Through the 12 rounds that have been simulated so far, chalk has ruled. Our highest seeds that have their series in the books have largely dominated, and even among the closer series we've only had three go the full seven. Though we did already have a blown 3-1 series lead (and I'm most upset it happened to the Bulls).
I didn't intend it this way, but the way our first 12 simulated series have gone, we don't have a set in stone matchup for the Round of 32 yet, and since it's happened to work out that way so far I'm going to keep it that way for this batch of games. The four series we're covering in this part will establish one team for all series in the round of 32, and the second half of this round will fill out those matchups.
The up to date bracket, scores, and results from Group Play can be found here. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's get to it!
(6) 2000 Los Angeles Lakers vs (3) 2009 Los Angeles Lakers
Game 1: @ '09 LAL 100, '00 LAL 96
The hosts controlled play for most of the opening quarter, opening the game on a 6-2 run and other than a couple brief two point deficits, ended up leading by five after one. The 2000 Lakers were held off the scoreboard for the first three and a half minutes of the second as part of a 10-2 '09 Lakers run that pushed the lead to double digits. The hosts would push the margin to 16 by halftime. The '00 Lakers opened the second half on an 8-2 run though to get back into the game. Despite the hosts pushing the lead back up to as many as 15, the visitors closed the frame on a 7-2 run to trim it to eight going into the final stanza. Just when it seemed like the '09 Lakers would pull away in the fourth, the '00 Lakers responded with 11 in a row to take their first lead since the opening quarter with just two and a half minutes to play. The hosts retook the lead for good on a Trevor Ariza drive with 1:22 to play, and after getting a stop, they would not face a defensive possession where the 2000 Lakers could retake the lead.
Pau Gasol ('09 LAL): 21 pts, 13 reb, 4 ast
Kobe Bryant ('09 LAL): 29 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl
Shaquille O'Neal ('00 LAL): 29 pts, 18 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk
Game 2: @ '09 LAL 114, '00 LAL 104
An 11-0 '09 Laker run midway through the opening quarter got the hosts in control early, and helped them survive a strong response from the 2000 Lakers for an eight point lead after one. After the hosts scored five straight to push the lead to double digits, the threes started falling for both teams, and the '09 Lakers were eventually able to push the margin to 20. The '00 Lakers managed to cut it to 15 by halftime, but couldn't continue the momentum. After trimming the margin to 13 early in the third, back to back Derek Fisher three's got it to 19, though the visitors were finally able to trim the margin back to 10 late in the period before settling into a 14 point margin going to the fourth. The 2000 Lakers surged in the middle of the period, using an extended 13-2 run to cut the margin to just four. But Pau Gasol had an answer each time they got it there, and the hosts take care of business at home.
Pau Gasol ('09 LAL): 23 pts, 20 reb, 6 ast
Kobe Bryant ('09 LAL): 32 pts, 12 reb, 3 stl
Shaquille O'Neal ('00 LAL): 28 pts, 19 reb, 6 ast, 4 blk
Game 3: '09 LAL 112, @ '00 LAL 110
A 6-0 '09 Laker run early in the first got the visitors off and running, and they pulled away with a 13-1 run to close out the quarter up 15. All told, the 2000 Lakers went over five minutes without a field goal between the first and second quarters, and after going down by as many as 19 in the second, the hosts would cut the margin to as low as 10 before settling to the intermission down just 11. The 2000 Lakers used a couple and-one's early in the third to help cut it to five, and a Robert Horry dunk midway through made it a one possession game. They couldn't get over the hump and ended up going into the fourth down five. The '09 Lakers had an answer for every push early in the fourth, until finally with just over five minutes to go, Shaquille O'Neal used a three point play to tie the game at 102. The lead then traded hands five times over the next few possessions, with Pau Gasol putting the visitors up 109-108 with three and a half to go. Multiple attempts to retake the lead didn't fall, and Andrew Bynum pushed the margin to three with just over two minutes left. Shaq immediately answered to cut it to one, but he couldn't do anything further, committing a couple turnovers and missing a go-ahead shot. Kobe Bryant gave the '09 Lakers a two point lead after splitting a pair of free throws with 38 seconds left, and after one of the aforementioned O'Neal turnovers, stupidly chucked up a three with 13 seconds left. Glen Rice rebounded it for a chance to win, but his fadeaway at the buzzer missed and the 2009 Lakers take a stranglehold on the series.
Shaquille O'Neal ('00 LAL): 45 pts, 13 reb, 3 blk
Kobe Bryant ('09 LAL): 25 pts, 5 reb, 9 ast
Pau Gasol ('09 LAL): 20 pts, 13 reb, 3 blk
Game 4: @ '00 LAL 108, '09 LAL 93
Early on it seemed like we would have another back and forth game as the teams traded blows in the opening minutes. But after an Andrew Bynum tip made it 12-8 three and a half minutes in, the '09 Lakers would not make another field goal for the quarter, and the hosts used that to build a 21-15 lead after 12 minutes. They snapped that drought on their first possession of the second, but the '00 Lakers stayed just ahead, surviving a couple runs that cut it to a one possession game and eventually pushing the margin back to seven by halftime. They would get the margin back over double digits early in the second half, but a 17-5 run by the visitors trimmed the margin back to just a single point late in the period. But the 2000 Lakers closed the third on a 9-2 run, then added six more over the first two minutes of the fourth to get it to 14. The '09 Lakers got no closer than seven the rest of the way, and the hosts stave off elimination for one day.
Kobe Bryant ('00 LAL): 24 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast
Glen Rice ('00 LAL): 25 pts, 7 reb
Pau Gasol ('09 LAL): 23 pts, 14 reb
Game 5: '00 LAL 95, @ '09 LAL 88
The first quarter was fairly tight as neither team could gain a huge advantage. The visitors would lead by as many as seven before settling into a four point lead by period's end. A 13-4 '00 Laker run to open the second would push the margin to double digits and they'd lead by as many as 19, though the '09 Lakers cut it to 14 by the intermission. But the hosts had a clincher on their minds, using a 14-2 third quarter run to get back into the game. After Glen Rice pushed the margin back to 10 with about two minutes to go, the '09 Lakers scored the final nine of the period to make it just a one point game going to the fourth, then Kobe Bryant hit a shot to give the hosts their first lead since the opening quarter just seconds into the fourth. They would swap advantages for most of the frame until a Ron Harper three with two and a half to go gave the visitors a lead they would not relinquish as the spark of an 8-0 run.
Shaquille O'Neal ('00 LAL): 30 pts, 18 reb, 6 ast, 3 blk
Kobe Bryant ('00 LAL): 21 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast
Pau Gasol ('09 LAL): 22 pts, 13 reb
The visitors opened the game on an 8-3 run before the hosts bounced back. The 2000 Lakers would lead by five after one quarter, but couldn't survive an early barrage from the '09 Lakers as they tied the game four minutes into the second. A 9-0 '00 Laker run midway through flipped that script though, and the hosts would maintain their five point from the first into the intermission. They would push the lead to double digits midway through the third and led by as many as 13 before going into the final quarter with a 10 point lead to defend to force a Game 7. But an 11-0 '09 Laker run early in the period cut the margin to just a single point. After pushing it back to five, the visitors used an 8-0 run to steal the lead, then closed the game and the series on an 11-2 run.
Kobe Bryant ('09 LAL): 27 pts, 5 reb
Pau Gasol ('09 LAL): 16 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast
Shaquille O'Neal ('00 LAL): 25 pts, 22 reb
(6) 2012 Miami Heat vs (3) 1995 Houston Rockets
Game 1: @ '95 HOU 97, '12 MIA 94
The Rockets scored seven straight early in the first, then survived a rally by the Heat, ultimately settling into a 24-all tie after one. The second seemed like it would be more of the same until the Rockets went on a 15-4 run that opened up a sizable lead. A Sam Cassell turnaround at the halftime buzzer gave Houston a 13 point lead going into the locker room. The Rockets would lead by as many as 14 early in the third, but an 11-1 Miami run cut the margin back to just one possession. Houston would get it back up to eight at one point, but the Heat closed the frame on an 11-4 run, with a Shane Battier three cutting it to one with 23 seconds left, though Mike Miller would miss the go-ahead try at the buzzer. Mario Chalmers would tie the game for Miami just a couple minutes into the fourth, and Dwyane Wade gave the Heat a one point lead with seven and a half to play. But a 9-0 Houston run flipped the game around, and while LeBron James would get his team back within one with about two minutes to play, the Rockets hit enough free throws to be up three at the end, and Chalmers' three at the buzzer did not fall.
Hakeem Olajuwon ('95 HOU): 24 pts, 18 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk
Clyde Drexler ('95 HOU): 21 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast
LeBron James ('12 MIA): 24 pts, 10 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl
Game 2: '12 MIA 98, @ '95 HOU 97
Houston scored the game's first six points and the Rockets led by seven early, but the Heat fought back to tie and managed to take a four point lead after one quarter. After the Rockets tied it two minutes into the second, Miami scored six straight to retake the lead, then held on to go into the break up five. The Heat opened the third on an 8-2 run to press their advantage and lead by as many as 11, but the Rockets used an 11-2 run to retake the lead late in the frame. The teams would swap one point leads, with the Heat holding that margin after three. Miami led for most of the third until Mario Elie scored five straight to give Houston the lead with four minutes to play. After seeing a couple ties, the lead changed hands three times in the final minute-plus, with Dwyane Wade slamming one home with 48 seconds to go to make it 98-97. Hakeem missed a go-ahead try, then after LeBron missed the dagger, Mario Elie's jumper in the final seconds clanged harmlessly off the rim and the Heat escape Houston with a split.
LeBron James ('12 MIA): 25 pts, 15 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl
Dwyane Wade ('12 MIA): 25 pts, 4 blk, 3 stl
Hakeem Olajuwon ('95 HOU): 38 pts, 9 reb, 3 blk
Game 3: @ '12 MIA 98, '95 HOU 79
After trading buckets to open the first game in Miami, the Heat scored six straight to take control, then surrendered eight straight to the Rockets, ultimately going in the second quarter up two thanks to a late Norris Cole dunk. The Heat would stay comfortably ahead for the entirety of the second, slowly pulling away and going to the locker room up nine. A 7-0 Heat run midway through the third extended the lead, and they would lead by as many as 13 before taking an 11 point advantage to the fourth. A 10-2 Miami run early in the fourth effectively sealed the deal as the Heat take the series lead.
LeBron James ('12 MIA): 27 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast
Dwyane Wade ('12 MIA): 23 pts, 4 ast
Hakeem Olajuwon ('95 HOU): 31 pts, 13 reb
Game 4: @ '12 MIA 95, '95 HOU 86
Using a 10-2 run midway through the opening quarter and seeing Clyde Drexler score five straight to close the period, Houston was in control early. The Rockets led by as many as seven early in the second, but an 8-2 Miami run turned this into a back and forth affair that saw the Heat lead by two at the intermission. A 15-4 Rocket run early in the third gave the visitors a double digit lead, but the Heat responded with seven straight, and went to the final frame down only five. But the fourth was all Miami as the Heat started on a 13-0 run and kept the Rockets off the board for nearly half the period, and Houston got no closer than six the rest of the way.
LeBron James ('12 MIA): 27 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast, 4 stl
Dwyane Wade ('12 MIA): 30 pts, 6 reb, 3 stl
Clyde Drexler ('95 HOU): 23 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast
Miami scored the game's first six and kept the advantage for almost the entire quarter, using a 7-2 run to close it with a seven point lead. Houston managed to keep it close, overcoming an early double digit deficit to trim it to just one with about three minutes to go in the half. Then, naturally, the Heat closed the half on an 8-0 run to go up nine with one half to go. But in the third quarter it seemed like the Rockets would stave off elimination as they used the largest run of the Elimination Stage to this point: 30 unanswered points and an eight minute Miami scoring drought. Miami wouldn't go quietly though, and they closed the third with seven straight to make the deficit 11. The Heat proceeded to chip away in the fourth, tying the game halfway through the quarter then taking a 93-91 lead a couple possessions later. The game turned into a defensive slog from here as the Rockets kept it close, finally tying the game again with about a minute to go. Houston had the ball with under 30 seconds to go on a Mario Elie block, but with the shot clock winding down Mario Chalmers managed a steal and the Heat called timeout. This set up a side-out play where LeBron James got a good look from the left wing and buried it to clinch the series for the Heat.
LeBron James ('12 MIA): 34 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast, 4 stl
Dwyane Wade ('12 MIA): 22 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast
Clyde Drexler ('95 HOU): 13 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast
(8) 1976 Boston Celtics vs (1) 2021 Milwaukee Bucks
Game 1: @ '21 MIL 111, '76 BOS 97
The Bucks jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the opener, then got to a double digit lead in about five minutes of game time. The Celtics did all they could to keep it close, but still trailed by seven after one. The game stayed in the 9-12 range for basically the whole second quarter as the Celtics couldn't cut into the deficit, but the Bucks couldn't pull away, going into the locker room up 11. Six straight from Milwaukee early in the third pushed the margin to around 15, though the Celtics would fight back and get it to single digits again going to the fourth. Boston managed to cut the margin to five with just over four minutes to go, but the Bucks scored the next six to put the game out of reach.
Giannis Anteokuonmpo ('21 MIL): 25 pts, 13 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl
Khris Middleton ('21 MIL): 23 pts, 4 reb, 7 ast
Dave Cowens ('76 BOS): 27 pts, 16 reb, 3 stl
Game 2: @ '21 MIL 116, '76 BOS 101
Milwaukee scored seven straight early, but the Celtics responded with a 14-4 run to take the lead back, and they held it after one with a 28-24 margin. They managed to stay ahead for a while, even pushing the lead to double digits midway through the second. But three straight Bucks three's cut the lead to just one, followed by an 8-2 Bucks run that gave them the lead back. It was short lived though, as Paul Silas hit a shot right before the buzzer to tie it at 60 going to the break. The third was largely back and forth, with the Celtics taking the biggest lead of the frame at five late, but the Bucks retook the lead late in the third on a Giannis Antetokuonmpo dunk with 23 seconds left in the frame. Ultimately the Celtics ran out of gas in the fourth, as a 15-0 Bucks run ended up pushing the margin to 17 and iced the game.
Giannis Anteokuonmpo ('21 MIL): 35 pts, 15 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl
Jrue Holiday ('21 MIL): 13 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl
Paul Silas ('76 BOS): 13 pts, 21 reb
Game 3: @ '76 BOS 98, '21 MIL 89
An early 10-2 Buck run seemed to get Milwaukee well on its way, but they followed that up with a six minute scoring drought as the Celtics took the lead. A Bobby Portis shot at the first quarter buzzer trimmed the deficit to four, and that sparked a 9-2 Milwaukee run to open the second. Boston fought back and even took a couple leads in the second, but a Giannis Antetokuonmpo three with 17 seconds left in the half put the visitors up two going to the locker room. The teams traded runs early in the third and we settled into a back and forth affair, until the Celtics went on an extended 9-0 run and kept Milwaukee off the scoreboard for another five minutes, resulting in a seven point Boston lead going to the fourth. A Dave Cowens three point play opened the period and got the margin to double digits for the first time, and Boston would push the lead as high as 15 in the fourth. But the Bucks had one last run in them, with a Giannis shot cutting the margin to one with just over a minute to play. But Cowens sandwiching three of four shots at the line around a Charlie Scott takeaway and easy basket pushed the margin back to six, and the Celtics iced the game at the line.
Dave Cowens ('76 BOS): 18 pts, 18 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl, 4 blk
Charlie Scott ('76 BOS): 26 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl
Giannis Antetokuonmpo ('21 MIL): 27 pts, 13 reb
Game 4: '21 MIL 130, @ '76 BOS 105
The teams traded baskets for the first few minutes as it seemed like Game 4 might be tight, but the Bucks started to pull away as the quarter went along, using an 11-2 run to really build their advantage up towards an eight point lead after 12 minutes. An 11-0 Milwaukee run in the second pushed the lead to 19, and it ballooned over 20 with just under four minutes to play in the half. The Bucks got it up over 30 by the middle of the third and as high as 37 by the end of the frame. It took until the final four and a half minutes for the margin to dip below the 30 mark, but by then the game was decided and the Bucks will go back home up 3-1.
Khris Middleton ('21 MIL): 38 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast
Giannis Antetokuonmpo ('21 MIL): 34 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast
Dave Cowens ('76 BOS): 29 pts, 14 reb
The two teams traded leads for much of the opening quarter before a 9-0 Celtics run gave them control, though a Bucks 8-0 run immediately answered it, forcing Paul Silas to hit a shot at the first quarter buzzer for Boston to keep the lead at the smallest possible margin. The lead trading resumed in the second quarter as neither team to gain a multiple possession edge until late in the half, when a 7-0 Bucks run gave them a five point lead going into the break. Milwaukee scored the first two field goals of the third to go up nine, but the Celtics fought back, tying the game at 71 and even used a 7-0 run to help build an eight point lead of their own. But a Giannis Antetokuonmpo heave from beyond half court at the third quarter buzzer fell, tying the game at 89, and that shot seemed to galvanize the hosts, as they used an extended 10-0 run to build an eight point lead, and the Celtics got no closer than four the rest of the way.
Giannis Antetokuonmpo ('21 MIL): 37 pts, 16 reb, 12 ast, 3 blk
Khris Middleton ('21 MIL): 20 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast
Dave Cowens ('76 BOS): 20 pts, 22 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk
(5) 1970 New York Knicks vs (4) 1980 Los Angeles Lakers
Game 1: @ '80 LAL 125, '70 NYK 120
The Knicks opened the game on an 8-0 run and seemed to be in control early. Despite leading by nine with under three to play in the opening quarter, the Lakers managed to fight back and get within three by frame's end. LA finally tied the game three separate times in the second quarter, but each time New York had an immediate answer, and the Knicks went. to the locker room up three. The Lakers finally grabbed their first lead just over three minutes into the third, then New York again answered, pushing their lead back to six by third quarter's end. The Lakers finally broke through for good in the fourth, tying the game on a Norm Nixon and-one, followed by a Spencer Haywood free throw that gave them the lead, and thanks to a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar second chance basket after Haywood missed his second, the Knicks would only get the ball back with a chance to take the lead once with about two and a half minutes to go.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ('80 LAL): 23 pts, 13 reb, 7 ast, 5 blk
Norm Nixon ('80 LAL): 27 pts, 11 ast
Walt Frazier ('70 NYK): 24 pts, 8 reb, 13 ast
Game 2: @ '80 LAL 123, '70 NYK 116
New York again got out to a good early lead, but couldn't hold it, as an extended 19-6 Laker run gave the hosts the momentum and they carried a five point lead into the second off the back of that. The Knicks did all they could to stay in this one, but a 9-1 Laker run got the margin to double digits before LA took a nine point lead into intermission. The Lakers immediate got it back to double digits to start the third, getting the margin as high as 17 before going into the fourth only up a dozen. It then took until there were only about five a half minutes left, but the Knicks managed to cut the lead down to just a single possession. LA pushed the lead back out, but the Knicks had one last push in them, getting the margin down to just one with 21 seconds left, but the Lakers closed it out with six straight at the free throw line.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ('80 LAL): 36 pts, 13 reb, 5 blk
Magic Johnson ('80 LAL): 11 pts, 8 reb, 10 ast
Willis Reed ('70 NYK): 29 pts, 13 reb
Game 3: '80 LAL 112, @ '70 NYK 93
After a back and forth first seven or so minutes, the Lakers used an 8-0 run to build a nine point lead, though the Knicks would close the quarter with seven straight over the final two minutes to make it a one score game after one. Seven straight from the Knicks early in the second would give them the lead, though the game would get tightly contested. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hit a shot at the halftime buzzer, but they trailed the hosts by one. Neither team led by more than five in the third, and we headed to the fourth for what seemed like an instant classic as the Lakers grabbed a late lead on a Michael Cooper shot. But a 9-2 LA run over the first two and a half minutes of the fourth helped build a sizable Laker lead. Not even a minute and a half later the margin hit double digits, and the Knicks would get no closer than seven the rest of the way.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ('80 LAL): 28 pts, 17 reb, 6 blk
Magic Johnson ('80 LAL): 23 pts, 9 reb, 4 ast
Willis Reed ('70 NYK): 22 pts, 15 reb
As has been the case for most of the series, the opening stanza was a tightly contested one, needing a Jim Chones shot with six seconds left to give the Lakers a two point lead by the buzzer. The Knicks fought back in the second, coming out on top of a back and forth period to somehow lead by three going into the intermission. LA would tie it less than three minutes into the third, then use an 11-4 run that saw the Knicks go four minutes between field goals. A 6-0 run closed the third quarter to give the Lakers a double digit lead, and New York for a while couldn't get the margin below a two score game. Even when they finally trimmed it to a three point game with seven minutes to play, they could get no closer, and a Spencer Haywood layup with just under two minutes to play put LA up seven and effectively iced the series.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ('80 LAL): 28 pts, 13 reb, 4 stl, 6 blk
Magic Johnson ('80 LAL): 16 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl
Dave DeBusschere ('70 NYK): 25 pts, 21 reb, 4 ast
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