Marvel VS DC Madness (Game 1): Avengers VS. Guardians of the Galaxy

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Game 1 of the Marvel VS DC Madness Basketball Tournament.

Let's enter the Marvel Universe first where Earth's Mightiest Heroes take on a powerful ragtag crew of players from Outer Space.

Avengers VS. Guardians of the Galaxy

1. Avengers

Center: Hulk

Power Forward: Thor

Small Forward: Iron Man

Shooting Guard: Hawkeye

Point Guard: Captain America

6th Man: Ant-Man

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

Center: Groot

Power Forward: Drax

Small Forward: Adam Warlock

Shooting Guard: Rocket Racoon

Point Guard: Star Lord

6th Man: Yondu

Location: Madison Square Garden (New York City)

Pre-Game

The Guardians of the Galaxy step out to "Hooked on a feeling" blaring loud over the speakers. The crowd goes wild, especially for the entrances of Groot and Rocket Racoon. Not so much for Star Lord (to his disappointment) despite being the Point Guard and a "legendary outlaw" in his own mind.

The Avengers run out one-by-one to the court next to their iconic instrumental movie theme by Alan Silvestri. The crowd is beyond ecstatic for each and every player. Hulk stomps his foot in excitement that nearly sends a destructive shockwave to the audience before the invisible protective force field goes up over the court (courtesy of Stark Industries). However, the combined power of Thor's hammer and Adam Warlock's energy manipulation saves the day.

The above incident predictably sets off some unprofessional smack talking. Rocket tries to pick a fight with Hulk but is pulled back by Groot. That doesn't stop Hawkeye from calling him a rabid smelly rodent. Star Lord and Yondu defend their furry friend by calling out Hawkeye's apparent love for sporting lavender and ask if he has a matching knockoff Prada handbag to go with his uniform. Thor says that discrimination based on one's color preference is another reason why Asgardians cannot understand the primitive culture of mortals. "Whatever, Goldilocks" utters Star Lord. Thor has no reaction but Iron Man does. His mask lifts open and he asks Star Lord if he is needed as a peanut vendor at the local vegetarian baby dinosaur petting zoo before winking to the camera. Before Drax can grab Iron Man in a chokehold and a fight breaks outt, Cap yells "enough" and calls out his fellow Avengers for their behavior. Adam Warlock does the same for the Guardians. Cap and Adam Warlock shake hands. All is good.

Jump Ball!

Hulk jumps up high for the ball but Groot wins out with his longer reach. Iron Man and Thor immediately double-team Groot who then passes the ball to Rocket who dribbles out of the crowd and reaches the paint. Iron Man catches up and is about to steal the ball but a long pass is made to Groot who sinks in a 3-pointer from downtown. The Avengers get the ball next with Cap dribbling it in. Star Lord overconfidently tries to cover him on his own but is easily out-manuevered. Even when Adam Warlock lends a hand, Cap doesn't give up and presses on into the paint. Hulk sets up a screen to cover Groot. Iron Man keeps an eye on Rocket while Thor easily stops Drax. This leaves an easy path for the lay-up from Cap. The rest of the first half goes a lot like this. Rocket keeps dribbling out of the crowd easily while passing to whomever is open. The Avengers clearly underestimated the Racoon's skills. Despite Cap's leadership keeping it close, the Guardians surprisingly lead at the half while Ant-Man and Yondu watch from the bench.

Half-Time Score: 60-56 (Guardians leading)

The 2nd half starts out with Ant Man coming into the game and Thor going to the bench. Rocket, Drax and Star Lord can't help but laugh at this development. Cap doesn't regret this decision and Iron Man pats him on the back. Once the clock starts, Groot has the ball again and passes to Rocket who thinks that he can coast. This time though, Ant-Man follows him and steals the ball without Rocket even being able to see him. Hawkeye gets the pass and lobs in a 3-Pointer from downtown. The Guardians are beyond shocked at just what happened. In the stands, Gamora and Nova Prime are upset and give the camera two thumbs down each. Yondu is steaming from the bench. Meanwhile, on the other side of the court,; Black Widow, Wasp, She-Hulk, Sharon Carter and Mockingbird loudly cheer while Thor hugs them all from the bench with a beaming smile. After one single play, the Avengers have the momentum again. During the next play, Ant-Man size-shifts to Giant Man and steals the ball from Groot. A long pass is thrown to Iron Man who dunks before anyone else reaches the paint. More plays go like this. Ant-Man being able to change his size in order to compete with any Guardian opens up opportunities for the other Avengers to capitalize on. Rocket and Drax repeatedly lose their cool and commit fouls. All of the "victimized" Avengers make their free-throws with ease except for Hulk who gets absolutley none. All of his attempts end up in the direction of the crowd and test the limits of the Stark Industries protective force field. Rocket is finally fouled out when he angrily bites Hawkeye in the leg. Yondu is brought in from the bench to replace him. The Avengers think they have it in the bag when they initially make the mistake of not covering Yondu who proves to be a reliable 3-point shooter. The Guardians nearly catch up until the Avengers keep giving the ball to Hawkeye who winds up in a deadly 3-point battle with Yondu. After the score is tied, the main variable becomes the match-ups between the guards of both teams. Cap and Hawkeye versus Star Lord and Yondu. As the clock winds down, Drax loses his patience and tries to lend a hand by tackling Captain America. During the last few seconds of the game, Cap gets up and puts in all three of his free throws to win the game!

Final Score: 144-141 (Avengers)

Post-Game

Thor leaps from the bench and hugs Hulk who stomps the ground over and over. The crowd loves it even though the Madison Square Garden Company is displeased with the repairs that quickly need to be made to the court before the next game. Wasp's selfie with the victorious Avengers goes viral on social media even though she doesn't realize Deadpool's photo-bomb until it's too late. Deadpool is not supposed to be at this game at all but goes on to shake hands with every player except Rocket who nearly bites his hand off. These two take their fight outside. Cap, Iron Man, Groot and Adam Warlock chase after them in order to minimize collateral damage to One Penn Plaza. Star Lord struggles to get up from the court after being "traumatized" by the loss. He struggles to hold back his tears until Gamora plants a kiss on his cheek and gives him his favorite mixtape to listen to. Motivated, he gets up and challenges Black Widow to a dance-off. She accepts. The crowd stays to watch.

Next Game: Justice League versus Teen Titans in Schuster Sports Arena (Metropolis)!