2015 NBA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 14

Today, we hit the halfway mark of the group stage of the 2015 NBA Tournament of Champions.

We began this with the start of July, playing 16 games per day. After today's set of games, everyone will have played seven so far. No one has clinched anything yet, but we probably won't see that for another week or so.

So today to officially reach the halfway point, Groups B, D and E will tip off after a two day layoff, while Group H is returning from a one day hiatus.

Below, I will include links to each group's page in their respective headers so you can view scores and standings. On those pages, the team on the right will be considered the home team for all games. All game simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. To view player and team stats for the tournament, click here. Let's see where we stand.

Group B

1971 Milwaukee Bucks 120, @ 1968 Boston Celtics 116
Milwaukee's 10 point halftime lead was erased very early in the third quarter by a 12-2 Boston run to tie the game. The Celtics would lead by as many as six late in the frame, but the Bucks would get back within one by the end of the quarter, and Bob Dandridge gave them the lead for good with 8:43 to play. Dandridge probably had his best game of the tournament, going off for 31 points and 12 rebounds. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar added 27 points and 16 rebounds for Milwaukee. Bailey Howell led the Celtics with 24 points, Sam Jones added 18, and Bill Russell finished with 12 points and a game-high 21 rebounds.

1966 Boston Celtics 103, @ 1996 Chicago Bulls 101

John Havlicek hit a fadeaway with 51 seconds left to give the Celtics the lead, and the Bulls couldn't respond, dropping their first game of the tournament. Ron Harper was called for three seconds and after Hondo missed, the Bulls had one last chance, but Michael Jordan came up just short on a runner, and the Celtics escaped with a huge win over the defending champions. The Bulls struggled offensively, shooting just 41 percent from the field while also committing 17 turnovers. Havlicek finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the win, Sam Jones had 25 points, and Bill Russell had 17 rebounds, five assists and six blocks. Michael Jordan finished with 37 points for the game, Scottie Pippen added 19 and eight rebounds, and Dennis Rodman pulled down a game-high 26 rebounds.

@ 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 125, 1975 Golden State Warriors 94
The Lakers shot 55.8 percent from the floor and outscored Golden State in the each of the first three quarters, including a 37-29 first quarter and arguably more importantly, a 36-18 third quarter that sealed the deal. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominated the game with 22 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five blocks while Magic Johnson added 18 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes each had 17 points for the Warriors, while Butch Beard added 13.

1980 Los Angeles Lakers 119, @ 1965 Boston Celtics 100
Boston led 30-29 after one quarter, but a 16-3 Laker run partway into the second quarter turned the tide and all but put the game away. The Celtics were held to just 36 percent shooting and only had 18 free throws to LA's 32. Kareem was magnificent, posting 36 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks, Magic Johnson added 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Jamaal Wilkes chipped in 19 and 12. Bill Russell led the Celtics with 17 points and 20 rebounds, while Sam Jones and Tommy Heinsohn each added 16 points.

Group D

2011 Dallas Mavericks 108, @ 1959 Boston Celtics 96
Dallas took all the drama out of this one early, leading 30-24 after one and 67-42 at halftime. While Boston trimmed the lead in the second half, they were never in a position to threaten. Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and 15 rebounds in the win, while Jason Kidd had a near triple-double of 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Caron Butler and Tyson Chandler each added 15 points for the Mavs. Bill Russell had 20 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Celtics, while Tommy Heinsohn also added 20 points.

@ 1999 San Antonio Spurs 110, 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 107

The Lakers blew a 13 point lead held late in the third quarter as the Spurs roared back to tie the game midway through the fourth. Will Perdue picked up a three point play with 5:16 to go and gave the Spurs the lead for good, though the Lakers would keep it interesting. However, Kobe Bryant missed a game-tying three as time expired for San Antonio to walk away victorious. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 21 points and 14 rebounds, David Robinson had 17, 11 and six blocks, and Malik Rose added 15 points and seven rebounds (six offensive) off the bench. Shaquille O'Neal had 24 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and five blocks for the Lakers, Bryant added 20 points, and Rick Fox had 16 off the bench.

@ 2013 Miami Heat 104, 1953 Minneapolis Lakers 84
I actually expected this to be worse. Miami jumped out to a 37-13 lead at the end of the first quarter and was largely able to coast from there, though the Lakers answered back with a 29-19 second quarter to make it less of a laugher. LeBron James led the way with 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Chris Bosh had 23 points and eight rebounds, and Dwyane Wade had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. George Mikan had 16 points and 16 rebounds to pace the Lakers, while Frank Saul and Robert Harrison each added 11 points.

@ 2009 Los Angeles Lakers 94, 2007 San Antonio Spurs 80
The Spurs shot just 38.8 percent for the game while being held to roughly half the free throws the Lakers got, and a 30-18 second quarter Laker advantage led to LA moving into a three-way tie for second place. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 24 points, Andrew Bynum had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Pau Gasol had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Tim Duncan went off for 19 points and 19 rebounds in defeat, while Manu Ginobili added 16 points and Tony Parker chipped in 14.

Group E

1997 Chicago Bulls 94, @ 1978 Washington Bullets 86
This was actually quite the back and forth game with the Bulls leading by five after one quarter. The Bullets took a four point lead late in the second quarter before the Bulls came back to lead by one at the break. The two teams combined to score 24 points in the third, and despite some late leads for Washington, the Bullets couldn't close the deal. Michael Jordan led the Bulls with 30 points, including scoring Chicago's final eight to seal the deal, Scottie Pippen added 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and Dennis Rodman chipped in 10 points and 18 rebounds. Bob Dandridge led the Bullets with 20 points, while Elvin Hayes had 14 points and 16 rebounds.

@ 1973 New York Knicks 102, 2008 Boston Celtics 92
Boston led by nine points late in the first quarter, but the Knicks scored eight unanswered points bridging the first and second quarters, and a 31-19 second period edge gave New York a 47-42 halftime edge. They continued the strong pace behind 51.8 percent shooting and forcing 23 Celtic turnovers to move into a tie with the Celtics for third place. Walt Frazier had 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists to lead the Knicks, Willis Reed added 18 points, and Dave DeBusschere and Bill Bradley each chipped in 16 points, with DeBusschere picking up 11 rebounds. Kevin Garnett had 20 points, six rebounds and six blocks for the Celtics, while Paul Pierce added 16 points.

@ 2014 San Antonio Spurs 96, 1974 Boston Celtics 88
The Spurs overcame a 21-18 first quarter deficit with a strong second quarter and forcing 18 turnovers in the game to stay in first place halfway through group play. Tony Parker exposed Jo Jo White for 24 points, Kawhi Leonard had 15 points, and Tim Duncan contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win. John Havlicek led the Celtics with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Paul Silas had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Dave Cowens had 15 and 14.

1981 Boston Celtics 103, @ 1990 Detroit Pistons 90

Seven Celtics scored in double figures in a game that looked closer than the final four makes it appear. Boston led 22-14 after one quarter, but the Pistons took leads late in the third and early in the fourth quarters before the Celtics took control and pulled away, closing the game on a 19-5 run. Larry Bird led the Celtics with 17 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, Kevin McHale had 16 points and nine assists, and Rick Robey finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, the latter two guys coming off the bench. Mark Aguirre had 17 points to pace the Pistons, Isiah Thomas had 15 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists, and Bill Laimbeer had 13 points and 13 rebounds.

Group H
2006 Miami Heat 115, @ 1963 Boston Celtics 103
The Heat overcame an early 5-0 deficit and built a 12 point halftime lead to help earn at least a share of the Group H lead halfway through group play. They had a scare in the second half though; Boston scored the first 10 points of the third quarter and got within one score a few times, but the Heat responded and pulled away. Dwyane Wade was the man, dropping 36 points on 12-20 shooting, Shaquille O'Neal had 19 points and nine rebounds, and Udonis Haslem had 10 points and 15 rebounds for the Heat. Sam Jones and Bob Cousy each had 15 points for the Celtics, while Bill Russell finished with 13 points and 18 rebounds.

1984 Boston Celtics 107, @ 1991 Chicago Bulls 105

Scottie Pippen missed four shots in the final 1:02 that could have turned the tide and Boston shot 54.7 percent for the game to deal the Bulls their second straight loss. Robert Parish feasted on the Bulls' inside defenders for 26 points and eight rebounds. Kevin McHale added 18 points off the bench, and Larry Bird oversaw the game with 15 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Michael Jordan's 34 points weren't enough, and neither were the double-doubles of Horace Grant (14 points and 12 rebounds) or Bill Cartwright (11 and 10).

@ 1976 Boston Celtics 126, 1962 Boston Celtics 117
The two iterations of the Celtics combined for 217 field goals, but only 39 free throws. The big difference came in that the '76 Celtics hit 81 percent of their freebies while the '62 Celtics were down at 56 percent. The '62 Celtics never threatened in the second half, falling to 1-6 while the '76 Celtics remain tied with the Heat atop Group H. John Havlicek led the '76 Celtics with 21 points, Dave Cowens added 16 points and 16 rebounds, Charlie Scott had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Paul Silas contributed 11 points and 16 rebounds. Tommy Heinsohn paced the '62 Celtics with 20 points, Bob Cousy added 16, and Bill Russell finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks.

@ 1969 Boston Celtics 106, 1952 Minneapolis Lakers 89
The Celtics held the Lakers to 35 percent shooting while outrebounding them 67-55 in a battle of 2-4 teams trying to get into that fourth spot for the elimination round. Bill Russell had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Celtics, John Havlicek added 18 points, and Bailey Howell added 12 rebounds. George Mikan had 22 points and 16 rebounds, both game-highs, while chipping in seven assists and four blocks. Vern Mikkelsen had 14 points and 12 rebounds, and James Pollard had 11 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.