2015 NBA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 23

Everyone has just three games left to try and sneak into the elimination round of the NBA Tournament of Champions. So far, nine spots have been clinched. Today, we take a step towards filling the rest of the field.

To start off Round 12, Groups D, F and H will return to action after a day off, while Group B plays the second game of a back to back. Among these games, there is a chance for six spots to be clinched.

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. Time to play.

Group B

1971 Milwaukee Bucks 123, @ 1966 Boston Celtics 102
Another Bill Russell title team bites the dust after turning the ball over 20 times, something you really can't do against a team of Milwaukee's caliber. The Bucks didn't shoot particularly well, only hitting 46.7 percent of their shots and just 60 percent of their free throws, but the Celtics fared worse and Milwaukee won the battle on the glass. It also helped that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went off for 33 points and 20 rebounds. Oscar Robertson had 23 points, five rebounds, 14 assists and four steals, and Bob Dandridge added 20 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks. Sam Jones had 25 points and seven rebounds to lead the Celtics, while Russell chipped in eight points and 19 rebounds.

@ 1968 Boston Celtics 132, 1975 Golden State Warriors 110
Boston shot 50.5 percent from the floor and forced 21 turnovers to keep their long shot at an Elimination Round spot alive while the Warriors are are eliminated thanks to their sweep at the hands of the '80 Lakers. The Celtics scored at least 30 points in every quarter and were never really threatened other than trailing by small amounts in the opening minutes. Bill Russell only scored eight points, but had 19 rebounds, nine assists and six blocks to lead Boston, while Bailey Howell had 26 points and 12 rebounds, John Havlicek had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Sam Jones chipped in 21 points. Rick Barry paced the Warriors with a game-high 29 points, Clifford Ray had 14 rebounds in just 22 foul-limited minutes, and Butch Beard added 16 points.

@ 1996 Chicago Bulls 95, 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 93

Despite running a bigger rotation thanks to the back-to-back, the Bulls overcame a 13 point deficit early in the third quarter to pull within two at one point, trail by seven after three quarters, and finally grab a lead with a little over four minutes left in the game. Ultimately, it was Chicago's starting frontcourt that won the game. After a Michael Jordan miss and failed Ron Harper tip, Dennis Rodman pulled down the rebound again, reset the offense, and nailed a bank shot with one second left to make it 95-93 Bulls. The Lakers called timeout to get a close inbound, but Luc Longley blocked Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's last second attempt to push Chicago to 11-1. Scottie Pippen had 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists, Jordan finished with 17, 11 and six, and Rodman finished with eight points, including the game winner, to go with his game-high 15 rebounds. Kareem had 22 points and 11 rebounds to pace the Lakers, Michael Cooper had 18 points, and Norm Nixon had 13 points and eight assists.

@ 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 121, 1965 Boston Celtics 112
The Lakers used a 15-1 run in the opening frame to help jump out to a 36-22 lead after one quarter, and they were able to cruise from there. With tiebreakers, they already had it but the win officially seals the '85 Lakers as the third team from Group B to advance to the Elimination Round. Seven Lakers scored in double figures with great balance as no one scored more than 20 points. James Worthy led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds, Magic Johnson had 17 points, seven rebounds and 14 assists, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks and five assists. Sam Jones had 25 points including a 15-17 day at the free throw line to pace the Celtics while K.C. Jones added 17 points and Bill Russell chipped in 14 points and 17 rebounds.

Group D

2007 San Antonio Spurs 104, @ 1959 Boston Celtics 93
The Spurs did everything they could to avoid elimination and try to advance, winning two straight, and this one in convincing fashion. However, they didn't get the help they needed to stay alive. San Antonio outrebounded the Celtics 59-47 and built a 14 point halftime lead. The Celtics came roaring back in the third quarter and pulled within one a couple times and even took a lead with 6:50 to play in the fourth. The Spurs didn't go away though, and retook the lead for good just moments later. Michael Finley was the unexpected hero, scoring 21 points off the bench for the Spurs while Tim Duncan had 17 points and 15 rebounds and Tony Parker chipped in 17 points and six assists. Bill Russell paced the Celtics with 17 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks, Jim Loscutoff added 16 points and nine rebounds and Bob Cousy added 15 points.

2009 Los Angeles Lakers 96, @ 1953 Minneapolis Lakers 94
George Mikan converted a three point play with seven seconds left to tie the game at 94, but Kobe Bryant came through with one second to go to give the Lakers the lead, and George Mikan missed an open look at the buzzer that would have forced overtime. Minneapolis controlled the glass, winning the rebounding battle 54-40, but shot just 2-12 from three point range. Kobe Bryant led the '09 Lakers with 30 points and six rebounds, Pau Gasol added 18 points, and Derek Fisher chipped in 12. George Mikan did all he could for the '53 Lakers, posting 24 points and 17 rebounds while Vern Mikkelsen added 16 and 10. The win, combined with the result from the '99 Spurs-'11 Mavericks game, gives the '09 Lakers a spot in the Elimination Round.

2013 Miami Heat 115, @ 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 96

Miami got revenge for their loss on Tuesday and clinched a spot in the Elimination Round in one fell swoop after hitting 55 percent of their shots, including an 11-21 day from downtown. The Heat led 25-18 after one quarter, then put up 32 more points in the second quarter to all but put the game away. LeBron James led the way with 25 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, Dwyane Wade had 22 points and eight assists, Chris Bosh had 19 points and eight rebounds. and Ray Allen and Shane Battier had 13 and 11 points off the bench, respectively, with each hitting three triples. Shaquille O'Neal's 31 points and 14 rebounds weren't enough. and neither were Glen Rice's 21 points or Kobe Bryant's 13 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers.

@ 2011 Dallas Mavericks 93, 1999 San Antonio Spurs 71
The Mavs have all but guaranteed their advance with a huge home win, and their 36 point loss in their first game of the tournament seems so far away now. Dallas hit seven of their 11 threes, while the Spurs hit just four of 15 and shot just 11-19 at the free throw line. Caron Butler had 18 points to pace the Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki added 16, Jason Terry had 12 points and eight assists, while Jason Kidd chipped in five points, six rebounds and 11 assists. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Avery Johnson contributed 10 points and seven assists.

Group F

@ 1998 Chicago Bulls 93, 2004 Detroit Pistons 88
In the first game of a long-anticipated matchup, the Bulls' defense came to play early, holding Detroit to just 13 first quarter points and leading by 11. The Pistons would not go away, cutting the gap to three at halftime and keeping it close throughout the second half. The Pistons tied the game late in the fourth quarter, but Toni Kukoc hit a go-ahead jumper with 43 seconds left, and Rasheed Wallace missed the Pistons' final three shots of the game to put the Bulls in prime clinching position for their next game. Michael Jordan had 24 points for the Bulls, Scottie Pippen added 18 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, Dennis Rodman had seven points and 14 rebounds, and Toni Kukoc finished with 15 points. Chauncey Billups paced the Pistons with 23 points and seven assists, Rasheed Wallace added 20 points and 14 rebounds, and Ben Wallace chippped in nine and 12.

1986 Boston Celtics 144, @ 1961 Boston Celtics 106

With home court advantage throughout the Elimination Round on the line, the '86 Celtics took advantage of their schedule and finished just shy of 60 percent shooting for the game, outscoring the '61 Celtics in every quarter and putting up at least 30 points in every one. It was only a 30-28 advantage for '86 Boston through one stanza, but a 12-2 run helped open up a 10 point lead en route to an 18 point edge at the half. Larry Bird almost had another triple-double, instead settling for 31 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. Kevin McHale had 27 points, Danny Ainge 18, and Robert Parish added 12 points and 13 rebounds. Tommy Heinsohn paced the '61 Celtics with 25 points, Bob Cousy had 21, and Bill Russell finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

@ 1994 Houston Rockets 114, 1960 Boston Celtics 109
The Rockets jumped out to a 37-22 lead after one quarter, and led by 21 at halftime. The Celtics made it interesting in the fourth quarter however, narrowing an 18 point gap down to five and eventually pulling within three with just seconds left, but Hakeem Olajuwon iced the game at the free throw line. The final 30 seconds at the stripe were redeeming for Houston, who shot 21-37 for the game from there. Olajuwon had a great overall game though, finishing with 34 points and 11 rebounds while Otis Thorpe had 19 and 17 and Vernon Maxwell added 18 points. Bill Russell led the Celtics with 15 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks, Bob Cousy added 21 points and 11 assists, and Tommy Heinsohn chipped in 20 points.

1988 Los Angeles Lakers 131, @ 1956 Philadelphia Warriors 122
The Lakers shot 58.9 percent from the floor, overcoming a 27-31 day at the line for the Warriors and closed the game on a 6-0 run to pull away after Philly had pulled within three points. Big Game James had 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Lakers while Byron Scott added 31 points and Magic Johnson had 17 points, five rebounds and 18 assists. Neil Johnston had 38 points and 15 rebounds for the Warriors, Jack George had 19 points, and Tom Gola added 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

Group H

1963 Boston Celtics 122, @ 2006 Miami Heat 118 (OT)

The Celtics are right back in the thick of the Group H Elimination Round hunt and spoil the potential for any clinchers today. After Dwyane Wade hit a jumper with two seconds left to put Miami up 106-104, Sam Jones hit a floater from the right wing at the buzzer to force overtime. Bob Cousy hit a three 36 seconds into the extra session, and the Celtics would not trail the rest of the way. Cousy led the Celtics with 20 points, 16 of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime, to go with six rebounds and seven assists. Tommy Heinsohn was also clutch, coming up with 12 of his 21 points in the final 17 minutes of the game. Bill Russell added 16 points and 28 rebounds for Boston. Wade had a near triple-double of 34 points, nine rebounds and 13 assists to lead the Heat, while Shaquille O'Neal had a vintage performance of 38 points and 13 rebounds in the loss.

1991 Chicago Bulls 101, @ 1984 Boston Celtics 91
The Bulls earned a split with the '84 Celtics and pull back within a game of the Heat for first place after playing good defense and owning the glass 61-40. Boston had a couple two-point leads in the first quarter, but the Bulls pulled away and outscored the Celtics in every quarter. Michael Jordan had a great all-around game with 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, Scottie Pippen had 10 points and 11 rebounds, and John Paxson added 19 points to lead the Bulls. Larry Bird paced the Celtics with 20 points and eight assists, Robert Parish had 19 points and eight rebounds, and Cedric Maxwell finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

@ 1962 Boston Celtics 94, 1976 Boston Celtics 90
The teams combined for 210 field goals, but only made 73 of them for a subpar shooting day. That said, when the '62 Celtics needed someone to step up, Tommy Heinsohn did so, draining a go-ahead jump hook with 30 seconds left to make it 92-90, then icing the game with a pair of free throws. The '62 Celtics also controlled the majority of the many rebounds in this game, winning that battle 78-63. Bill Russell led the way overall though for the '62 team, posting 21 points, 31 rebounds and eight blocks, Sam Jones had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Bob Cousy had 13 points and 10 assists, and Heinsohn finished with 12 points and seven boards. Dave Cowens led the '76 Celtics with 17 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, Paul Silas had nine points and 19 rebounds, and John Havlicek finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

1969 Boston Celtics 110, @ 1952 Minneapolis Lakers 98
The Celtics hang on to their narrow hope for a spot in the Elimination Round after hitting 48.3 percent of their shots to the Lakers' 35.5 percent. Boston jumped out to a 25-15 lead after one quarter and never looked back, though the Lakers did get close late, pulling within one a couple times in the fourth quarter before the Celtics went on a 7-0 run to put it away. Bill Russell had 13 points, 21 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks to lead Boston, Bailey Howell had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and Larry Siegfried added 22 more points. Vern Mikkelsen had 30 points and 20 rebounds to pace the Lakers while George Mikan had 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.