We're down to 32 teams left, and by week's end, there will only be 16. At this point, however, we're done with the round robin stuff. It is down to the bracket to find us our best team of all time.
So, with all of our series ending in the next few days (if they haven't already, theoretically), I'm just going to break this round down into four parts, covering four random series. This harkens back to the 2013 tournament, where we have all best-of-seven series following a 2-2-1-1-1 format. This time, home court advantage will go to the higher seeds (based on finish in group play). All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's take a look at our first batch of series.
Larry Bird Bracket
(4) 1984 Boston Celtics vs (1) 1986 Boston Celtics
Game 2: '84 Celtics 110, @ '86 Celtics 93 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: '86 Celtics 110, @ '84 Celtics 91 ('86 Celtics lead 2-1)
Game 4: '86 Celtics 118, @ '84 Celtics 109 ('86 Celtics lead 3-1)
Game 5: '84 Celtics 119, @ '86 Celtics 113 ('86 Celtics lead 3-2)
Game 6: '86 Celtics 126, @ '84 Celtics 105 ('86 Celtics win 4-2)
In a weird series, only Game 1 was won by the home team, with both teams making adjustments throughout the series to the rotation. Ultimately though, the '86 Celtics prevailed after a hiccup in Game 5 thanks to '86 Larry Bird's 37 point, 18 rebound performance in the clincher. Both Birds were phenomenal, though '86 Kevin McHale outplayed his '84 counterpart for most of the series.
LeBron James Bracket
(3) 1982 Los Angeles Lakers vs (2) 1971 Milwaukee Bucks
Game 2: @ '71 Bucks 129, '82 Lakers 108 ('71 Bucks lead 2-0)
Game 3: '71 Bucks 133, @ '82 Lakers 119 ('71 Bucks lead 3-0)
Game 4: '71 Bucks 129, @ '82 Lakers 115 ('71 Bukcs win 4-0)
The Bucks overcame a Magic Johnson triple-double in Game 1 thanks to a Kareem dunk with six seconds to go that give Milwaukee the lead, and '82 Kareem missed a shot at the buzzer that would have won the game. The '82 Lakers fell apart in Game 2, and couldn't recover in time. An early lead in Game 4 was short-lived, as the Bucks took the lead for good midway through the third quarter.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bracket
(3) 2005 San Antonio Spurs vs (2) 1994 Houston Rockets
Game 2: @ '94 Rockets 95, '05 Spurs 77 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: '94 Rockets 100, @ '05 Spurs 95 ('94 Rockets lead 2-1)
Game 4: '94 Rockets 92, @ '05 Spurs 74 ('94 Rockets lead 3-1)
Game 5: '05 Spurs 108, @ '94 Rockets 105 (OT) ('94 Rockets lead 3-2)
Game 6: @ '05 Spurs 87, '94 Rockets 72 (Series tied 3-3)
Game 7: @ '94 Rockets 112, '05 Spurs 102 ('94 Rockets win 4-3)
The Spurs looked good in Game 1, containing the Rockets and imposing their will, but they got cold in Game 2 and the Rockets took advantage before going into San Antonio and wreaking defensive havoc while Hakeem Olajuwon had good games. Gregg Popovich found enough of an answer in Game 5, with Manu Ginobili hitting a three at the overtime buzzer to keep the Spurs alive. San Antonio held Houston to 10 third quarter points in Game 6 and Manu Ginobili had seven steals to force a deciding contest. The Rockets shot 9-13 from deep in that final game, including 3-3 in the final quarter. The win eliminates the Spurs, who made it to the Championship of Champions back in 2013.
Dwyane Wade Bracket
(3) 1985 Los Angeles Lakers vs (2) 2014 San Antonio Spurs
Game 2: '85 Lakers 120, @ '14 Spurs 108 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: @ '85 Lakers 114, '14 Spurs 108 ('85 Lakers lead 2-1)
Game 4: '14 Spurs 110, @ '85 Lakers 97 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: @ '14 Spurs 107, '85 Lakers 98 ('14 Spurs lead 3-2)
Game 6: @ '85 Lakers 108, '14 Spurs 82 (Series tied 3-3)
Game 7: '85 Lakers 111, @ '14 Spurs 103 ('85 Lakers win 4-3)
A balanced attack got the Spurs the early advantage in the series, but the Lakers made adjustments prior to Game 2, and it resulted in an offensive explosion for Showtime as well as domination on the glass as the series shifted to Los Angeles. San Antonio got back to the basket in Game 4, attacking at will and taking advantage of their free throws to even the series. The Spurs continued that trend in Game 5 and hit enough threes to win, but a Magic Johnson triple-double in Game 6 forced a deciding contest in San Antonio. The Spurs shot well, but couldn't get stops as the Lakers' superstars Magic, Big Game James and Kareem all topped 20 points for the upset.
To see the updated bracket, click here. Check back tomorrow to see the results from another batch of games!
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