2016 NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions: Consolation Bracket Day 10

Over in the Elimination Stage, we're down to 24 teams competing for the ultimate prize, though the round is still technically going and some of the teams that are eliminated may not be officially eliminated based on the timeline depending on the length of the series. This is the weirdness that arises from running the Tournament of Champions in this way, but it makes simulating games much easier to do a full series at a time.

Anyway, in the meantime the Consolation Bracket has narrowed its field of 32 teams down to six. Only two teams remain that have a loss, though that number will double today because we return to the winner's bracket for the Quarterfinals.

Home court advantage in this round, like all rounds leading up to now, are decided by seeding based on placing in Group Play. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to the action.


Winner's Bracket

@ (5) '95 Houston Rockets 120, (6) '69 Boston Celtics 110
The Celtics shot an impossible 13-21 from beyond the arc, but committed 18 turnovers while only forcing five, and Houston went 24-28 at the line to hang on for the win. Hakeem Olajuwon led the way with 25 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks, Otis Thorpe added 22 points and 11 rebounds, Clyde Drexler scored 22 points, and Kenny Smith poured in 17 for the Rockets. Boston got 22 points out of Larry Siegfried, Bill Russell logged 10 points, 19 rebounds, and four blocks, and Mal Graham caught fire to score 15 points off the bench.

@ (5) '86 Boston Celtics 123, (6) '94 Houston Rockets 115 (OT)
Larry Bird scored six points in the final minute of regulation, but it wasn't enough as Vernon Maxwell buried a three at the buzzer to force overtime. Robert Parish opened the extra session with a three point play, and the Celtics led by at least that much the rest of the way to force a matchup of the top two seeds in the semifinal. Bird finished with 31 points, 16 rebounds, and seven assists, Parish added 25 points and eight rebounds, Kevin McHale finished with 15 and 12, and Dennis Johnson logged 14 points and eight assists for Boston. They spoiled a 36 point, 13 rebounds, five block, four steal night for Hakeem Olajuwon, while Kenny Smith scored 22 points, Otis Thorpe had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Vernon Maxwell finished with 14 points and 10 assists.

To see the updated bracket, click here.

With this, our top two teams coming in who arguably should have made the Elimination Stage are set to duel in a few days for a trip to the Championship Game in the Consolation Bracket. The losers head on the road to play the other pair of surviving fifth place teams tomorrow.

Meanwhile, our third batch of results from the Elimination Stage will come live in a couple hours. Check back later this afternoon to see who else is advancing!