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.
Group D
'78 Washington Bullets 134, @ '63 Boston Celtics 126
Washington forced 25 turnovers and jumped out to a 41-26 lead after one quarter to grab their first win of the tournament. Elvin Hayes notched 15 points, 13 rebounds, and four steals to lead the Bullets, Kevin Grevey scored a game-high 24 points off the bench, Mitch Kupchak added 15 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, and Bob Dandridge chipped in 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Bill Russell paced the Celtics with 21 points and 17 rebounds, John Havlicek added 20 and 11, and Tommy Heinsohn contributed 19 points.
@ '09 Los Angeles Lakers 104, '07 San Antonio Spurs 87
The Spurs gave their Big Three a little bit of rest while not completely benching them, and it may have cost them this one. San Antonio turned the ball over 20 times and was down 15 by halftime. Kobe Bryant had 22 points and six assists to lead the Lakers to their second victory of the tournament, Andrew Bynum logged 14 points and seven rebounds, and Jordan Farmar scored 11 points off the bench. Tony Parker led the Spurs despite his shortened minutes with 13 points and six assists, while Tim Duncan recorded 10 points and seven rebounds in just 22 minutes.
Make it four in a row for the most recent NBA champs, who hit 50.5 percent of their shots, including a 10-26 day from beyond the arc to make it a log jam atop the group standings. LeBron James continued his dominance with 36 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Kevin Love broke out for 27 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists and Kyrie Irving added 18, eight, and six for the Cavs. Bill Russell had 21 points and a game-high 25 rebounds to lead Boston, Tommy Heinsohn added 23 and 14, and Sam Jones scored 18 points.
@ '88 Los Angeles Lakers 107, '96 Chicago Bulls 104
The Bulls lose their second straight and a potentially crucial tiebreaker after the Lakers used a 33-20 second quarter to pull ahead, and Chicago couldn't get over the hump in the fourth. Byron Scott had 26 points, Magic Johnson put up 16 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, and Mychal Thompson added 15 points off the bench for Los Angeles. Michael Jordan put up 30 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, Scottie Pippen added 15 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, and Dennis Rodman and Luc Longley each chipped in nine points and 11 rebounds.
Group C
'12 Miami Heat 117, @ '81 Boston Celtics 105
Miami hit four of its eight threes in the fourth quarter to break a deadlock and improve to 4-0 on the tournament. LeBron James finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Heat, Dwyane Wade added 30 points and five rebounds, and Chris Bosh contributed 13 points and 11 rebounds. Larry Bird had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Boston, Robert Parish added 20, 12 and five blocks, and Cedric Maxwell finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.
'05 San Antonio Spurs 104, @ '75 Kentucky Colonels 90
San Antonio controlled the paint, winning the rebounding battle and taking 27 free throws to Kentucky's 12. Tim Duncan led the way with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, while the center combo of Radoslav Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed combined for 18 points and 22 rebounds. Manu Ginobili added 17 points for the Spurs. Artis Gilmore put up 15 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks to lead the Colonels, Louie Dampier scored 23 points, and Bird Averitt finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
@ '68 Pittsburgh Pipers 107, '99 San Antonio Spurs 89
The Pipers shot 51.6 percent from the floor to pick up their first tournament win while forcing 18 turnovers at the other end. Connie Hawkins finally broke through for a huge winning performance with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, while Art Heyman and Charlie Williams each added 16 points for Pittsburgh. Tim Duncan had 16 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes for the Spurs, David Robinson added 14 and nine, and Malik Rose came off the bench for 14 and eight.
Los Angeles forced 20 turnovers and took 32 free throws to pick up their third win and knock the Warriors back down to .500. Kobe Bryant had 30 points, seven rebounds, and five steals to help lead the way for the Lakers, while Shaquille O'Neal put up 23 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks. Paul Arizin led the Warriors with 17 points, Neil Johnston added 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Joe Graboski chipped in 10 and 16.
Group H
@ '59 Boston Celtics 124, '73 New York Knicks 115
Boston got to the line 45 times and hit 33 of them in a tightly contested game where they were able to pull away at the end. Bill Russell had maybe his best offensive game in the tournament of any iteration with 24 points to go with 16 rebounds, six blocks, and three steals. Tommy Heinsohn added 22 points and eight rebounds, Bill Sharman scored 21 points, and Bob Cousy chipped in 20 for the Celtics. They spoiled a 27 point outing for Bill Bradley, while Dave DeBusschere added 18 points and 12 rebounds and Willis Reed put up 13 and 12 for New York.
Milwaukee jumped out to a 37-24 lead after one quarter and never looked back en route to a third straight win. '71 Kareem set a new tournament benchmark with 42 points, 19 rebounds, and four blocks to lead the Bucks, Oscar Robertson added 20 points and seven assists, and Bob Dandridge finished with 19 points and nine rebounds. '80 Kareem was no match for his younger self but still notched 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Jamaal Wilkes notched 24 and seven and Norm Nixon contributed 16 points and 12 assists.
'03 San Antonio Spurs 105, @ '94 Houston Rockets 99
San Antonio nearly blew a nine point fourth quarter lead, but Steve Smith hit a trio of free throws midway through the period then followed with a three the next time down to give the Spurs a lead they would not relinquish. Tim Duncan had 25 points, 10 rebounds, and seven blocks to lead the Spurs to a 4-0 start, Tony Parker added 13 points and six assists, and Smith scored all eight of his points in that crucial final quarter. Hakeem Olajuwon paced the Rockets with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, Robert Horry went off for 22 points and nine rebounds, and Vernon Maxwell added 21 points.
The Lakers shot 52.5 percent from the floor and put the game away with a 45 point fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant saw '71 Kareem's performance today, laughed hysterically, and proceeded to drop 47 points, including 19 in that final frame, along with seven rebounds and eight assists on Boston. Pau Gasol added 20 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks, and Lamar Odom finished with 10 points and 15 rebounds off the bench for Los Angeles. Jim Loscutoff finished with 14 points and eight rebounds to lead the Celtics, Bob Cousy added 12 points and 10 assists, and Bill Russell recorded 10 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks.
Group E
@ '77 Portland Trail Blazers 134, '60 Boston Celtics 121
Portland held the Celtics to below 40 percent shooting while shooting almost 50 percent themselves to get back over .500 for the tournament. Bill Walton followed up his sublime performance last time out with 24 points, 22 rebounds, and four blocks, Maurice Lucas added 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Dave Twardzik added 14 points off the bench for the Blazers. Bill Russell had 14 points, 26 rebounds, and four blocks for Boston, Bill Sharman scored 22 points, and Tommy Heinsohn chipped in 19 points and nine rebounds.
@ '71 Utah Stars 114, '15 Golden State Warriors 108
Utah won the rebounding battle and contained Golden State's deadly three point shooting to a 30.6 percent day, and it was just enough. Glen Combs had 25 points and eight assists to lead the Stars to their first victory of the tournament, while Donnie Freeman added 22 points and six rebounds, Zelmo Beaty chipped in 12 points and 15 rebounds, and Red Robbins contributed eight points and 16 rebounds. Steph Curry had 25 points and seven assists to pace the Warriors, Harrison Barnes put up 18 points and six rebounds, and Klay Thompson finished with 16 points.
@ '61 Boston Celtics 111, '53 Minneapolis Lakers 91
The Lakers shot just 36.6 percent from the floor for the game, but stayed with the Celtics for most of the first half before falling off in the second. Bill Russell led the way with 21 points and 19 rebounds, Sam Jones added 18 and seven, and Tommy Heinsohn finished with 13 and nine. Vern Mikkelsen was solid in defeat with 27 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and four steals, while James Pollard added 17 points and eight rebounds for Minneapolis.
The Celtics gave Chicago all they could handle, but a 17-3 Bulls run over three and a half minutes in the fourth quarter turned the tables and it turned into garbage time late. Michael Jordan exploded for 34 points, 10 rebounds, and four steals, Scottie Pippen added 22 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, and Horace Grant contributed 22, nine, and six for Chicago. Bill Russell had a quadruple-nickel of eight points, 19 rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks to lead Boston, while Larry Siegfried and Bailey Howell each scored 19 points and John Havlicek added 18.
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