2015 NBA Tournament of Champions: Championship

It's taken over three months, but we're finally here. Several rounds and 619 games later, we've narrowed the field down from the last 64 NBA champions down to two. And with it, Chicagoans have rejoiced.

In one corner, we have an underdog. After making the quarterfinals in 2013 and losing a heartbreaking seventh game to that year's Miami Heat, they had time to plan their revenge. They were the best defensive team in their high-scoring, Celtic-heavy group, but dropped a pair of games by three points total to the 2006 Heat, finishing 9-5 and in second place in the group. In Elimination play, they knocked out another 2013 quarterfinalist in the 1988 Lakers, survived a seven game war with the 1987 Lakers, then knocked out a pair of tournament juggernauts in the 1971 Bucks and, maybe more surprisingly, the 1986 Celtics. Now the 1991 Chicago Bulls are just four wins away from further immortality, but they have a massive challenge ahead.

In the other corner, we have the heavy favorite from before the tournament started. After losing four games total in the 2013 Tournament, the defending champions found themselves in something of a "Group of Death", but went 12-2 and earned the tiebreaker against the aforementioned '71 Bucks thanks to beating them twice to win the group and earn the number four overall seed. They got more than they bargained for in the Elimination round, getting a rematch of their 2013 quarterfinals series with the 1972 Lakers only to see themselves pushed to the brink, but they overcame adversity by winning a pair of elimination games to survive and advance. They erased any doubts in the next round despite a strong performance from Hakeem Olajuwon and the 1994 Rockets. They got a quarterfinal rematch with the third place team from their group, but the 1985 Lakers were no match. Having to cede home court advantage for the first time in their Tournament of Champions history, they weren't fazed by a raucous crowd in Oakland and took care of business against the top-seeded 2015 Warriors. The 1996 Chicago Bulls are back where they belong: in the championship round and just a few wins away from successfully defending their throne.

Like the past 30 series in the Elimination Round, this will be a best of seven played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. Because they are a group winner, the 1996 Bulls will have home court advantage for the series. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. It is now time to crown a champion.

(2) 1991 Chicago Bulls vs (1) 1996 Chicago Bulls

Game 1: @ '96 Bulls 94, '91 Bulls 84 ('96 Bulls lead 1-0)
Game 2: @ '96 Bulls 113, '91 Bulls 105 (OT) ('96 Bulls lead 2-0)
Game 3: @ '91 Bulls 108, '96 Bulls 88 ('96 Bulls lead 2-1)
Game 4: '96 Bulls 104, @ '91 Bulls 85 ('96 Bulls lead 3-1)
Game 5: @ '96 Bulls 112, '91 Bulls 98 ('96 Bulls win 4-1)
'96 Pippen had 16 points and 15 rebounds while Toni Kukoc had 20 points off the '96 Bulls' bench to supplement '96 MJ's 22 points to take the opener despite hitting just eight of 21 free throws as a team in Game 1. The '91 Bulls had pretty firm control in Game 2, but blew a nine point fourth quarter lead and turned the game into a Jordan duel. '96 MJ hit three free throws to put the Bulls up two, but '91 MJ threw down a dunk right before the buzzer to force overtime. '96 MJ added eight of his 38 points in the extra session to overshadow '91 MJ's 30 to make it 2-0 going to the old Chicago Stadium. Things turned around in the old barn in Game 3, as the '96 Bulls were held under 40 percent shooting while the '91 Bulls shot 53.7 percent to get back into the series. The '96 Bulls surged back in Game 4, led by 21 points from Kukoc and a 14 point, seven rebound, 10 assist day from '96 Pippen set up a potential clincher at the United Center. The outcome in Game 5 was never in doubt, as everyone on the '96 Bulls showed up to ensure the title defense: '96 MJ dropped 33 points, '96 Pippen had 26 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, Dennis Rodman pulled down 24 rebounds, and Steve Kerr and Toni Kukoc combined for 26 points off the bench. '91 MJ went down swinging with 29 points, while '91 Pippen had 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

To see the updated bracket, click here. You can also go check the "Elimination" tab on my Google sheet to see the final stats from the Elimination round.

Be proud, Chicago. Both of your teams fought valiantly, but in the end, the 1996 Chicago Bulls overcame all adversity and answered the bell against every team that challenged them. The '96 Bulls valiantly defended their crown with a 32-10 record over the course of the tournament. Thanks to their seeding, four of their five series held home court advantage, and really only had the one scare in the round of 32, otherwise largely taking care of business, going 20-3 at the United Center including 13 wins in a row to close out the tournament. It brings a thrilling conclusion to a great tournament, and one I hope you enjoyed following as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

I have one more duty in running this tournament, and that is the naming of the All-Tournament Team. I'm expanding this from how I did it in the 2013 tournament, with more attention paid to stats (at least in the Elimination round, it was just too much to cover Group Play) allowing for more in-depth study. Instead of just a five-man team, it will be 15, with a First, Second and Third team, and then from that team I will select an MVP. The only caveat for being named to the All Tournament Team is that the player must have made the Elimination Round, so anyone from the 32 teams that didn't play beyond July are not eligible. The stats given below are just for their Elimination Round games, with the final numbers being field goal/three point/free throw percentages.

All Tournament Third Team
PG: Jerry West (1972 Lakers): 7 games, 24.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 8.7 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 47.2/43.5/81.8
SG: Michael Jordan (1992 Bulls): 15 games, 27.9 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 6.1 APG, 2.0 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 47.7/15.8/81.1
SF: Scottie Pippen (1996 Bulls): 28 games, 19.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 46.5/35.2/64.6
PF: LeBron James (2013 Heat): 11 games, 26.1 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 8.6 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 54.6/33.3/72.6
C:Robert Parish (1986 Celtics): 24 games, 17.1 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 1.4 BPG, 56.7/0.0/66.7

All Tournament Second Team
PG: Magic Johnson (1988 Lakers): 6 games, 18.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 12.7 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 46.3/50.0/89.2
SG: Kobe Bryant (2009 Lakers): 6 games, 31.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 2.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 46.2/39.4/78.9
SF: Scottie Pippen (1991 Bulls): 29 games, 17.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.9 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 50.4/46.9/71.0
PF: Scottie Pippen (1992 Bulls): 15 games, 20.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 7.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 2.4 BPG, 50.0/20.0/79.2
C: Shaquille O'Neal (2001 Lakers): 11 games, 26.8 PPG, 13.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 3.3 BPG, 57.6/0.0/50.0

All Tournament First Team
PG: Steph Curry (2015 Warriors): 22 games, 25.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 8.0 APG, 1.82 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 43.8/40.7/93.3
SG: Michael Jordan (1996 Bulls): 28 games, 27.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 44.1/37.5/86.9
SF: Larry Bird (1986 Celtics): 24 games, 22.3 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 45.3/40.7/91.8
PF: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971 Bucks): 16 games, 24.7 PPG, 14.9 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 2.2 BPG, 52.8/33.3/65.8
C: Shaquille O'Neal (2002 Lakers): 12 games, 29.75 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 2.5 BPG, 57.2/NA/60.6

Tournament MVP
Michael Jordan (1996 Bulls)

I mean... you can't have gone with anyone else. MJ was so dominant throughout the tournament. While he didn't finish with the best scoring average in Elimination play, he was near the top and always seemed to save his most explosive games for the clinchers, this series being no exception.

I hope you enjoyed this historical adventure as much as I did. Congratulations to the 1996 Chicago Bulls, who have once again cemented their place as the Greatest of All Time!