NBA Tournament of Champions: John Havlicek Bracket First Round

If yesterday's post was any indication, I think spreading this over 2 weeks was the right call. 3 of the 4 series went at least 6 games, so the parity is definitely there. You know, unless you're the 1978 Washington Bullets (though really, they were one of the weaker teams to win a title at least based on record). Today we go into the Celtic half of the bracket with a good blend of classic and modern teams assigned here. We also get a first glimpse at one of the most scrutinized athletes on a huge stage against one who is well-acclaimed, even if he lost a lot of big games. We also get a fun matchup from last decade that already kind of happened in the first round yesterday. A lot of fun in this bracket. Let's get to it.

Once again, these series go best of seven, with home court decided by the team with a higher winning percentage (regular season plus playoffs), and simulations are done by WhatIfSports.com.

'55 Syracuse Nationals (50-33) vs '69 Boston Celtics (60-40)
Game 1: '69 Celtics 99, @ '55 Nationals 83 (BOS leads 1-0)
Game 2: @ '55 Nationals 104, '69 Celtics 101 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: '55 Nationals 106, @ '69 Celtics 101 (SYR leads 2-1)
Game 4: @ '69 Celtics 122, '55 Nationals 109 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: '69 Celtics 116, @ '55 Nationals 81 (BOS leads 3-2)
Game 6 @ '69 Celtics 120, '55 Nationals 97 (BOS wins 4-2)
It was nice to have a series here where I didn't have to worry about tweaking lineups (though I did check the depth chart). Ultimately I figured Boston would walk away with this one, but that doesn't give enough credence to the fact that Bill Russell was on his last legs at this point. Give Syracuse credit: they didn't go quietly.

'12 Miami Heat (62-27) vs '67 Philadelphia 76ers (79-17)
Game 1: '12 Heat 112, @ '67 76ers 101 (MIA leads 1-0)
Game 2: @ '67 76ers 108, '12 Heat 101 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: '67 76ers 122, @ '12 Heat 120 (PHI leads 2-1)
Game 4: @ '12 Heat 101, '67 76ers 90 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: '12 Heat 124, @ '67 76ers 113 (MIA leads 3-2)
Game 6: @ '12 Heat 129, '67 76ers 118 (MIA wins 4-2)
This was another matchup I watched closely. Game 3 showed a remarkable comeback for Philly. Wilt did some damage and got plenty of rebounds as you'd expect against an undersized Miami team, but ultimately LeBron did his thing, and Wade and Bosh were ever-present in a lot of these wins. Wade especially looked good.

'70 New York Knicks (72-29) vs '74 Boston Celtics (68-32)
Game 1: @ '70 Knicks 117, '74 Celtics 111 (NY leads 1-0)
Game 2: '74 Celtics 108, @ '70 Knicks 91 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: '70 Knicks 121, @ '74 Celtics 102 (NY leads 2-1)
Game 4: @ '74 Celtics 127, '70 Celtics 120 (OT) (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: @ '70 Knicks 118. '74 Celtics 113 (NY leads 3-2)
Game 6: @ '74 Celtics 102, '70 Knicks 97 (Series tied 3-3)
Game 7: '74 Celtics 128, @ '70 Knicks 110 (BOS wins 4-3)
A fitting series here between a legendary New York team and a really good Celtics team. Dave Cowens, of all people, was a big reason why the Celtics were able to pull this out. We also saw the first overtime game thus far in this round.

'03 San Antonio Spurs (76-30) vs '01 Los Angeles Lakers (71-27)
Game 1: @ '01 Lakers 95, '03 Spurs 84 (LAL leads 1-0)
Game 2: @ '01 Lakers 110, '03 Spurs 98 (LAL leads 2-0)
Game 3: @ '03 Spurs 96, '01 Lakers 81 (LAL leads 2-1)
Game 4: @ '03 Spurs 109, '01 Lakers 93 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: @ '01 Lakers 109, '03 Spurs 99 (LAL leads 3-2)
Game 6: '01 Lakers 113, @ '03 Spurs 79 (LAL wins 4-2)
It says something that of the 8 series I've simulated so far, every Lakers team has advanced, and they're all Kobe teams. This one isn't too surprising though, considering that 15-1 romp the '01 Lakers went on that postseason. Kobe looked good here. I also didn't remember Horace Grant and Ron Harper being on this team. Granted, neither was a game-changing factor, but still.

To see the updated bracket, click here.

I like how through 8 series, only one has been a sweep, and everything else has gone at least 6 games. Still a lot of talented teams left in play, and tomorrow I'll have four more series to cover. We will spend a lot of time back in the 50's and 60's with a few more modern teams that are poised to strike. How many Mikan-led teams can advance, and will another Bulls team go out early? How will D-Wade fare against the Bad Boys? Answers to come from the George Mikan Bracket in the morning.