2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 31

At the start of this month, I brought 72 NBA and ABA champions into a gauntlet the likes of which have only been seen maybe once or twice before. Over the last 30 days, those 72 teams have have all battled between 13 and 15 times, and we have established a mostly clear line between two groups of teams: the haves and the have-nots.

Only 32 teams will get to play meaningful basketball beyond the end of this coming week, and space is running out. The next six days are vital for the 47 teams still fighting to grab a spot in the Elimination Stage.

Today, Groups C and F are finishing off two straight days of games, while Groups A and G are coming off of a Saturday off day. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's head courtside for the action.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 30

We're into something of uncharted territory here. It's the 30th day of round robin play, and there's still a lot of exciting basketball left to be played.

We have just over 100 games left on the docket for this stage of play as we narrow down the 72 teams we started with down to 32. There are still 29 spots in the Elimination Stage up for grabs, so every game today and for the next week is vital. We've had 14 teams see their meaningful seasons come to an end at this point, however, so it's not like we haven't established clear lines between the haves and the have-nots.

Today's schedule features returns for Group D and F after they took yesterday off, while Groups C and E are back to the court after two days to recuperate. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Here's today's results.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 29

We're into our fifth week of tournament action in this year's Tournament of Champions. It's our final full week of games with one extra day next Friday to finish off the schedule.

It's crunch time now, though. With eight days left to go, teams have anywhere between two and four games left to play, and with that, a minimal amount of time to carve out a spot in the continuation of this tournament. Yet of the 32 spots in the Elimination Stage, only three have already been claimed. On the other end of the spectrum, nine teams have already been eliminated from contention and are only here to play out the string for pride.

Today's schedule boasts Groups A and B topping off a back-to-back, while Groups G and H got yesterday off and return to action today. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to it!

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 28

To paraphrase from Lovie Smith, we are entering the fourth quarter of our season. We like our Tournament, the 1990 Detroit Pistons are our chalk favorite, and we have a lot of basketball left to play.

Just nine days remain for teams to try to make it to the Elimination Stage, and almost every berth is still up for grabs at this point.We have four teams with an opportunity to clinch a spot today, while three others need to win today to stave off elimination. In addition, one group can be won outright today, which would be the first of the tournament.

On today's slate, Groups B and F are doing the day on, day off thing with a return to action, while Groups A and D hopefully enjoyed two days to recover in preparation for today's tilts. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Here's our results as we kick off the final quarter of Group Play.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 27

A year ago today, we were wrapping up the final round of Group Play games. Today, we're playing another 16 games, but there's still a lot of time left.

After this round, we still have another week or so of action left to play out. We've clearly established a pecking order at this point though, with two teams having already punched their tickets to the Elimination Stage. On the flip side, five teams are already playing for nothing more than pride, having been mathematically eliminated from contention.

To further our advance, Groups C and H are finishing off the back end of a doubleheader, while Groups E and G are back in action after having yesterday off. Group E concludes a home-and-home series in this round. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get started.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 26

Another day, another slate of games in our quest to find the greatest team of all time.

We've answered this question a couple times over the past couple of years, if you're new to Confessions of a Sportscaster. But given the craziness that this last NBA season brought us, I had to run this scenario through again. By adding in the forgotten ABA champions, we have a bigger tournament than either of the ones run before. It's all building up towards a similar tournament to last year: 32 teams doing battle following weeks of proving themselves worthy of the stage, and all 32 of those spots are still up for grabs, with three available to be taken today.

Today's schedule features the return of Groups B, C, and H following a two day break, while Group F is taking the court after yesterday's day off. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 25

Another Monday afternoon is upon us, and if you need a little relief from any drudgery, the NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions is here!

We're two-thirds of the way through the hardest part of following along with the tournament, and that's keeping up with the goings-on of 72 NBA and ABA champions. In 12 days' time, that number will drop by more than half and we'll get to more of a playoff-type atmosphere.

We're getting there in some groups; five teams have already been mathematically eliminated from the next stage. We also have an opportunity for our first team to clinch today.

In the quest for that extended season, Groups D, E, and G are all back in action again today despite having just played yesterday, while Group A rounds out the schedule following a rest day yesterday. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's start our thirteenth round of games.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 24

We're approaching the two-thirds mark of Group Play in this year's Tournament of Champions. This year's Group Stage is taking a little longer than last year's, thanks to the expanded field provided by the addition of the ABA champions. These teams are faring reasonably well at this point, where if Group Play ended after yesterday's games, only one of them would be advancing to the Elimination Stage, but a few more are in the mix. We're also still waiting on our first berths in that hallowed ground to be clinched, while two teams have already been eliminated with two more staring that fate down today.

Today's schedule features returns for Groups D and E following a day off, while Groups F and G have had a couple days to catch their breath. Group E is finishing up a home-and-home series today. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Here's a look at what transpired today.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 23

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend as our Tournament of Champions continues into its fourth week. Today we're getting into the twelfth round of games for this stage as we narrow our field of 72 NBA and ABA champions down to 32. To this point, nobody has locked in a bid to the Elimination Stage quite yet. By contrast, two teams have been mathematically eliminated from contention and are just playing out the string for the next two weeks.

Today's schedule features the conclusion of back to backs by Groups C and H, while Groups A and B are back in action following yesterday's off day. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to the action.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 22

We're onto our fourth week of basketball action now. Last year, this was the start of the home stretch. This year, it's early in the second half of this stage.

Many teams have had their second bye already, while a few have been playing one game every two days for the past three weeks. Two weeks from today, we will conclude this stage and bid farewell to 40 NBA champions for the time being. Two of those teams accepted their fates yesterday, while the rest remain to be seen.

Today, Groups E and H return to the court after taking yesterday off, while Groups C and D return from two days off. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Here's today's slate.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 21

With the conclusion of today's games, we will be through three weeks of basketball action. This year's tournament is running longer than last year's just due to the sheer number of involved teams. Having the extra eight from the ABA teams and the 2016 Cavs, even with the Play-In Round, has made this a little more time-consuming.

Nonetheless, we are beginning to see a separation between the haves and the have-nots, which is important, since only 32 teams get to play beyond the opening week of August. Today, Groups B and F are concluding a back-to-back while Groups A and G return from yesterday's off day. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Here's a look at today's games.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 20

We still have half of our groups that have yet to begin their second half of play.

We're more than halfway home in the quest to narrow the field from our 72 teams down to 32.  Only the 1990 Detroit Pistons have survived to this stage without suffering a loss, with five more teams only having had one setback to date. These teams are among the favorites for the title, but there are still a lot of basketball games yet to be played before we can really start to look at favorites.

On today's schedule, Groups E and F return from a day off to on-court action, while Groups B and H end their stretch of days off at two. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 19

We're officially halfway done with Group Play in this year's Tournament of Champions. If the tournament were to end today, 22 of the 32 teams that advanced to last year's Elimination Stage would do so again, pending tiebreakers. Of course, with so many games still left, the teams that think they're safe now may not be in two and a half weeks' time.

So to kick off the second half of this stage of the tournament, Groups D and G are finishing off the back end of games on two straight days, while Groups A and C return from a one day layover. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's head courtside.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 18

My gift to you on this Monday: more basketball.

With the conclusion of today's games, we will be halfway done with the Group Stage of this year's tournament. We had to add nearly a week to this part of the schedule compared to last year to accommodate the new teams entering into this year's extravaganza, which has meant additional games. As we prepare to reach the halfway point, we still have one team who remain unblemished at this stage, and several groups where it appears berth earnings will come down to the wire.

On today's schedule, Groups D and F follow up yesterday's day off with games, while Groups E and G are in action following two days of rest.. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Here are our results for the final day of the first half of Group Play.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 17

We're fast approaching the halfway mark now in this year's tournament. The bye balance with this year's schedule wasn't perfect, as some teams have already had both of their byes. All in all though, through the first 16 days, these teams have played no fewer than six games and no more than eight games. It's a reasonable workload, I think, and one that is going to help narrow this huge 72 team field down to 32 by the first weekend in August.

To begin our ninth round of games, Groups A and C are going to finish off a back to back, while Groups B and H are back in the saddle after taking yesterday off. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Time to play.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 16

The NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions is back at it on this Saturday!

We are 240 games into our quest to once again determine the greatest NBA champion of all time. It's been a lot of action to try to sift through, and we aren't even halfway done yet. All 32 spots in the Elimination Stage are still up for grabs, and even with a fairly reasonable pecking order established to date, things can flip fairly quickly.

Today's schedule features a return from a two day layover for Group C, while Groups A, D, and F are back in action after taking yesterday off. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Here's our results from today.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 15

It's now our third week of full-fledged basketball action. Teams have played anywhere between five and seven games over the first 14 days of the tournament, and we're starting to see a little bit of separation between the haves and the have-nots. The disparity in games played does throw the standings off a little bit for now, but there's enough clarity that we can work with it.

We're still at least another week, probably longer, away from any teams actually clinching a spot in the Elimination Stage. These games are still very important though for the teams looking to earn their way in. On today's schedule, Group H is our only batch of teams from yesterday playing again, and they will be joined by Groups B, E, and G, with the latter two groups finishing off a home-and-home set. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's head courtside.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 14

The conclusion of today's games will mark a full two weeks of basketball action. There are still another three-plus weeks of games left on the docket, but today is a major day for the tournament.

At this point, every team has played at least four games, with at least a handful of teams who have had some bad scheduling luck and have received both of their byes to this point. It could be a long three weeks, but there are still enough days off that all should be well. A few other teams have already played seven games over the last 13 days, and with two byes left on their schedule they have a little more favorable of a slate left.

Today's schedule features for Groups A and D, who had yesterday off, while Groups F and H are back after having two days off. This includes what looked to be the marquee matchup of Group Play a month ago but got spoiled by an upset. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play some basketball.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 13

We're a third of the way through our tournament here in mid-July. I spent the last week or so in Vegas with my wife, but was able to stay ahead of the curve enough to keep our games updated.

Now that I am back at COAS Headquarters, I'm doubling down on my efforts to find the best basketball team among the NBA and ABA champions. At the one-third pole, we have only four undefeated teams still remaining, but we also have a lot of interesting races still to be resolved.

On today's slate, Groups C and E are finishing off a back-to-back on their schedule, while Groups B and G return to action after having yesterday off. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 12

This Tuesday sees us approaching the one-third mark of Group Play in this year's tournament. It's a marker we couldn't hit last year, but have it available this year, for all the good it really does.

Yesterday was kind of a chaotic day with a few undefeated teams dropping off, and as we approach the aforementioned one-third marker, I'm amazed at how bunched up most of these groups are. There are some elite teams that have separated themselves, but there is also a lot of competition for the 32 spots that will advance to the Elimination Stage.

On today's slate, Groups C, D, and E are back in action after having yesterday off, while Group A has had two days to recover for today's action. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's go.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 11

It's onto the second full week of play in the NBA Tournament of Champions as we kick off our sixth round of games.

Eight teams still remain undefeated through five rounds in a quest for advantageous position in the Elimination Stage. Meanwhile, five teams are still searching for that ever-elusive first win, and find themselves in rough shape trying to break into that hallowed territory.

On today's schedule, Group H is our only back-to-back playing group, while Groups B, F, and G are playing after having yesterday off. Group F is concluding our fifth home and home series of the tournament. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's see our results!

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 10

We're a quarter of the way through the biggest part of the Tournament of Champions. 144 games are in the books, but with 75 percent of the schedule still to be played, a lot remains up in the air with regards to who will advance to play in the Elimination Stage.

Today, Groups C and E are following up a day off with a game, while Groups D and H have to get back into the swing of things after two off days. Groups D and E were required to play today, as each one concludes a home and home series. For Group D, this is their second and final home and home, while Group E has their first of four thanks to scheduling quirks.

All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to it.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 9

It's our second weekend of the Tournament of Champions, and we're onto our fifth round of games in the double round robin portion of the tournament.

At this stage, we still have 11 undefeated teams trying to accomplish what no one did last year, which is a couple more than I would have expected at this stage. On the other side of the coin, we have eight teams that are still searching for that elusive first win, again, maybe a number that's a little higher than expected, but not by a lot.

On today's schedule, Groups A and G are back in action after playing yesterday, while Groups B and F return from a day off. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's go to the action.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 8

It's officially the second week of games now in our third running of the NBA Tournament of Champions. After some spring preliminaries, we began the month of July with 72 teams fighting for 32 spots and a chance at immortality in being considered the greatest team of all time. Even though we are into the second week, it's still incredibly early in the tournament, and anything can happen over the next four-plus weeks.

Groups E and G are back in action after a day off, while Groups A and C return to the court following a two day layover. In the case of Group C, they are concluding home-and-home series, the second such occurrence so far this tournament.

All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play some basketball.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 7

Today marks the one week point of this year's Tournament of Champions. Every team has played at least one game, with most of the field having played three games to date. It's still very early in the tournament, and anyone has the ability to be one of the 32 teams that will advance to play deeper into August.

You will notice that on the right side of the page I have links to the standings pages. I will try to update these as best as I can over the next few days, but I am out of town for the next few days, so the standings page may not be totally up to speed. Just wanted to give a fair warning.

In our fourth round of games, Groups D and F will conclude its second consecutive day of games, while Groups B and H return to the court after a day off. Once again, all simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's take a look at our results from today.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 6

We're finishing up the third round of games here in this year's NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions. Almost a week into tournament play, most of the 72 teams are still pretty well bunched together in their quests to finish in the top four of their respective groups to advance to the Elimination Stage.

I mentioned this briefly yesterday, but this round of play is the first of ten instances of home-and-home series being played between teams in consecutive rounds. I decided that I would split these series up by at least a day, which is why Group D is returning to action today after a day off when they normally would have had the potential to play yesterday. Groups F, E, and G will also take the court again after having had the last couple of days off for the holiday. Once more, all simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Time to play some basketball.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 5

Hope you had a wonderful holiday yesterday! While you get back to the daily grind, our NBA and ABA players are back at it as well.

Today begins the third round of games in Group Play, and our first example of some scheduling quirks. Group D, who played yesterday, has home-and-home series scheduled where two teams are playing each other back to back (except the '88 Lakers, who have four days off with both of their byes falling here). I don't want those home-and-homes being played on consecutive days, so when I set up the schedule, I made sure the randomizer didn't force that on teams. Possibly as a result of that decision, Groups A, B, and C are all seeing action for the second day in a row, while Group H is back in action after taking the holiday off. Once again, all simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's check out today's results.

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 4

Happy Fourth of July! For the second straight year, I'm celebrating the holiday with some basketball.

Really, today's game are probably being overshadowed by the "Holy crap!" news that broke this morning with Kevin Durant's defection to the Golden State Warriors. If I ever do another Tournament of Champions after this one, the '17 Warriors are now all but a lock.

This would be a day where, were this tournament being played in reality, games would be played throughout the day, with a preference on early start times as much as possible so people can still go see fireworks in the evening and hopefully make whatever other parties are scheduled for the day.

This works out in part because it's an even-numbered day, so no back to backs are part of it, which minimizes strain on players. Groups D and B return from a one day layoff, while Groups C and A see action for the first time since Opening Day. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Enjoy your holiday everyone!

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 3

64 of the 72 teams in this year's Tournament of Champions have played their opening game. The remaining eight will also get their debuts in over the next couple of days, while 56 other teams play their second games.

The Tournament is officially in full swing now, as we still have about five more full weeks of basketball to narrow this field of 72 down to 32. Every game matters, at least until we get close to the end and teams find themselves eliminated with nothing but pride to play for.

On today's slate, Groups G and F will conclude the first back to backs of the Group Stage. Meanwhile, Groups E and H are back in action after having yesterday off. With two groups and 14 teams playing their second games in as many days, I intend to adjust minutes a little bit, just to make sure that these players aren't getting overworked. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's play!

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 2

Let's get the other half of the field into the action.

Yesterday saw the official kickoff of Group Play for this year's Tournament of Champions. 32 teams have seen their fortunes rise or fall, while four teams got an immediate bye. We're repeating the pattern today with the groups that have yet to see any action.

A couple of these groups are going to be playing the front end of back to backs, just with how the randomizer set up the schedule, but this will all be balanced out over the remaining five weeks with byes and scheduled two day gaps between games.

In the meantime though, Groups B, D, F, and G begin their tournament play today. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to it!

2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 1

The marathon begins.

Over the next five-plus weeks, I am going to simulate a total of 576 games between 63 of the last 65 NBA champions as well as the nine ABA champions. It's a lot of information to pore through, though I'm not going to try keeping stats again this time since it's just too much. Tracking game results, however, is doable.

A couple weeks or so ago I unveiled the official tournament field of these 72 teams and their combined schedules. After going through this grueling gauntlet, only 32 are going to remain.

To minimize workload on a given day for me, our fictional arena staff, and the players themselves, I'm splitting each of the 18 rounds of the double round robin group play in half, so four of the eight groups will play their scheduled games or receive their scheduled byes each day. This schedule was randomly generated, so there will be some back-to-backs scheduled here; it was unavoidable. With two byes sprinkled in for each team, combined with built in off days as a result of those back to backs, it shouldn't be bad. Each team will play 16 games over the course of the next 36 days, which from a little research is a fairly standard regular season workload.

To kick off the tournament, Groups A, C, E, and H will open their schedules. The remainder will tip off tomorrow. To find these results, I am going to try to work with each team's roster to get the best possible lineups out on the floor, while also making sure to manage minutes to not exhaust anyone, especially with back to backs factoring into the schedule. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Good luck to our competing teams, and let the NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions begin!