2015 NBA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 9

It's another day, and with it, another batch of games for the 2015 NBA Tournament of Champions.

Everyone has played four games to this point, so the have's are starting to separate themselves from the have-not's. Six teams remain undefeated through four rounds, while eight teams, one from each group, are still working towards that first Tournament of Champions victory.

Today, Groups G and H are back at it after playing yesterday, while Groups D and E return from a one day break. Group D is finishing up a home-and-home series in this round.

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 go courtside for today's action.

Group D

@ 2009 Los Angeles Lakers 129, 1959 Boston Celtics 118

Boston looked primed to split the series with the Lakers, leading 30-29 after one quarter. LA went on a 14-2 run in the first three minutes of the second quarter however to take control of the game. The Celtics didn't give up, narrowing the gap to four by halftime and pulling within two points early in the third. They only trailed by three going into the fourth and would eventually tie the game, but the Lakers went on a 13-4 run late to seal the deal. Kobe Bryant finished with a game-high 32 points to go with seven assists, while Pau Gasol added 30 points and 10 rebounds. Bill Sharman had 31 points for the Celtics while Bill Russell had 17 points and 15 rebounds.

@ 2013 Miami Heat 96, 2007 San Antonio Spurs 87
Miami made sure early that they wouldn't lose a second straight game, opening the contest on a 12-2 run and leading 31-19 after one quarter. The Spurs refused to give up however, fighting their way back into the game and pulling within one at 71-70 early in the fourth quarter. The Heat then went on an 8-0 run to open the game back up, and San Antonio would not get within six again. LeBron James led the way with 26 points and 11 rebounds, Dwyane Wade added 22 points, and Chris Bosh had 18 points and 15 rebounds. Manu Ginobili led the Spurs with 18 points off the bench, while Tim Duncan had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

@ 1999 San Antonio Spurs 93, 1953 Minneapolis Lakers 75
The Spurs played excellent defense, holding the Lakers to just 10 first quarter points and 28 in the first half. Minneapolis shot just 34.8 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 15 times in falling to 0-5. Tim Duncan led the way for the Spurs with 25 points and 12 rebounds, David Robinson had 13 and 10, and Avery Johnson had eight points, six rebounds and 14 assists. George Mikan led the Lakers with 23 points and 13 rebounds while Vern Mikkelsen added 14 and 12.

@ 2011 Dallas Mavericks 104, 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 91
The Mavs earned the split behind excellent offensive balance: they shot 50 percent from the floor and hit 13 of 29 threes while picking up assists on 30 of their 39 field goals. A 14-4 run midway through the second quarter turned a one point deficit into a nine point lead, and Dallas just added to it in the third to pull away. The Mavericks were able to go to the end of their bench to dampen the numbers of their starters some, but Jason Kidd still finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists, Jason Terry had 15 points and seven assists, and Dirk Nowitzki finished with 18 points. Shaquille O'Neal led all scorers with 20 points while Kobe Bryant added 19 and eight rebounds in the loss.

Group E

2014 San Antonio Spurs 96, @ 1997 Chicago Bulls 92
The Spurs won the battle to remain tied for first place in Group E behind incredible offensive balance, though the stats, like the final score, were pretty close. San Antonio's frontcourt seemed to control the game, at least offensively, as the Bulls never really had an answer for them and came up just short late with the game on the line. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 19 points, Tony Parker added 18, and Tiago Splitter chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Jordan finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the loss for the Bulls, Scottie Pippen had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Dennis Rodman had a game-high 16 rebounds.

@ 1973 New York Knicks 127, 1990 Detroit Pistons 99

The Pistons did all they could to avoid dropping a fifth straight, even leading 24-23 after one quarter. Henry Bibby hit a go-ahead three early in the second quarter however, and the Knicks just built on it from there, leading by nine at the break. All told, Detroit couldn't contain the Knicks' starting lineup. Dave DeBusschere broke out for 34 points and 16 rebounds, Walt Frazier added 24 and 10, and Bill Bradley chipped in 21 points. Joe Dumars led the Pistons with 18 points, Isiah Thomas had 15, and Bill Laimbeer contributed 13.

@ 1978 Washington Bullets 108, 1981 Boston Celtics 96
Make it three straight losses for the Celtics, who were in the game for almost the entire thing before falling apart in the fourth quarter. The Celtics never led in that frame, but did manage to pull within one before Washington went on a 12-2 run to put the game away. Elvin Hayes did a great job attacking the basket, finishing with 28 points, 19 rebounds and four steals, Larry Wright added 16 points and five assists off the bench, and Bob Dandridge scored 12 points, pulled down five rebounds and dished out five assists. Six Celtics managed to score in double figures, led by Robert Parish's 15 points. Parish also had 10 rebounds, while Larry Bird had 14 points and 21 rebounds.

@ 2008 Boston Celtics 107, 1974 Boston Celtics 91
The '74 Celtics blew an eight point second half lead and wound up trailing by seven after three quarters. The '08 Celtics played to close it out in the fourth quarter, and did so, not giving the '74 Celtics a chance to get back into the game. The '08 Celtics forced 19 turnovers in the win. Kevin Garnett led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds while Paul Pierce had 21 points and eight rebounds. All of the starting '74 Celtics scored in double figures paced by Jo Jo White's 18. Dave Cowens and John Havlicek each had 16 points. Cowens and Paul Silas also pulled down 15 rebounds apiece, while White added 10 boards of his own.

Group G

1967 Philadelphia 76ers 117, @ 2003 San Antonio Spurs 102
Wilt and the Sixers win their fourth straight game to stay at the top of the standings thanks to shooting 52.8 percent from the floor, but it took a while before they could breathe easy. The Spurs jumped out to a 32-19 first quarter lead, but started to see it slip away after that. The Sixers moved to within nine after two and down just one after three before outscoring San Antonio 35-19 in the final quarter. Hal Greer and Chet Walker each scored 21 points for the Sixers, while Wilt Chamberlain added 20 to go with his 25 rebounds. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 22 points, Manu Ginobili had 16, and Tim Duncan added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

1987 Los Angeles Lakers 127, @ 1955 Syracuse Nationals 90
After an 0-2 start, the Lakers have worked their way back into contention, this time by shooting 53.3 percent and forcing 25 Syracuse turnovers in their third straight win. Los Angeles outscored the Nationals 34-17 in the opening frame and never looked back. Magic Johnson led the way with 26 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists, James Worthy had 25 points, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar added 20 points and 11 rebounds. Paul Seymour, Dolph Schayes and Red Rocha each had 14 points for the Nationals, with Schayes adding 13 rebounds.

1957 Boston Celtics 119, @ 1964 Boston Celtics 109
Both Celtics teams were willing to run, putting up a combined 200 field goals, but also combined for 77 free throws. The '57 Celtics made 41 of their 47, while the '64 Celtics only shot 30 as a team, which accounts for the point difference. The '57 Celtics never trailed, opening the game on a 12-3 run and holding firm the rest of the way. '57 Bob Cousy scored a game-high 28 points, '57 Tommy Heinsohn added 26 points and 11 rebounds, and '57 Bill Russell had 19 points and 24 rebounds. John Havlicek led the '64 Celtics with 24 points and nine rebounds, '64 Sam Jones added 19, and '64 Russell had 12 points and a game-high 25 rebounds.

2001 Los Angeles Lakers 97, @ 2005 San Antonio Spurs 94

The Lakers nearly blew a 13 point lead they held early in the second quarter; the Spurs overcame getting outscored 31-20 in the first quarter to take a few third and fourth quarter leads, including a four point lead with about two and a half minutes left. The Lakers rallied back though, with Kobe Bryant hitting the go-ahead jumper with just under a minute to play. Shaquille O'Neal hit three of four free throws after that to seal the win, and Manu Ginobili missed a game-tying three with just seven seconds left for the Lakers to escape Texas with a big win. Bryant finished with 27 points while O'Neal added 25 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five blocks. Ginobili paced the Spurs with 22 points and seven rebounds, Tony Parker added 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Tim Duncan chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Group H

2006 Miami Heat 120, @ 1969 Boston Celtics 109

The Heat bounced back after their first loss with phenomenal 53.4 percent shooting, yet the Celtics made them earn it. Boston led by eight at halftime and by 15 late in the third quarter. The Heat closed the final two minutes of the third quarter on a 12-2 run to narrow the gap, and late in the fourth, Shaquille O'Neal went on a 9-1 scoring run to steal the road win. O'Neal finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, Dwyane Wade went off for 34 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and James Posey hit five threes en route to 19 points. Six Celtics scored in double figures, led by Sam Jones' 21, while Larry Siegfried added 20.


1976 Boston Celtics 109, @ 1952 Minneapolis Lakers 84
The Lakers couldn't carry over the momentum from their first win yesterday as they shot just 36.3 percent from the floor while the Celtics pushed the tempo and led by a dozen at halftime. Boston also outrebounded Minneapolis 62-47 to help keep control. Jo Jo White led all scorers with 24 points, but Dave Cowens stole the show for Boston with 20 points and 27 rebounds in a game where every Celtics scored. George Mikan led the Lakers with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while James Pollard added 14 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four blocks.

1991 Chicago Bulls 110, @ 1962 Boston Celtics 105
The Bulls nearly blew this game; an eight point halftime lead was gone by the end of the third as the Celtics led by one. Boston would push its lead as high as five in the final quarter, but Michael Jordan and the Bulls proved to be too much, improving to 5-0 and remaining in first place in the group. Jordan went off for 30 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals, Scottie Pippen added 18 points and eight rebounds, and Horace Grant had a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. Tommy Heinsohn paced the Celtics with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Bill Russell had 16 points and 28 boards.

@ 1984 Boston Celtics 144, 1963 Boston Celtics 119
The tournament record for points in a game by a team lasted all of one day. The '84 Celtics shot 54 percent from the field and went 50 of 57 from the free throw line, both tournament highs. To their credit, the '63 Celtics also got to the line a ton, shooting 33-50 on their freebies. A tournament-high 14 players scored in double figures, including a tournament-high eight by the '63 Celtics. Robert Parish led the way with 23 points and 15 rebounds for '84 Boston, Dennis Johnson and Kevin McHale each had 21, and Larry Bird added 18 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists. Sam Jones paced the '63 Celtics with 19 points while Bill Russell added 18 points, 25 rebounds and eight assists.