Yesterday unveiled four matchups for the next round, and today we unveil the next four. Many of these early series have gone quickly, with only one series going the distance and a multitude of sweeps thus far. I imagine things will get more intense the deeper we go, though.
So once again for today's matchups, these are best of seven series that will be played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format with home court advantage going to the higher seeded team based on finish in Group Play. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's head courtside.
Magic Johnson Pod
Game 1: @ '16 CLE 109, '82 LAL 106 ('16 CLE leads 1-0)
Game 2: @ '16 CLE 116, '82 LAL 97 ('16 CLE leads 2-0)
Game 3: '16 CLE 116, @ '82 LAL 100 ('16 CLE leads 3-0)
Game 4: @ '82 LAL 113, '16 CLE 92 ('16 CLE leads 3-1)
Game 5: @ '16 CLE 113, '82 LAL 112 ('16 CLE wins 4-1)
A LeBron James jumper with 1:51 left in Game 1 gave him 31 points to go with eight rebounds and nine assists and put Cleveland ahead for good, as Mitch Kupchak missed a game-tying three at the buzzer. Kevin Love added 23 points, 17 rebounds, and four blocks to help steer the Cavs to the early advantage over a near triple-double from Magic Johnson. LeBron put up 25 points, five rebounds, and nine assists in Game 2, Kyrie Irving added 20 points and 11 assists, and Timofey Mozgov scored 10 points on eight shots in nine minutes and controlled the glass to help Cleveland hold serve at home. Out on the West Coast, the Cavaliers hit 12 of 30 threes in Game 3, LeBron had 27 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and Love put up 19 points and 11 boards to trump a 19 point, 13 rebound, 11 assist triple-double from Magic to put the Lakers on the brink of elimination. Magic posted another triple-double in Game 4 with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 14 assists, Jamaal Wilkes scored 28 points, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar put up 24 points and 13 rebounds to help Los Angeles avoid the sweep, though holding LeBron to just 10 points certainly helped. He did improve to 19 points in Game 5, but it included the biggest basket of the series as he banked home the series-winner with 10 seconds left. J.R. Smith went off for 28 points, including a 7-17 day from three to outdo a third straight Magic triple-double as well as 27 points from Norm Nixon.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Pod
Game 1: @ '71 MIL 105, '07 SA 89 ('71 MIL leads 1-0)
Game 2: @ '71 MIL 96, '07 SA 88 ('71 MIL leads 2-0)
Game 3: '71 MIL 114, @ '07 SA 103 ('71 MIL leads 3-0)
Game 4: '71 MIL 111, @ '07 SA 97 ('71 MIL wins 4-0)
Oscar Robertson put up 25 points and 11 assists, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar added 23 points and 11 rebounds, and the Bucks forced 19 turnovers to take the opener without much fuss. The Spurs fought back in Game 2, getting 30 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and four steals from Tony Parker as well as 18 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks from Tim Duncan, but it wasn't enough to counter 18 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks from Kareem, while Bob Boozer scored 17 points off the bench to help defend Milwaukee's home court. Bob Dandridge scored 27 points in Game 3, Robertson added 12 points, five rebounds, nine assists, and four steals, and Kareem finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds to give the Bucks a commanding lead despite 26 points from Manu Ginobili. Kareem put up 26 points, 18 rebounds, and five assists in Game 4, Greg Smith had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Robertson finished with 15 points, seven assists, and four steals to outdo 20 points and 12 rebounds for Duncan and 20 points and nine assists from Parker as the Spurs suffer the sweep.
Tim Duncan Pod
Game 1: '03 SA 92, @ '97 CHI 88 ('03 SA leads 1-0)
Game 2: @ '97 CHI 113, '03 SA 97 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: '97 CHI 102, @ '03 SA 93 ('97 CHI leads 2-1)
Game 4: '97 CHI 100, @ '03 SA 86 ('97 CHI leads 3-1)
Game 5: '03 SA 91, @ '97 CHI 90 ('97 CHI leads 3-2)
Game 6: '97 CHI 104, @ '03 SA 87 ('97 CHI wins 4-2)
Tim Duncan put up 26 points and 12 rebounds, Tony Parker scored 15 points, and Malik Rose added 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench to help the Spurs steal home court advantage as the Bulls relied on the three, launching 26 of them while San Antonio went to the line 32 times. An angry Michael Jordan came out in Game 2 and dropped 36 points and nine rebounds while Scottie Pippen added 24 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists to more than outdo Duncan's 26 points and 13 rebounds as the Bulls sent the series to San Antonio even. Chicago trailed by 11 early in the second quarter of Game 3, but Jordan scored 32 of his 36 points after the opening quarter while Pippen added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Dennis Rodman chipped in 11 and 16 to give the Bulls the series lead. San Antonio looked good in Game 4 and led by one going into the final frame, but a 10-2 Chicago run turned the tide and Jordan finished with 36 points, eight rebounds, and six assists while Pippen logged 24 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals to give the Bulls firm control despite 23 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks out of Duncan. Back in Chicago though, Duncan exploded for 34 points and 15 rebounds and Parker dropped 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, including scoring the game-winner with 15 seconds left and Duncan blocked a Jordan attempt at a series winner with two seconds to go to send the series back to Texas. The Bulls forced 22 turnovers in Game 6 and got 24 points from Jordan and a six point, 18 rebound night from Rodman while Duncan could only muster 12 points, five rebounds, and five blocks as the Bulls advance.
Scottie Pippen Pod
Game 1: '14 SA 120, @ '91 CHI 105 ('14 SA leads 1-0)
Game 2: '14 SA 107, @ '91 CHI 90 ('14 SA leads 2-0)
Game 3: '91 CHI 101, @ '14 SA 87 ('14 SA leads 2-1)
Game 4: '91 CHI 96, @ '14 SA 91 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: @ '91 CHI 106, '14 SA 98 ('91 CHI leads 3-2)
Game 6: '91 CHI 111, @'14 SA 103 ('91 CHI wins 4-2)
The Bulls needed extra time to win both Group Play games against the Spurs, but Chicago struggled early against a balanced San Antonio attack and dropped Game 1 behind 10 points and 14 rebounds from Tim Duncan along with 17 points from Kawhi Leonard despite 26 points from Michael Jordan and 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and four steals from Scottie Pippen. Leonard put up 18 points and 11 rebounds in Game 2 and Manu Ginobili put up 13 points, six rebounds, and six assists to send San Antonio back home up two games to none. Pippen had a triple-double of 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists and the Bulls got a balanced attack in Game 3 while forcing 20 turnovers to beat the Spurs back. The Bulls jumped out to a 31-15 lead in Game 4 and led by 20 at halftime after Jordan put up 15 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, Pippen added 18, nine, and six, and Horace Grant notched 16 points and 14 rebounds to even up the series. Jordan finally broke through in Game 5 with 29 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, Pippen added 14 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists, Grant chipped in 15 points and 13 rebounds, and John Paxson scored 15 points to give the Bulls their first series lead. Jordan then finished off the Spurs in Game 6 with 39 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four blocks, while Scottie Pippen added 19 points and 15 rebounds and Horace Grant finished with 15 and 10 to spoil a 23 point, 14 rebound performance from Duncan and a 24 point, eight assist night from Parker as the Bulls move on to the Round of 16.
To see the updated bracket, click here.
Our other four matchups for the Round of 16 are set. Last year's finalist in the '91 Bulls get a tough semifinalist in the '15 Warriors, the '97 Bulls will welcome the '08 Celtics, this year's Cavs get a shot at the '87 Lakers, and the '71 Bucks will do battle with the '12 Miami Heat.
Those series will kick off next week. In the meantime, you can continue to enjoy the Consolation Bracket, which is nearing completion and should be complete early next week. At the end of August and beginning of September, I will run the simulations for the Round of 16. Check back again soon for more NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions action!
No comments:
Post a Comment