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!
Group D
'63 Boston Celtics 120, @ '62 Boston Celtics 108
The '63 Celtics split their paradox openers after pulling down 29 offensive rebounds and holding their '62 counterparts to 34.7 percent shooting. '63 Bill Russell was magnificent with 14 points, 23 rebounds, five assists and six blocks for the quadruple-nickel, while '63 Sam Jones added 20 points and '63 Bob Cousy 15. '62 Frank Ramsey led his Celtics with 20 points, '62 Cousy had 19, and '62 Russell had 12 points and a game-high 27 rebounds.
'96 Chicago Bulls 110, @ '09 Los Angeles Lakers 106
The Bulls overcame a halftime deficit, but required a go-ahead bucket from Ron Harper with 51 seconds left to take the lead for good, and after a Kobe Bryant miss, Michael Jordan buried a fadeaway with eight seconds to go to seal the deal. Jordan finished with 22 points, Scottie Pippen had 21 points and nine rebounds, and Steve Kerr had 16 points off the bench for the Bulls. Chicago had trouble with LA's frontcourt, as Andrew Bynum went off for 27 points and Pau Gasol added 21. Kobe Bryant was held to just 13 points, including an 0-5 day from three.
'16 Cleveland Cavaliers 133, @ '78 Washington Bullets 125 (OT)
Elvin Hayes' turnaround with 13 seconds left forced an extra session in our nation's capital, and then the Cavs went bombs away from beyond the arc in the extra session, hitting three and getting the rest off of free throws to snag the road win. LeBron James went bonkers with 25 points, including the go-ahead three to start overtime, along with 11 rebounds and 14 assists for a triple-double, Kyrie Irving exploded for 32 points, J.R. Smith dropped 24, and Kevin Love put in 22 to go with 13 boards. Those efforts more than offset a 27 point, 20 rebound night for Hayes, while Bob Dandridge added 28 points and nine rebounds.
Tim Duncan missed his first of two free throws with 15 seconds left, which allowed John Havlicek to hit a scoop shot with one tick left to force overtime. Manu Ginobili scored nine of San Antonio's 13 overtime points though to push the game along. It was part of a triple-double for Manu, who finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists, while Tim Duncan also had a triple-double as well as a quadruple-nickel (quintuple if you count turnovers) with 27 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, and 10 blocks. Dave Cowens had 24 points and 16 rebounds to pace the Celtics, while Charlie Scott added 22 points and Jo Jo White finished with 16.
Group C
The Lakers shot 53.7 percent and blocked 13 Pittsburgh shots to right the ship and get to .500. Shaquille O'Neal had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and six of those blocks to pace Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant added 20 points and nine rebounds, and six other players scored between six and 11 points. Chico Vaughn had 19 points to lead the Pipers, while Charlie Williams added 12 and Connie Hawkins finished with 11.
@ '75 Kentucky Colonels 109, '99 San Antonio Spurs 102
Kentucky shot 51.1 percent from the floor and more than doubled up the Spurs on free throw attempts, pulling away in the fourth quarter to earn their second win. Artis Gilmore went off for 24 points, 13 rebounds, and seven blocks, Louie Dampier added 21 points, and Bird Averitt finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and six assists. David Robinson led San Antonio with 26 points and 14 rebounds while Tim Duncan added 17 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists.
'05 San Antonio Spurs 100, @ '81 Boston Celtics 88
The Spurs forced 18 turnovers, limited the Celtics' second chance opportunities, and doubled up on threes to pull out a narrow victory. Tim Duncan had 14 points and 16 rebounds to help lead the way, Manu Ginobili had 20 points, five rebounds, and six assists, and Tony Parker added 19, four, and six for San Antonio. Larry Bird led the Celtics with 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Robert Parish contributed 12 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks.
'12 Miami Heat 86, @ '08 Boston Celtics 81
Defense ruled the day, but the Heat hit a few more threes and won the free throw battle to pull out the narrow victory. LeBron James had 18 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way for Miami, Dwyane Wade had 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists, and Chris Bosh added 10 points. Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, Ray Allen had 18 points, and Paul Pierce chipped in 13.
Group A
'72 Los Angeles Lakers 115, @ '06 Miami Heat 109
The Lakers got to the line a bunch, hitting 25 of 26 freebies to pull out the narrow victory. Gail Goodrich had 23 points, including a late three that put the game away, Jerry West had 21 points, five rebounds, and nine assists, and Happy Hairston finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. The win spoiled a monster game from Dwyane Wade, who had 33 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, while Shaquille O'Neal added 23 points and 10 rebounds for Miami.
'83 Philadelphia 76ers 117, @ '70 Indiana Pacers 90
Philly shot 49.4 percent from the field while holding the Pacers to just 35.8 percent, destroyed Indy on the glass, and got to the line 43 times in a blowout win. Julius Erving was excellent, with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Andrew Toney added 21 points, Moses Malone chipped in 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Maurice Cheeks finished with eight points, five rebounds, and 10 assists for the Sixers. Mel Daniels had 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Pacers, while John Barnhill and Bob Netolicky each added 16 points.
Houston drew 27 fouls and hit six threes to Boston's two, helping them edge out a narrow home victory. Hakeem Olajuwon ate Bill Russell alive to the tune of 28 points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, and four steals, while Clyde Drexler added 25 points and seven rebounds for the Rockets. Russell managed 10 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists for the Celtics, though Sam Jones went off for 27 points and eight assists.
'91 Chicago Bulls 104, @ '74 Boston Celtics 98
The Bulls jumped out to a 37-20 lead after one quarter and were able to go on cruise control for most of the rest of the game, though the Celtics did mount a late comeback to make the game look closer than it actually was. Michael Jordan went off for 25 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, Horace Grant had 12 points and 12 boards, Bill Cartwright had 13 and nine, and B.J. Armstrong added 13 points off the bench. Dave Cowens had 16 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists to lead the Celtics in the loss, Jo Jo White added 13 points, and Don Chaney had a solid floor game with nine points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
Group B
The Oaks continue to own their fellow ABA champions after holding the Pacers to 37.6 percent shooting and using a 34-21 third quarter to put the game out of reach. Rick Barry went off for 33 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and four steals for Oakland, Gary Bradds added 22 points and seven rebounds, and Warren Jabali finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds. George McGinnis had 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the Pacers, Mel Daniels added 20 and 12, and Freddie Lewis chipped in 14 points off the bench.
@ '93 Chicago Bulls 113, '85 Los Angeles Lakers 89
Chicago dominated the glass and forced 19 turnovers to pull back to .500 with kind of a crazy upset. The Bulls managed to build a 15 point halftime lead and just never looked back. Michael Jordan probably had something to do with that, considering his 24 points, 13 rebound, six assist performance, though Scottie Pippen's 23 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists were a huge help as well, while Horace Grant added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 11 points, but just four rebounds, while Magic Johnson had 10 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists for the Lakers.
'75 Golden State Warriors 111, @ '74 New York Nets 95
Golden State outrebounded New York 68-52 and hit six of 16 threes to grab a big road win in their tournament opener. Jamaal Wilkes had 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Warriors, Rick Barry added 19 points, and Clifford Ray added 11 points and 16 rebounds in the victory. They overcame a 23 points, 15 rebound, five assist night from Julius Erving, as well as 16 points from Larry Kenon.
@ '87 Los Angeles Lakers 120, '70 New York Knicks 116
The Knicks led by as many as 14 points early in the second quarter, but the Lakers started forcing their way back. Byron Scott hit a go-ahead three pointer 20 seconds into the final quarter, and the Lakers would not trail again. Seven players for Los Angeles scored in double figures, with James Worthy coming through with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Magic Johnson had 22 points, six rebounds, and eight assists, and Byron Scott added 18 points, including that go-ahead three. Walt Frazier had 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists to lead the Knicks, Bill Bradley added 18 points, and Dave DeBusschere finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
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