2015 NBA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 15

Welcome back! On this hump day, we return to NBA Tournament of Champions action.

We're officially halfway through group play and have two more weeks' worth of games to find the best NBA champion of the last 64 years. Within the next week, we will start seeing teams lock up bids to the elimination round while others find themselves merely playing out the string.

In today's games, Groups C and F will return to the court after one day off, while Groups D and H finish off the second game of a back to back. Group F is finishing a home-and-home series today.

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 get the second half started.

Group C

@ 1972 Los Angeles Lakers 134, 1993 Chicago Bulls 93
The Lakers jumped out to a 36-18 lead after one quarter behind 64 percent shooting for the frame. The Bulls never really recovered, getting outrebounded 54-46 and turning the ball over 18 times in the game. The Lakers had multiple strong games from its key personnel: Jerry West and Gail Goodrich each went off for 26 points, West added nine assists, and Wilt Chamberlain finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Michael Jordan had 24 points to lead the Bulls, but committed six turnovers. Scottie Pippen added 12 points, six rebounds and eight assists, and Horace Grant had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the now .500 Bulls.

1992 Chicago Bulls 115, @ 1954 Minneapolis Lakers 103
Chicago shot 55.7 percent from the floor, led mainly by a 22-3 run to start the third quarter and overcome a one point halftime deficit. The Lakers hit 87 percent of their free throws, but only 39.1 percent from the floor in a tough loss, their eighth in a row. Michael Jordan led the Bulls in the win with 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Horace Grant had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Scottie Pippen finished with 18 points, four rebounds and six assists. George Mikan paced the Lakers with 23 points and 13 rebounds while James Pollard added 22 points and seven rebounds.

@ 1977 Portland Trailblazers 120, 1983 Philadelphia 76ers 104
Portland forces a three-way tie for first place behind a 57-45 rebounding advantage and making their free throws, while the Sixers ended up missing 13 free throws in a game they where they were outscored in each of the first three quarters. Six Blazers finished in double figures led by Bob Gross with 20 points. Maurice Lucas and Lionel Hollins each had 18 points, and Bill Walton had 13 points. Lucas and Walton each finished with 15 rebounds. Julius Erving led the Sixers with 20 points, Moses Malone had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Maurice Cheeks also added 18 points.

@ 1995 Houston Rockets 106, 1958 St. Louis Hawks 92

The Hawks ultimately had no answer in this game for Houston's interior presence. The Hawks did lead 29-23 after one quarter, but managed just nine second quarter points, I believe the only single digit quarter so far in this tournament. Hakeem Olajuwon pretty much singlehandedly destroyed the Hawks to the tune of 28 points, nine rebounds and a tournament record 10 blocks. Clyde Drexler was inexplicably named player of the game though after adding 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, which is a good game, in fairness. Cliff Hagan paced St. Louis with 19 points, while Bob Pettit had 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Group D

1999 San Antonio Spurs 104, @ 1959 Boston Celtics 85
Boston led 19-15 after one quarter, but coughed up the lead early in the second and couldn't fully recover, shooting just 35.6 percent for the game. The Celtics did pull back within two points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but San Antonio went on a 13-1 run to pull away. Tim Duncan had 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Spurs, while David Robinson had 19 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Tommy Heinsohn paced the Celtics with 18 points, Bob Cousy had 16, and Bill Russell finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

@ 2013 Miami Heat 98, 2011 Dallas Mavericks 89

LeBron James and company got revenge for 2011, but it wasn't easy. Dallas led by four early in the final quarter, but the Heat took the lead and held it for most of the quarter, though Dallas pulled within three with 2:10 to play, but the Mavericks went 0-4 from the field and turned it over twice the rest of the way to drop a tough one to the group leader. James led the Heat with 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, Dwyane Wade had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Chris Bosh had 16 and 12, and Ray Allen hit five threes to help Miami improve to 7-1. Caron Butler had a great game for the Mavs with 23 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Jason Kidd had 11 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

@ 2009 Los Angeles Lakers 102, 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 86
That's two losses in a row for the '00 Lakers, who were held to just 37.8 percent shooting for the game and gave up the game's first 12 points en route to a 35-13 first quarter deficit. The '09 Lakers maintained their spot in a tie for second place behind Kobe Bryant's 27 points. Pau Gasol added 18 points and 14 rebounds while Lamar Odom had 10 and 10. Shaquille O'Neal led the '00 Lakers with 22 points and 14 rebounds, but he shot 8-21 for the game. '00 Bryant had 14 points, and Ron Harper had 13.

@ 2007 San Antonio Spurs 87, 1953 Minneapolis Lakers 76
The Lakers' loss all but eliminates them from contention after 35.2 percent shooting helped propel them to an 0-8 record. The Spurs outscored Minneapolis 30-16 in the second quarter after a 17-all tie through one frame. Manu Ginobili and Brent Barry each had 14 points to lead the Spurs, while Tim Duncan and Tony Parker each added 12. Duncan also had 12 rebounds, and Parker had seven assists. George Mikan had an excellent game in defeat with a quadruple-nickel: 15 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Vern Mikkelsen added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers.

Group F

1998 Chicago Bulls 124, @ 1960 Boston Celtics 82
The Bulls earned the sweep with a monstrous and much needed road win. Chicago put up 39 points in a strong first quarter and didn't allow more than 22 points in a single frame. The Celtics shot just 35.5 percent from the floor and only hit half of their free throws in their sixth straight loss. Michael Jordan led the way with 29 points and seven rebounds, Scottie Pippen had a near triple-double of 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Toni Kukoc had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Tommy Heinsohn paced the Celtics with 20 points and 13 rebounds, Bill Russell had 18 and 11, and Bob Cousy had seven points and eight rebounds.

1986 Boston Celtics 126, @ 1988 Los Angeles Lakers 119

The Celtics had to earn their 8-0 start, watching their 13 point lead after three quarters get trimmed to two points with 1:39 to play. The Celtics scored on each of their next three trips down, including a steal-layup sequence by Dennis Johnson with 50 seconds left to make it a six point game. Larry Bird had his best game of the tournament, going off for 40 points and 19 rebounds. Kevin McHale had 16 points, and Robert Parish finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Magic Johnson had 24 points and 13 assists to lead the Lakers, James Worthy had 19 points, and Byron Scott, A.C. Green and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar each had 16.

2004 Detroit Pistons 103, @ 1956 Philadelphia Warriors 77
The Pistons complete the sweep behind good defense, holding the Warriors to 33.7 percent shooting, and getting to the line, finishing 26-32 at the stripe. Six Pistons scored in double figures in a very balanced attack, led by Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton, who each had 16 points. Ben Wallace had 15 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks, while Rasheed Wallace had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Graboski of the Warriors led all scorers with 18 points while adding 10 rebounds, and Neil Johnston had 16 points and a game-high 20 rebounds for Philadelphia.

@ 1994 Houston Rockets 119, 1961 Boston Celtics 106
The Rockets have gained sole possession of second place as they earned a split with the Celtics by winning the rebounding battle 59-51 and blocking 13 shots. Boston shot well once again and stayed within one possession for much of the first half until the Rockets began pulling away. Hakeem Olajuwon was big once again, putting up 26 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks. Otis Thorpe had 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Kenny Smith had 16 and seven and Vernon Maxwell 14 and seven. Bill Russell had 15 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Celtics, Tommy Heinsohn added 17 and nine, and Bill Sharman chipped in 16 points.

Group H

2006 Miami Heat 100, @ 1952 Minneapolis Lakers 85
Miami maintains at least a share of first place behind a ruthlessly efficient offensive game of 54.7 percent shooting, including a 56.3 percent day from deep. The Lakers forced 20 turnovers on the game, but got outscored 37-14 in the second quarter to trail 65-48 at halftime. Dwyane Wade had 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, Shaquille O'Neal had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Jason Williams finished with 14 points and 14 assists. George Mikan had 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, while James Pollard added 17 points in the losing effort.

1969 Boston Celtics 107, @ 1962 Boston Celtics 99
A second straight '69 Celtics win pushes them to .500, and their defense was the story: the '62 Celtics turned the ball over an astounding 28 times to fall to 1-7 on the tournament. The '62 Celtics did lead after one quarter, but were outscored 67-48 in the second and third quarters to fall out of reach. Don Jones came off the bench of the '69 Celtics to lead all scorers with 25 points while adding eight rebounds, '69 Sam Jones added 20 points, and John Havlicek added 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists. '62 Bill Russell had 16 points and a game-high 26 rebounds, while '62 Sam Jones added 20 points and 12 rebounds.

@ 1984 Boston Celtics 107, 1976 Boston Celtics 102
The '76 Celtics fall out of first place while the '84 Celtics match the '69 team at .500 to challenge for that fourth seed. The '84 Celtics overcame a 30-35 day at the charity stripe by the '76 Celtics behind 50 percent shooting for the game and a 55-47 rebounding edge. Larry Bird had a near triple-double of 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for the '84 Celtics, Robert Parish had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and Cedric Maxwell added 11 points and 13 rebounds in the win. John Havlicek paced the '76 Celtics with 23 points, Jo Jo White added 21, and Paul Silas finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds.

@ 1963 Boston Celtics 110, 1991 Chicago Bulls 108

Michael Jordan missed a four foot turnaround with 23 seconds left to play, and Tommy Heinsohn answered with a bunny as time expired to give the Celtics an improbable win and knock the Bulls down to third place in Group H. The Bulls struggled for much of the game, trailing by ten points after one quarter before coming back to make it close. Jordan did all he could, finishing with a game-high 33 points to go with 10 rebounds, while Scottie Pippen had a tremendous game of 17 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, seven blocks and four steals, and Horace Grant had 10 points and 11 rebounds. Bill Russell had a better game though, leading the Celtics with 20 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and seven blocks. John Havlicek had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Heinsohn finished with 15 points, including the game winner.