2015 NBA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 28

Our four week journey is nearly complete. 432 games are in the books, and today, the final 16 will be played.

The field of 32 for the elimination round is nearly filled, with only two spots still remaining up for grabs. Those will be filled today. In addition, lots of seeding still remains up in the air, including a couple of group winners that will be settled today.

On this final day of group play, Groups A and B finish out their slate after having a couple days to prepare, while Groups C and F come back after having yesterday off.

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 play the final games.

Group A

2015 Golden State Warriors 115, @ 1989 Detroit Pistons 105

The Pistons led by 10 three minutes into the fourth quarter, but Golden State went on a 15-4 run over the next four and half minutes to take the lead and would not relinquish it to finish 13-1 and thanks to the '86 Celtics result below, secure home court advantage throughout the Elimination Round. The Warriors shot just seven of 24 from beyond the arc, but hit 30 of their 37 free throws to help secure the win. Steph Curry had 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead Golden State, while Klay Thompson added 27 points and Draymond Green finished with 27 points and 12 rebounds. All five Pistons starters scored in double figures led by Dennis Rodman's 18 to go with 10 rebounds, while Bill Laimbeer had 17 points and 14 assists and Isiah Thomas had 16 points and nine assists.

@ 1979 Seattle Supersonics 100, 2012 Miami Heat 93
Seattle overcame a 12 point deficit after one quarter to finish their tournament play at .500 and close on a high note. The Heat meanwhile, after being a semifinalist in the 2013 Tournament of Champions finish in seventh in their group at 4-10 after shooting under 40 percent for the game and getting outrebounded 60-45. Jack Sikma had 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Sonics while Gus Williams had 20 points and John Johnson finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. LeBron James had 22 points and seven rebounds to pace Miami while Chris Bosh had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Dwyane Wade added 16 points and six assists.

@ 2002 Los Angeles Lakers 106, 1970 New York Knicks 103
The Knicks fouled the guy they wanted to down three with 3 seconds to go; Shaquille O'Neal missed a pair of free throws, but Dick Barnett was off on a tying three at the buzzer, and the Knicks will have to settle for the four seed after finishing 7-7 (and holding the tiebreaker over Seattle thanks to the Knicks' earlier victory over LA). Shaq finished with a whopping 41 points and 14 rebounds, but he missed 11 of his 14 free throws to nearly cost the Lakers the game. Kobe Bryant was brilliant though as well with 17 points, six rebounds and 12 assists. Willis Reed had 21 points and 22 rebounds for the Knicks, Walt Frazier had eight points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Dave DeBusschere finished with 19 points and six rebounds.

1982 Los Angeles Lakers 108, @ 2010 Los Angeles Lakers 91
Showtime massively outrebounded the '10 Lakers 63-44 and overcame a three point halftime deficit to get their eighth win, which will help their tiebreaker case a little bit. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wanted to make sure they did, coming up big with 20 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks, while Mitch Kupchak had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Magic Johnson finished with a near triple-double of 16 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists for the '82 Lakers. Kobe Bryant had 20 points to lead the '10 Lakers, while Andrew Bynum added 15 points and nine rebounds.

Advancing Teams

1.  2015 Golden State Warriors (13-1)
2.  2002 Los Angeles Lakers (10-4)
3.  1982 Los Angeles Lakers (8-6)
4.  1970 New York Knicks (7-7)

Group B

@ 1971 Milwaukee Bucks 104, 1968 Boston Celtics 94
The Celtics made them earn it, but the Bucks were able to hold up their end of the bargain, even though with the Bulls win Milwaukee has to settle for the #2 seed. Boston led by 10 at halftime and maintained it through the third quarter, but then the Bucks made their run. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit a pair of free throws with less than five minutes left to give the Bucks the lead back, and they would pull away the rest of the way. Neither team shot particularly well, but the Celtics hit just 38 percent of their field goals while missing 11 free throws. Kareem led the way for the Bucks with 32 points and 16 rebounds, while Greg Smith scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 more boards and Oscar Robertson had a near triple-double of 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Bailey Howell had 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Celtics, Bill Russell had four points, 17 rebounds and five blocks, and John Havlicek chipped in 18 points, six rebounds and four steals.

1996 Chicago Bulls 117, @ 1966 Boston Celtics 114

A tight game throughout saw the Bulls overcome a 53-50 halftime deficit to carry a lead into the fourth. That frame saw four ties and four lead changes with Scottie Pippen ultimately giving the Bulls the lead for good with 3:45 left, and Michael Jordan hit clutch free throws down the stretch. Sam Jones was fouled on a three with just two seconds left and hit the first two, but missed the third, and Jordan came down with the rebound to seal the win and the #1 seed from Group B for the Bulls. Jordan finished with 39 points and eight rebounds, Pippen added 23 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, and Toni Kukoc came off the bench for 17 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Bill Russell had a triple-double to lead the Celtics with 21 points, 29 rebounds and 10 assists (also chipping in four blocks). Sam Jones contributed 23 points, and John Havlicek 18.

1985 Los Angeles Lakers 111, @ 1975 Golden State Warriors 99
The Lakers overcame a 20 turnover game by shooting 54.3 percent for the contest and climbed out of a six point hole at halftime to get their 10th win and look like a juggernaut in the #3 seed. A 36-25 fourth quarter advantage kick started by a 9-0 run for LA sealed the win. Magic Johnson led the Lakers with 27 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists, James Worthy had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Byron Scott added 14 and seven. Butch Beard led the Warriors with 20 points, Clifford Ray had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Rick Barry finished with 19 points and six assists.

@ 1980 Los Angeles Lakers 122, 1965 Boston Celtics 111
The Lakers were more than willing to play Boston's fast style, and beat them at it, shooting 51.6 percent from the floor. The Celtics managed just 41 percent and missed 11 free throws in a game they lost by 11, though in fairness, they did trail 64-46 at the break. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists to lead the Lakers, Jamaal Wilkes had 24 points, seven rebounds and four steals, and Magic Johnson added 13 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Sam Jones led all scorers with 26 points for the Celtics, John Havlicek added 15, and Bill Russell put up 12 points, 21 rebounds, five assists and seven blocks.

Advancing Teams

1. 1996 Chicago Bulls (12-2)
2. 1971 Milwaukee Bucks (12-2)
3. 1985 Los Angeles Lakers (10-4)
4. 1980 Los Angeles Lakers (8-6)

Group C

1977 Portland Trailblazers 111, @ 1972 Los Angeles Lakers 106
Portland locks up the #3 seed after having to mount a comeback in a tight game. The Blazers scored seven of the first nine points in the fourth quarter to take control, though the Lakers wouldn't give up. It took a Lionel Hollins jumper with 52 seconds remaining for the Blazers to take the lead for good. Hollins finished with 21 points, five assists and four steals, while Maurice Lucas had 24 points and 14 rebounds and Bill Walton posted six points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocks. Wilt Chamberlain had 21 points, 17 rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, Gail Goodrich added 24 points, and Happy Hairston finished with 13 points and 17 rebounds. The Lakers still make it into the Elimination Round thanks to the '92 Bulls knocking off the '83 Sixers.

@ 1995 Houston Rockets 113, 1954 Minneapolis Lakers 92
The Rockets went with a deeper rotation since they're out of the Elimination Round, but they shot 52.4 percent as a team, including 15 of 29 from beyond the arc to drop the Lakers to 1-13 for the Tournament of Champions. Minneapolis hit just 3 of their 13 threes, shot 40.7 percent from the floor, and were outrebounded 51-43 in the tough loss. Clyde Drexler had 22 points and 12 rebounds to pace Houston, Hakeem Olajuwon added 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Mario Elie added 15 points. George Mikan had 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks to pace the Lakers, James Pollard had 17 points and six rebounds, and Clyde Lovellette added 15 points off the bench.

1993 Chicago Bulls 100, @ 1958 St. Louis Hawks 88

The '93 Bulls did what was in their control to sneak into the Elimination Round, but didn't make it holding the Hawks to 36.6 percent shooting and forcing 19 turnovers, though the Bulls ultimately needed a 15-4 run to open the fourth quarter to pull away and secure their eighth win. Michael Jordan led the way with 31 points and 12 rebounds, Horace Grant had 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Scottie Pippen added 18 points, five rebounds and six assists. Bob Pettit paced the Hawks with 15 points and 15 rebounds, Cliff Hagan had 14 and 11, and Chuck Share chipped in 17 and eight, plus four blocks.

1992 Chicago Bulls 114, @ 1983 Philadelphia 76ers 97
The '92 Bulls eliminated their '93 cousins thanks to their home-and-home sweep and the '72 Lakers stealing a win against the '92 Bulls the other day. As for your Group C winners, the '92 Bulls built on a three point halftime lead with a 34-22 third quarter that featured a 14-2 run to make the difference. Michael Jordan led the way with 24 points, seven rebounds and six steals, Scottie Pippen had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and Horace Grant added 10 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. Moses Malone was held to 11 points and 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, while Julius Erving and Andrew Toney each added 14 points and Maurice Cheeks had 12 points and five steals.

Advancing Teams

1. 1992 Chicago Bulls (11-3)
2. 1983 Philadelphia 76ers (10-4)
3. 1977 Portland Trailblazers (9-5)
4. 1972 Los Angeles Lakers (8-6)

Group F
1988 Los Angeles Lakers 104, @ 1998 Chicago Bulls 94

The Lakers eliminated the Pistons from contention and stole the #3 seed all in one feel swoop, holding the Bulls to 16 third quarter points and 37.5 percent shooting for the game. LA controlled the glass, 58-49, and shot 48.9 percent at their end to catapault their way into a better matchup. Byron Scott had 23 points and seven rebounds to pace the Lakers, Magic Johnson finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists, James Worthy added 12 points and eight rebounds, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar finished with 17 and nine. Michael Jordan paced the Bulls with 29 points, Steve Kerr added 14 off the bench, and Toni Kukoc had 13, but Scottie Pippen was held to just 11 points. Dennis Rodman added a game-high 18 rebounds for Chicago.

@ 1960 Boston Celtics 133, 1956 Philadelphia Warriors 107
The Celtics took 118 shots and made 55 of them, including a 5-16 day from downtown while dominating the glass 74-58. The win is just Boston's third of the tournament, and allows them to end on a high note. The Warriors missed 18 free throws and committed 21 turnovers in falling behind 35-25 after one quarter and it being over at halftime, with the Celtics leading 71-46. Tommy Heinsohn led the way with 28 points, 16 rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, Bill Russell had 17 points, 22 rebounds, five assists and four steals, and Bob Cousy added 19 points and six rebounds. Neil Johnston played 44 minutes for the Warriors and finished with 24 points, 18 rebounds, six assists and four blocks, while Paul Arizin had 22 points and eight rebounds, and Joe Graboski chipped in 19 and nine.

@ 1986 Boston Celtics 110, 1994 Houston Rockets 104
The Celtics will have to settle for home court advantage against everyone but the 2015 Warriors thanks to a narrow victory over a good Rockets team. Houston shot just 40.6 percent from the floor and wound up missing 10 free throws in a six point loss. Meanwhile the Celtics hit 51.1 percent of their shots, though they also missed 10 free throws and barely held on. Larry Bird had 17 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for the Celtics, Robert Parish had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Kevin McHale had 17 and 11, and Danny Ainge added 18 points. Hakeem Olajuwon led the Rockets with 26 points, nine rebounds and six blocks, Otis Thorpe had 17 points and 16 rebounds, and Carl Herrera came off the bench with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

1961 Boston Celtics 98, @ 2004 Detroit Pistons 88
The Pistons played their normal rotation since they had a shot at sneaking into the Elimination Round, but missed 16 of their 19 threes and turned the ball over 22 times in their fourth straight loss, finishing at .500 for the Tournament. The Celtics didn't shoot much better than the Pistons (39.8 percent to 38.6 percent), but were more efficient from deep (3-8) and just edged out the rebounding battle. Bill Russell had 11 points and 26 rebounds in the spoiler role, Sam Jones added 21 points, Tommy Heinsohn had 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Bob Cousy added 11 points and eight assists for the Celtics. Chauncey Billups paced the Pistons with 18 points, but shot 5-16 overall, including 1-8 from beyond the arc. Ben Wallace added 17 points and 14 rebounds, Rasheed Wallace had nine and 14, and Mehmet Okur finished with eight and 12.

Advancing Teams

1. 1986 Boston Celtics (13-1)
2. 1994 Houston Rockets (10-4)
3. 1988 Los Angeles Lakers (9-5)
4. 1998 Chicago Bulls (9-5)