gotta listen to the other four it seems, maybe it'll inspire me. XD

Please do, and let me know what your favorite game is! Don't worry, the other games are a lot shorter! I had told myself I would never go over 4 minutes with these things...whoops. Game 5 was just too exciting, I guess.

Nyeeheehee, can do suh! *tap dances* And maybe I'll get inspired to more art, who knows? XD

Wah, as we say in Malay, "nasib baik" (luck is good). Poor BHop, sounded painful that injury. The Thrusts were really lucky that later not only one of the Mayor's players were sidelined, but the bunny came back later. I'm surprised the medics cleared him, but wearing shoes?!?! That's a first, but if it got him playing then that's good. He better rest that lucky rabbit's foot before the next game. 110-111, I don't think you could get a narrower win. Really good luck for the Thrusts.

It was a painful injury, but thankfully nothing too terrible. The trainers explained after the game it was only a sprained ankle. They would have preferred to keep B-Hop off the court, but the bunny was adamant about getting back into the game, so they wrapped up his ankle. Unfortunately, the wrap they had was slippery and had to be wrapped under his foot, which would have compromised his grip on the floor. Since they didn't have any stickier bandages available to them, B-Hop decided to put on a pair of shoes to cover the bandage and preserve his feet's grip. Thankfully, it worked.

Latest reports are that B-Hop will return for Game 6. The sprain is not severe-- he'll just be spending the time between with his foot on ice.

Certainly keeping everyone on the edge of their seats, aren't you? Yay for the intensity and can't wait for the next game.

Well, the bun bounced back from his injury pretty quick, wonder how much of that is that its minor, or how much of it is just plain adrenaline and stubborn hare?

I'm sure the ticket-scalpers are going to be making a bundle out in Stanislaus next game.

Game 6 will certainly be sold out. Everyone in Stanislaus is excited to see the return of their team. It's really proving to be an exciting series. And thankfully, the word is B-Hop will return for Game 6.

The scalpers will do well, to be sure, but so will the sports shops. There are already posters being made of "The Shot" when B-Hop won the game in overtime with an off-balance fade from deep. And of Manuel Katz's "The Kitty Quake" crashing into Alan Chesuk for that bone-crushing dunk. And lots and lots of commemorative baby shoes to cheer with. Stanislaus' new version of the Terrible Towels.

This one is awesome, and with even more action than the previous 4! Wow, this must certainly be the "2009 Bulls/Celtics Game 6" of this series! Unless somehow one of these other games goes into DOUBLE or TRIPLE OT!!

I am amazed that B-Hop came back so soon after an injury that had him unable to put pressure on his foot. Then again, maybe he just had to walk it off and get a cortisone shot. I know that with his determination and competitive spirit, there's no way he would sit out this game unless his leg was dangling from a strand! And it didn't seem to affect him much anyways if he was still able to take a couple of steps from just inside halfcourt and still get the dunk. That bunny's hops puts others' hops to shame. But that's why he's got "HOP" in his name. ;)

Sometimes all it takes is getting really really pissed off to step it up a notch. Katz will probably be feeling that one in the morning (you know AC will) but at least it shows the greymuzzle still has a vicious side. Makes me want to see him get a ring even more! It also makes me want to see the highlight of that dunk! The VO was extremely fun to do, by the way! Thank you so much for asking me to do it! ^__^

I also really want to see the last shot B-Hop hit! I dunno if they are any comparable shots in NBA history to the shot B-Hop hit, off balance with ZipNut on him at the end of OT to win it. Even Lebron James' shot was in regulation and in the Conf. Finals. This is the FINALS and OVERTIME! That shot has to rank up there with one of the most vital and historic shots in FBA history!

Man, B-Hop and Zip-Nut's averages this series must be off the charts! Both frequently scoring in the upper 30's, double digit assists (gotta love how many assists happen in these games. Means they're playing unselfish ball!) Very impressive performances from both players!

Can the Thrust pull off the comeback and send this to a Game 7 with the series all tied up? I'm not sure, but I'll certainly be on the edge of my seat. :)

Yeah, this was a big one that'll be remembered! T-Matt meant it when he said to hold on to your tails!

B-Hop demanded to be let back onto the court. The trainers wanted him to stay off the floor, but there was no chance the bunny was going to sit, especially when they confirmed he hadn't broken anything an just had a nasty sprain. Hopper is starving for that win, and not just because he wants a ring after just five years in the FBA, he wants his team to have its first trophy, and he wants Katz to retire with a title. There's a lot hanging on this game for the bunny. And thankfully, the trainers did a good job wrapping his foot and getting good shoes for him-- even though he still hates wearing them.

Poor Katz absolutely regretted that play the next day-- his body's not as young as it used to be. Still, if he's been known for anything, it's his tireless work ethic, his complete devotion to the game, and his undying support for his team. T-Matt put it best in one article he wrote about him: "Katz has never been the best shooter, or the best rebounder, or the best defenseman. But he's always been the best player."

And yes, B-Hop's shot is absolutely one of the greatest in Finals history. That video is going to be replayed in every highlight reel for years to come. And that poster is going to be a staple in Stanislaus.

That's the big question... the Thrust still have a heck of a climb, they can't afford a single loss. But at least now they get homecourt advantage. Boy, Von Wasser really, really wishes he hadn't dropped that first game now!

And Von Wasser wishes they didn't lose the 3rd game... or the 4th. We'd want to win every game if he could. ;)

That shot.... wow... I'm gonna be imitating B-Hop's heroics next time I'm practicing on the court, hehe. "B-Hop and Zip-Nut both run for the ball, the bunny has it! One second left, Hopper takes the leaning 3 for the game... IT'S GOOOOOOD!!! IT'S GOOOOOD!!! B-HOP DRAINS IT!!! THRUST WIN THE GAME!!!"

I cannot WAIT for the poster memorializing that shot... Maybe you should do it before game 6, while it's still fresh in our minds (and is unaffected by the outcome). Whichever order you do them in though, I am looking forward to seeing what that last shot looked like. Hell, I'm tempted to draw it myself, haha!

Katz and B-Hop are gonna be banged up for the next couple of games, that's for sure. Let's hope that their iron will can carry their bodies forward for the last (1 to 2) games. This is no time to get tired and poop out! Come Stanislaus, you can do it! Make history! :-D

Is Katz FBA's Kevin Willis?

Absolutely! At 23 years, he's been playing in the FBA as long as Willis did when he finally retired. Though unlike Willis, Katz has never won a title, even though he's now been in the Finals 4 times, including the current Finals against the Mayors.

I'll write something up about Katz after the Finals are finished. He's really a terrific character. A penniless stray growing up in Central America, he took up basketball when he found his tall, lanky body had an easier time dribbling a soccer ball than kicking it. He eventually made his way North and got into the FBA as a walk-on tryout, so he was never drafted. 23 years later, that scruffy, lanky jungle cat is still playing hard, thanking the FBA every day for giving him a chance.

I'm not sure if Kevin Willis could have taken the ball to the rack quite like Katz just did in his upper age. ;)

But I would love to read the backstory of Manuel Katz! He's a very intriguing character!

I do have a question though, and this is gonna seem sooo... judgmental? But ... does he flop a lot? Every South American/European player I can think of (especially ones that played soccer growing up) have taken to flopping like crazy! (Ginobili and Varejao... and your boy Divac!) Maybe Katz was brought up in a time where it wasn't that popular in the FBA and the refs just let the animals play. ;)

You are so judgmental!! Divac elevated flopping to an art! He was the best flopper in the league! Shaq said so on camera!

Katz has always been a team player and done what his team needed, so I could certainly see that at times in his career, he was a big flopper. He's played with a lot of different teams and for a lot of coaches, so somewhere down the line he was almost certainly instructed to start taking flops. And if that's what his team needed, he'd do it, and do it the very best he could.

At the same time, I doubt he would have done it on his own. He'd prefer just to play and defend the post up with his skills rather than his lack of balance. But sometimes you gotta do what coach tells you...

...unless coach is trying to tell you not to get payback on an opponent for injuring your point guard.

Hahaha, well even a true team player will occasionally take matters into their own hands if it is what they feel will best benefit the team. ;)

I can see Katz being a flopper on some teams in an effort to help them. And don't get me wrong, it does help. It's just that when you have a flopper on your own team, you praise them and say good job. But when your team is playing against a flopper, there is NOTHING MORE INFURIATING than the guy flopping against your players and getting the call. NOTHING!

Quality stuff being brought overall.

In this series, you've written good descriptions of basketball scenarios, voiced it all well, and occasionally done well with sounds.

But around 5:00-5:10, you refer to Doral as a girl, which is inconsistent.

Yeah, that was actually intentional. I like the idea of T. Matt Latrans having difficulty figuring out what pronouns to use with hir, and had planned on eventually using it as a payoff for a joke where the coyote admits he has no idea what pronouns to use.

I was aware of the "chakat" pronouns, and took that as how they would be pronounced. But in G-rated terms, people like Olympic women's track champion Stella Walsh are men, full stop.

Really? Every reference I've ever seen to Stella Walsh has used female pronouns. I mean, she lived as a woman her entire life and only posthumously was found to have male chromosomes.

Honestly, I'm not sure of the best practices for this, but I think this is one of the new challenges of coming up with furry sports reporting.

Well, the ESPN Sports Almanac says that her autopsy found that Walsh was a "man." This is a family page (even if it isn't a family site), so I won't go into more detail.

I really hope my narrow viewpoints haven't affected the way you do anything, because I wouldn't want to bother with this fine work. But like you say, it kinda depends on which of the two he wants.

unbelievable performance by Hopper! wow man that is what legends are made of. i have wanted to show some love to the baller bunny with your permission, sometime I'd like to get a commission of my character Jamilla rockin' a Hop jersey. She is a bball fanatic from the west coast and I think it'd make a tight pic showin some support for the awe inspiring court work of a hoops legend in the making.

That would be sweet, Dub-C! Permission granted! I'd love to see a Hopper jersey out there. If you need any reference, just use  jtigerclaw's awesome B-Hop pics.

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2348741/
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2380032/

props kid! I'll see what I can come up with

Wow, I dunno if Epic (yes with a capital E) properly describes this game or the way it was presented! The way you stopped the music to cover B-Hop's injury, the cutaway to the dramatic Katz play and then the game winning bucket. You just hit everything with the right amount of excitement and emotion that really gets your listener into the action.

I'm really impressed here. This stuff is good. Very, very good