2015 NBA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 25

On this Saturday, we start the second-to-last round of group play. And with it, we near the completion of the elimination round field. When today's games are complete, we will have played 400.

With every team having just two games left in their groups, we're almost ready to advance to the Elimination Round. Almost half of the spots in that round have been claimed. Today, we have a chance to fill some of those spots.

To start off Round 13, Groups A and G will finish off back to backs, while Groups B and D are back in action after having yesterday off. Group D is finishing off a home-and-home series. Since today is the second to last day of games for these groups, I will also include the Elimination Round picture for each group.

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 started.

Group A

1982 Los Angeles Lakers 103, @ 1989 Detroit Pistons 97
Los Angeles takes a step in the right direction with a big win, but it was a tightly contested game throughout. Neither team led by more than one point after any of the first three quarters and the Pistons actually looked poised to steal a win, taking a 90-84 lead with 5:12 to play. Two and a half minutes later, the Lakers had tied the game, leading to Jamaal Wilkes putting the Lakers up for good with 1:49 left. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the way with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks, Mitch Kupchak added 18 points and 12 rebounds, Norm Nixon added 18 points and six assists, and Magic Johnson finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Isiah Thomas had 19 points and six assists to lead the Pistons, Joe Dumars had 13 and eight, and Dennis Rodman finished with 10 points and 19 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass (probably a majority of which came in the fourth quarter).

@ 1970 New York Knicks 111, 2010 Los Angeles Lakers 93
The Lakers lose their third straight and are now officially eliminated from the Elimination Round after committing 19 turnovers and seeing the Knicks shoot 52.1 percent from the floor. Meanwhile, New York picks up its third straight win and will be in the mix on the final day. Willis Reed is putting his name out there for tournament awards, posting 21 points and 12 rebounds in the win. Bill Bradley had 16 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Dave DeBusschere added 17 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks. Kobe Bryant had 18 points and seven rebounds, but helped cost the Lakers the game with eight turnovers. Pau Gasol added 23 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, and Andrew Bynum chipped in 14 points and 11 rebounds.

2002 Los Angeles Lakers 115, @ 2012 Miami Heat 85

The Lakers have officially locked up their Elimination Round spot after holding the Heat to 39.1 percent shooting and forcing 23 turnovers. The Lakers led 27-19 after one and were up 10 at the break, but put the game away after allowing a grand total of 10 points to Miami in the third quarter. The Heat also had no one to stop Shaquille O'Neal, who went off for 33 points and 14 rebounds, while Kobe Bryant posted a triple-double of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Robert Horry chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds. Dwyane Wade's struggles didn't help the Heat, as he only had five points. LeBron James finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, Chris Bosh had 16 points, and Mario Chalmers added 14, including a 4-4 day from beyond the arc.

@ 2015 Golden State Warriors 120, 1979 Seattle Supersonics 100
Seattle missed out on a chance to make it a three way tie for the final two spots after leading for a sizable chunk of the game, and because of the second tiebreaker (the '82 Lakers have a win against the '15 Warriors, the '70 Knicks have a win against the '02 Lakers, and Seattle got swept by both). The Sonics led by nine at halftime, but saw the lead gone late in the third only to retake a one point lead on a Gus Williams shot as time expired in the third. Golden State carried over their momentum in the fourth however, outscoring the Sonics 38-17 to put the pressure back on the '86 Celtics in Group F to match the effort for the top seed. Harrison Barnes led the Warriors with 20 points and six rebounds, Klay Thompson hit five more threes en route to 19 points and Steph Curry added 16 points and nine assists. Williams led the Sonics with 19 points while Jack Sikma added 14 points, 15 rebounds and five assists.

Clinching Scenarios

• 2015 Warriors: Clinched #1 seed
• 2002 Lakers: Clinched #2 seed
• 1982 Lakers: Clinched berth; Clinch #3 seed with a win OR 1970 Knicks loss 
• 1970 Knicks: Clinched berth; Clinch #3 seed with a win AND 1982 Lakers loss

Group B

@ 1971 Milwaukee Bucks 127, 1975 Golden State Warriors 120

Milwaukee would be the strongest 2 seed in the Elimination Round after they picked up yet another win in a tight contest, but they have a shot at the top seed now too. The Bucks shot 53.5 percent from the floor, but were outrebounded 59-44. The Bucks benefited from 43 free throw attempts in a 29-14 advantage in the foul column. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the way once again with 25 points and 16 rebounds, Bob Dandridge had 26 points, Jon McGlocklin 21, and Oscar Robertson added 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for the Bucks. Charles Johnson paced the Warriors with 24 points, Rick Barry added 20, and Clifford Ray had 18 points and 12 rebounds.

@ 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 116, 1966 Boston Celtics 103
The Lakers have locked up the fourth and final spot with their seventh win and the head-to-head sweep of the '68 Celtics, though they are locked into the #4 seed because the '85 Lakers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. Regardless, the '80 Lakers hit half of their shots and held the Celtics to 37.1 percent in a game where they actually trailed by one after the first quarter, but used an 11-0 run to take control of the game in the second. Kareem led the Lakers with 23 points, six rebounds and six blocks, Norm Nixon had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and Magic Johnson added 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Bill Russell had 13 points and 16 rebounds for Boston, while K.C. Jones chipped in 12 points and nine assists.

@ 1965 Boston Celtics 118, 1968 Boston Celtics 112
This game clearly wasn't meaningless to the '65 Celtics, who picked up just their second win of the tournament by being more efficient shooting and winning the rebounding battle. The '68 Celtics actually led 31-23 after one quarter, but were outscored 39-26 in the second as the '65 team took control and held it throughout the second half. '65 Bill Russell was magnificent with 12 points, 25 rebounds, seven assists and seven blocks. '65 Sam Jones had a game-high 33 points, and '65 Willie Naulls added 11 points and 11 assists. '68 John Havlicek had 27 points, six rebounds and 10 assists to lead his Celtics, '68 Jones had 24 points and '68 Russell finished with 11 points and 22 rebounds.

@ 1985 Los Angeles Lakers 106, 1996 Chicago Bulls 89
The defending Champion of Champions lost just its second game of the tournament, but it's a costly one as it means the final batch of games takes on some extra importance. The Bulls blew a 56-49 halftime lead to enter the fourth quarter tied at 70. The Lakers opened the frame on an 11-4 run and the Bulls would get no closer than back within four. James Worthy had 23 points for the Lakers, Kareem added 21, and Magic Johnson had an unconventional double-double of four points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Michael Jordan paced the Bulls with 25 points and eight rebounds, Scottie Pippen added 16 points and eight assists, and Toni Kukoc added 16 points off the bench.

Clinching Scenarios

• 1996 Bulls: Clinched berth; Clinch #1 seed with a win OR 1971 Bucks loss
• 1971 Bucks: Clinched berth; Clinch #1 seed with a win AND 1996 Bulls loss
• 1985 Lakers: Clinched #3 seed
• 1980 Lakers: Clinched #4 seed

Group D

@ 2007 San Antonio Spurs 102, 1959 Boston Celtics 58
Yikes. The Spurs just put up the best defensive performance of the Tournament of Champions and possibly ever. The Celtics shot just 27.3 percent, a tournament low, had just five free throw attempts, and were outrebounded 64-58. They also hit just one of their 13 threes while scoring just 22 points in the second half. Tim Duncan had 23 points and 20 rebounds to lead the Spurs, Tony Parker had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Manu Ginobili added 14 points off the bench. Bill Russell had 10 points and 22 rebounds to pace Boston, Bob Cousy also had 10 points, and Bill Sharman finished with 11.

@ 2009 Los Angeles Lakers 116, 1953 Minneapolis Lakers 84
Los Angeles has likely wrapped itself up as the number two seed with one game to play, though they are a threat to grab the top spot depending on what Miami does. For Minneapolis, it's their 13th straight loss and a threat to go winless once again. Kobe Bryant had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists to lead the LA Lakers, Pau Gasol had 16, 12 and five, Andrew Bynum had 16 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan Farmer scored 15 off the bench. George Mikan paced Minneapolis with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Vern Mikkelsen had 12 points and 13 rebounds, and James Pollard added 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

@ 2013 Miami Heat 105, 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 96
The Lakers missed a chance to punch their ticket to the Elimination Round and suffer the sweep at the hands of the Heat. The Lakers shot just 37.8 percent while the Heat hit half of theirs. Each team hit six threes, but the Lakers did it in 21 attempts to Miami's 15. LeBron James had 23 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Heat, Dwyane Wade added 21 points, Chris Bosh had 14 and Mario Chalmers 12. Shaquille O'Neal couldn't do enough to turn the tide despite posting 30 points and 20 rebounds. Glen Rice had 24 points, and Kobe Bryant chipped in eight points, six rebounds and nine assists.

@ 1999 San Antonio Spurs 115, 2011 Dallas Mavericks 106

Dallas got outscored 36-22 in the second quarter to fall behind 16 at the break and never really threatened in the second half as the Spurs live to fight for one more day. San Antonio shot 54.3 percent to beat out Dallas' 50.6 percent while forcing 12 Mavericks turnovers and winning the rebounding battle 45-40. Tim Duncan had 35 points and nine rebounds to lead the way, Mario Elie had 24 points, and David Robinson added 12 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Spurs. Dirk Nowitzki paced the Mavericks with 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jason Terry had 20 points and eight assists, and Tyson Chandler pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds.

Clinching Scenarios

• 2013 Heat: Clinched berth; Clinch #1 seed with a win OR 2009 Lakers loss
• 2009 Lakers: Clinched berth; Clinch #1 seed with a win AND 2013 Heat loss
• 2000 Lakers: Clinch berth with a win OR 1999 Spurs loss; Clinch #3 seed with a win AND 2011 Mavericks loss
• 2011 Mavericks: Clinch berth with a win OR 1999 Spurs loss; Clinch #3 seed with a win OR 1999 Spurs win AND 2000 Lakers loss
• 1999 Spurs: Clinch berth with a win AND 2000 Lakers loss OR 2011 Mavericks loss

Group G

1987 Los Angeles Lakers 121, @ 1967 Philadelphia 76ers 112
A third straight loss for the Sixers has them on the verge of missing out on the Elimination Round, though this loss came to the group leader. The Sixers started the final quarter down four points but never threatened in that period, as the Lakers scored 38 points to seal their tenth win. The Lakers shot 51 percent for the game and forced 19 turnovers. James Worthy paced Los Angeles with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Byron Scott added 20, six and seven, and Magic Johnson added 18 points and 15 assists. Wilt Chamberlain had 27 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks to lead Philly, Hal Greer added 22 points and Wali Jones chipped in 20.

@1957 Boston Celtics 114, 2003 San Antonio Spurs 110 (OT)

Meanwhile, the Celtics just overtook the Sixers for the fourth and final spot in the Elimination Round with a head to head matchup left to play. The Celtics only shot 40.2 percent from the floor, but hit six of their 16 threes and outrebounded San Antonio 70-52. The Celtics trailed by 10 at one point in the fourth quarter, but went on an 11-0 run to take the lead. Bob Cousy banked home a go-ahead shot with two seconds left, but Tim Duncan answered with a runner at the buzzer to force overtime. In the extra session, Dixon Hemric scored five straight point to extend a Boston lead to six, and the Celtics iced the game at the line. Bob Cousy led the way with 24 points and 12 assists, Bill Russell had 16 points and 24 rebounds and Jim Loscutoff chipped in 14 points and 13 rebounds. Tim Duncan nearly won this game by himself with 46 points, including the shot to force overtime, and 15 rebounds, while Tony Parker added 13 points and eight assists.

@ 2001 Los Angeles Lakers 98, 1955 Syracuse Nationals 89
The Nationals were looking okay for a while, facing a tie game partway through the third quarter before the Lakers went on a 15-2 run to take control of the game and keep pace atop the group. Syracuse finished the day shooting 34.1 percent, which makes it kind of amazing that they kept it close for that long, though their 30-37 day at the free throw line helped. Ultimately, the Nationals had no answer for Shaquille O'Neal's 26 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Kobe Bryant was another key for the Lakers with 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Horace Grant added 17 points and 13 rebounds. Dolph Schayes led the Nationals with 21 points and eight rebounds, and Paul Seymour added 14 and seven.

@ 2005 San Antonio Spurs 119, 1964 Boston Celtics 88
The Spurs take the third spot in Group G thanks to getting to the line 41 times and holding the Celtics to 35.6 percent shooting. The Spurs opened the game with a 29-11 lead after one quarter and never looked back, outscoring the Celtics in every quarter except the fourth. Tim Duncan led the way with 26 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks for the Spurs, while Tony Parker added 19 points and Manu Ginobili contributed 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Tommy Heinsohn led the Celtics with 22 points and seven rebounds, John Havlicek added 18 points, and Bill Russell finished with 15 rebounds and six assists.

Clinching Scenarios

• 2001 Lakers: Clinched berth; Clinch #1 seed with a win
• 1987 Lakers: Clinched berth; Clinch #1 seed with a win
• 2005 Spurs: Clinched berth; Clinch #3 seed with a win OR 1957 Celtics loss
• 1957 Celtics: Clinch berth with a win
• 1967 76ers: Clinch berth with a win