12 of the 16 matchups for the next round are now set in stone. We had a couple more first round upsets in the last set of games, including a series that went the distance and a game that was easily the highest scoring of the tournament.
As we finish this round out, three of our four one seeds will finally get their series covered, as well the two-time Champion of Champions. Hopefully this round will be able to finish with some dramatic finishes as well.
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!
(8) 1973 Indiana Pacers vs (1) 2025 Indiana Pacers
Game 1: @ '25 IND 114, '73 IND 98
While the hosts got out to a small early lead, they couldn't hold it and we had a back and forth opening quarter, with a Billy Keller bucket tying the game at 23 going into the second quarter. The '25 Pacers got going in that period, using a 9-2 run to take control of the game, though an 11-2 run by the '73 Pacers would tie the game with two minutes left in the half, and a Darnell Hillman free throw made it 49-48 in favor of the visitors going to the locker room. But the '25 Pacers came out of the break on a 14-1 run, holding the visitors without a field goal for the first four minutes of the period and got the lead as high as 18 before going to the fourth up 15 on a Myles Turner three at the buzzer. '73 Indy got it to single digits again just over three minutes into the fourth, but the hosts responded with seven straight to get the lead back out, and they were able to cruise to the win.
Pascal Siakam ('25 IND): 16 pts, 13 reb, 4 ast
Myles Turner ('25 IND): 21 pts, 7 reb
George McGinnis ('73 IND): 23 pts, 9 reb
Game 2: @ '25 IND 122, '73 IND 98
This one was less close as the hosts jumped out to an 11-2 lead. Six straight from the visitors stemmed the tide briefly, but before long the '25 Pacers had rebuild their lead, with a late Thomas Bryant three giving them a double digit advantage after one. The '73 Pacers did their best, slowly creeping back into the game as a George McGinnis three point play made it a four point contest with about four minutes to go. But the hosts buried three straight from beyond the arc and helped build themselves a 14 point halftime lead. The '25 Pacers then scored on their first four possessions of the third quarter and by the halfway point had ballooned the lead to 20, and managed to stay there by period's end. The '25 Pacers were able to get the margin up as high as 33 in the final quarter before calling off the dogs with a 2-0 series lead firmly in hand.
Tyrese Haliburton ('25 IND): 29 pts, 11 reb, 7 ast
Myles Turner ('25 IND): 21 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast
George McGinnis ('73 IND): 27 pts, 10 reb
Game 3: @ '73 IND 114, '25 IND 104
It took almost two minutes for the hosts to get their first field goal, but even with the '25 Pacers burying a bunch of early threes, the '73 Pacers kept it close for a bit, overcoming a larger early deficit to get back within three by quarter's end. After getting one early, the visitors scored seven straight to pull back away. Even then, the '73 Pacers fought back and tied the game on a George McGinnis bucket with one second left. But it was for naught as Pascal Siakam answered back at the buzzer to give the visitors a two point halftime lead. The hosts were able to keep it within one possession for a chunk of the third until a 6-0 '25 Indiana run got the lead back out, and a later 8-0 run pushed it to double digits. Roger A. Brown hit a three at the buzzer to get the hosts back within a dozen. After the visitors pushed it to 14, the '73 Pacers scored nine in a row to get back into it. Eight more in a row later got the hosts briefly in front, then six in a row following a Benedict Mathurin three. Mel Daniels had a key three point play to push the margin back to four with about two minutes to go, then George McGinnis hit two straight with under 90 seconds left, and the visitors were able to secure a win in the series.
George McGinnis ('73 IND): 36 pts, 13 reb
Mel Daniels ('73 IND): 21 pts, 18 reb, 4 blk
Pascal Siakam ('25 IND): 18 pts, 8 reb
Game 4: '25 IND 131, @ '73 IND 121
Six straight from the hosts early in this one gave them the lead, though they had to go back and forth with the '25 Pacers a little bit. A Mel Daniels layup with about two minutes left in the first sparked a 10-3 run to close the frame, and they were able to push it to double digts early in the second. The visitors got within seven late in the period, but Billy Keller hit a three at the halftime buzzer to put '73 Indiana up 11 going to the locker room. But the '25 Pacers opened the second half on a 10-4 run, not allowing a field goal for the first couple minutes and slowly working their way back into it. Seven straight later in the quarter briefly got them the lead back, then a run of six straight with about two minutes left gave them a six point cushion. After Donnie Freeman tied the game for the hosts with 20 seconds left, Ben Sheppard tipped in a TJ McConnell miss at the buzzer to put the '25 Pacers up two going to the final stanza. Andrew Nembhard opened the fourth with seven straight, and that sparked the visitors to slowly pull away for a 3-1 series lead.
Tyrese Haliburton ('25 IND): 28 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast, 4 stl
Pascal Siakam ('25 IND): 23 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast
George McGinnis ('73 IND): 28 pts, 13 reb
After a little back and forth for the first few possessions, the '25 Pacers used a 9-2 run to grab control of the contest. The '73 Pacers kept it close and even tied the game at 19 with a little over four minutes left in the first. But the hosts sparked a 10-0 run to jump out to a nine point lead by frame's end. They got it quickly to double digits as the '73 Pacers did all they could to keep the mark around that. But '25 Indy kept the pressure up, and with just under three minutes left in the half the margin was up to 20. A Mel Daniels jumper at the buzzer cut it to 19 going to the locker room. The '73 Pacers opened the second half on a 10-2 run, and midway through the quarter scored seven straight to briefly cut it back to single digits. The visitors weren't done though, as they used another 7-0 run to cut the margin down to just four points, though an Aaron Nesmith shot pushed it back to six, and that was the margin at the period buzzer. Naturally, the '25 Pacers opened the fourth with a 7-0 run of their own, and it seemed like the series would be over. But the '73 Pacers had one more push in them as they scored seven straight to make it just a two point game with less than two minutes to go. A Pascal Siakam three with 46 seconds to go made it a six point game, and that effectively served as the dagger for the series.
Pascal Siakam ('25 IND): 24 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast
Tyrese Haliburton ('25 IND): 25 pts, 11 ast
Mel Daniels ('73 IND): 19 pts, 17 reb
(7) 1981 Boston Celtics vs (2) 1996 Chicago Bulls
Game 1: @ '96 CHI 94, '81 BOS 85
Scottie Pippen scored five straight early to help set the tone early, but the Celtics responded with a 6-0 run that helped give them the lead and stay either even or just ahead from the Bulls. But Toni Kukoc and Jud Buechler hit three's in the final 24 seconds to help Chicago build a 32-28 lead after one. The Bulls defense stepped up in the second, holding the Celtics to just two field goals over the first eight minutes, though they only got the lead as high as nine before taking a five point advantage to the locker room. Boston cut it to a one possession game about four minutes into the third, but a 9-0 Chicago run built a cushion, with a Bill Wennington shot at the buzzer got the margin to eight by period's end. Nate Archibald scored four straight to cut it to two with about eight minutes left, but Michael Jordan found Kukoc for a dunk, then hit a contested three on the next possession to get the lead back to seven. Larry Bird showed up later in the period, with a shot to tie the game at 83 with under five to play, but Pippen answered to retake the lead, and a Bird dunk with 2:45 to go was the final basket for the Celtics as Chicago was able to pull away.
Scottie Pippen ('96 CHI): 28 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 6 stl, 5 blk
Michael Jordan ('96 CHI) 24 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast
Larry Bird ('81 BOS): 20 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 3 stl
Game 2: @ '96 CHI 100, '81 BOS 89
After a back and forth first few minutes, the Bulls used a 6-0 run to help grab the lead, and they led by that margin after 12 minutes. Then in the second Chicago went on a series of runs, first a 13-2 lead to get the lead up to 15, then a 7-0 run to push as high as 17, and six straight in less than a minute that got it to 21 with two minutes to halftime, though a late Celtic basket trimmed it to 19. Boston showed good fight in the third, bouncing back from their rough second, but they still couldn't contain Chicago and as a result, despite closing the quarter with the last two baskets the deficit was still 15. The Bulls led by as many as 22 with about seven and a half minutes to play and it was 16 at the 2:54 mark when both teams emptied their benches.
Scottie Pippen ('96 CHI): 13 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast, 5 blk
Michael Jordan ('96 CHI): 30 pts, 6 reb
Larry Bird ('81 BOS): 20 pts, 8 reb, 8 ast
Game 3: @ '81 BOS 124, '96 CHI 115
Five straight from Nate Archibald early in this one helped the Celtics build a seven point lead, but the Bulls were ready for them, using nine straight to take a brief lead before Archibald put the Celtics back in front, and they led by three after one period. While Chicago was able to keep it close for much of the second, a Larry Bird three point play sparked a 7-0 Boston run that got the lead to double digits. It didn't last, with Michael Jordan hitting a game-tying three with 21 seconds left. But Bird had an answer, and nailed one of his own with just two seconds left to send his team to the intermission up three. Chicago came out of the locker room strong and even led a couple times to open the third, but a 6-0 Celtics run stemmed that tide, followed later by a 9-0 run that pushed the margin to double digits, with Boston leading by 12 going into the final stanza. The Celtics led by as many as 16 early, though the Bulls would make a furious rally that saw them both lift and reinsert their starters. A Ron Harper three with 40 seconds left cut the deficit to five, but by then it was too little, too late, as a Robert Parish jumper served as the dagger for the hosts.
Larry Bird (81 BOS): 29 pts, 9 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl
Nate Archibald ('81 BOS): 27 pts, 6 ast
Dennis Rodman ('96 CHI): 15 pts, 18 reb, 6 ast
Game 4: '96 CHI 114, @ '81 BOS 100
Bulls bigs scored six straight to help Chicago build an early advantage, though much of the first went back and forth and saw the Celtics lead by three at the end thanks in part to a Rick Robey shot with 21 seconds left. Chicago traded the lead with them six times early in the second before the Celtics began to pull away a little bit, going up five with 4:45 to go. Michael Jordan took over at that point, scoring five in a row to tie the game, then feeding Toni Kukoc to put the Bulls in front, then scoring three more at the line to push the advantage. Thanks to a Ron Harper shot with two seconds left, Chicago went into the locker room up six. The Bulls then opened the third on a 7-2 run, and a Scottie Pippen three with 4:40 left in the frame got the margin to double digits for the first time. A 12-4 run capped by a Kukoc buzzer three put the Bulls up 18 going to the fourth. Jordan quickly pushed it to 20 and the Bulls were largely able to cruise from there.
Scottie Pippen ('96 CHI): 22 pts, 11 reb, 9 ast
Michael Jordan ('96 CHI): 34 pts, 6 reb, 3 stl
Robert Parish ('81 BOS): 23 pts, 14 reb, 3 blk
Determined to close this out early, Chicago opened the game on a 10-3 run and largely kept the Celtics at bay, only seeing their lead trimmed to one very briefly late in the period before taking a three point cushion to the second. The Bulls then opened the second on a 9-2 run and did not allow a field goal until Nate Archibald's runner just over three minutes into the period. A Michael Jordan personal 8-2 run also helped matters, as Boston got no closer than two late in the half, and a Scottie Pippen jumper at the halftime buzzer put the Bulls up seven. The Celtics would cut it to three a couple times early in the third, but the Bulls answered immediately both times and ultimately held on to go up eight heading to the final 12 minutes. Boston wasn't done though as they scored seven straight to open the fourth to pull back within one, then took their first lead of the game at 81-79 with just over eight minutes to play. Bill Wennington answered with a turnaround to tie it, then after almost two minutes without either side scoring, Toni Kukoc finally broke the ice with a free throw, Pippen added a shot to go up three, and after a Kevin McHale hook, Steve Kerr hit three free throws to push the lead to four. From there the Bulls slowly pulled away to secure the series victory.
Michael Jordan ('96 CHI): 42 pts, 7 reb, 6 ast, 4 stl
Scottie Pippen ('96 CHI): 22 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast
Robert Parish ('81 BOS): 22 pts, 13 reb, 4 blk
(8) 1968 Boston Celtics vs (1) 2007 San Antonio Spurs
Game 1: @ '07 SA 114, '68 BOS 106
After a back and forth start to this series, it was the Celtics who had the first big push, scoring six straight at one point to give themselves control and go up seven after 12 minutes. But a 9-2 Spur run in the early second got San Antonio back into it, seeing Brent Barry tie the game with a three and Tony Parker convert an old-fashioned three point play to give his team the lead. After giving it up, Barry would kick start a 10-2 San Antonio run that got them back in control, and they clung to a three point lead going into halftime. The teams traded buckets for much of the third until a 6-0 Boston run put the Celtics up five halfway through, and a John Havlicek three a few minutes later pushed their advantage up to a game-high 13. Hondo would hit another jumper at the quarter buzzer to put Boston up eight going to the fourth, and they opened pushing the margin to double digits fairly quickly. But a 13-2 Spur run turned the game on its head, with Francisco Elson tying the game at 100 with 6:12 to play. Tim Duncan put the Spurs ahead with two free throws a minute later, and a Bruce Bowen basket on the ensuing possession gave San Antonio control that they would not relinquish. While the Celtics got within two a couple times in the final minute-plus, the Spurs were able to milk the clock and go a perfect 6-6 at the line in the final 20 seconds to secure the Game 1 victory.
Tim Duncan ('07 SA): 20 pts, 18 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl, 6 blk
Tony Parker ('07 SA): 35 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast
Bill Russell ('68 BOS): 14 pts, 17 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk
Game 2: @ '07 SA 114, '68 BOS 98
The Celtics had an 8-0 run midway through the third to break out of a back and forth and take a six point lead. But the Spurs closed the period on a 14-5 run, holding Boston without a field goal for the final 4:20 to lead by three. Boston would tie and even retake the lead early in the second, but a 9-0 San Antonio run turned the game back around, though the Celtics wouldn't go away. The Spurs ended up taking an eight point lead to the locker room, then scored six straight early in the third to push their lead to a dozen. The Celtics would cut the lead to four a couple times later in the third, but couldn't get over the hump as back to back Michael Finley threes made it a 12 point game late in the period. Boston would get it back to eight by quarter's end, but they would get no closer than six in the fourth as the Spurs began to pull away, using an extended 11-2 run late to serve as the dagger.
Tim Duncan ('07 SA): 20 pts, 13 reb, 7 ast, 6 blk
Tony Parker ('07 SA): 31 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast
John Havlicek ('68 BOS): 25 pts, 6 reb, 3 stl
Game 3: '07 SA 105, @ '68 BOS 94
An early Spurs barrage from beyond the arc helped them build a 13-6 lead just four minutes in, but a 12-2 Celtics run late in the frame would end up tying the contest. Wayne Embry hit a couple shots for Boston in the final minute-plus to put them up three going to the second. The game stayed at that 27-24 score for over three minutes into the second quarter until Tony Parker finally broke the silence. Bailey Howell briefly got the hosts up five with back to back baskets, but San Antonio responded with eight in a row. Undeterred, the Celtics would retake the lead, survive a couple ties, then get late baskets from Howell and Sam Jones to go into the break up four. Down six early in the third, a 13-2 Spur run flipped the script, though the Celtics had another push in them, only allowing San Antonio to lead by two going to the fourth. Back to back three point plays highlighted an 8-0 Spurs run early in the final frame, though Boston would hang around, getting within three a couple times early and finally two with 4:36 to play. But a 15-2 San Antonio run forced Boston to concede the game and empty their bench to preserve folks for a Game 4.
Tim Duncan ('07 SA): 23 pts, 13 reb, 5 ast, 5 blk
Tony Parker ('07 SA: 25 pts, 9 ast
Bill Russell ('69 BOS): 16 pts, 20 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, 5 blk
Game 4: @ '68 BOS 112, '07 SA 103
This one looked like it'd be over early, as the Spurs scored the game's first 11 and led by as many as 13 in the opening minutes. But the Celtics would not go quietly and managed to cut the margin to seven by the end of the period. Six straight from Boston midway through the second ended a fairly even spell and got the Celtics back within four, and that was part of a larger 14-4 stretch where the Celtics finally did tie the game. San Antonio scored the next five to pull away, but Boston got it back to one by the halftime buzzer. Sam Jones and Larry Siegfried went off to open the third; Siegfried himself scored nine in the first four and a half minutes before the Spurs went on a 9-0 run to retake the lead. Siegfried would add four more in the period, though it was Bill Russell with the most clutch basket of the period as his three point play with 1:12 left in the quarter put the Celtics up two going to the final frame. After the Spurs missed three chances to tie or take the lead on the opening possession of the fourth, John Havlicek got a second chance dunk to put Boston up four, and the Spurs would not get another chance to tie or take the lead again. Ultimately a 10-0 run spanning about 90 seconds would put the Celtics in firm control and stave off their elimination for at least one more game.
Bill Russell ('68 BOS): 20 pts, 21 reb, 7 ast, 4 blk
Sam Jones ('68 BOS): 28 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast
Tim Duncan ('07 SA): 17 pts, 13 reb, 7 ast, 6 blk
Game 5: '68 BOS 114, @ '07 SA 111
The Celtics answered San Antonio's scoring of the first five points of the game with eight straight of their own. That seemed to spark something as the Celtics slowly pulled away to build an eight point lead going into the second. They more than doubled that margin to 17 four minutes into the period, and the game would remain tilted in favor of the visitors, though San Antonio would narrow the gap to 12 by intermission. The Celtics would keep up the pressure in the third, getting the margin up to 20 near the halfway point of the third. Cracks showed a bit as the Spurs narrowed it to 12 with three minutes to go, but Boston stabilized things and got it back to 16 by period's end. Seven straight from San Antonio early in the fourth though finally got the margin back down to single digits with a little over seven minutes to go. With about three minutes to go, Bailey Howell threw down a dunk that made it 108-98, but the Spurs had enough left in the tank for one last run. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker scored the game's next nine to cut it to one with 18 seconds left, but Sam Jones had ice in his veins and hit four free throws, and Michael Finley's three at the buzzer did not fall, allowing the Celtics to take the series back to Boston.
Sam Jones ('68 BOS): 30 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast,
Bill Russell ('68 BOS): 17 pts, 17 reb, 3 stl, 4 blk
Tony Parker ('07 SA): 33 pts, 8 reb, 9 ast
It took a while for the offenses to get going, but it was San Antonio's that really got off and running, building a 10 point lead with about 90 seconds left in the first. A Robert Horry three in the final minute helped push it to 11 going into the second quarter. San Antonio got it up to 16 four minutes into the secon, but the Celtics cut it in half over the next 90 seconds. They did all they could to keep it close, but a Tim Duncan shot at the halftime buzzer put the Spurs up 12 going to the break. Boston managed a couple mini runs in the third, getting down to five midway through before the Spurs pushed it back, though Boston would close the frame with six in a row to get it back down to that five point margin. A personal 7-2 run for Manu Ginobili got the Spurs back up double digits early in the fourth, and with just under six minutes to go it was 14. A Tony Parker jumper with 3:23 left made it a ten point game again as the Celtics struggled to really get back into the game, but their best run was ahead of them. Sam Jones scored four straight to trim it to six, then got a steal, leading to a couple John Havlicek free throws that cut it to four. A Bailey Howell and-one got the Celtics back within one with just 100 seconds to play. After Howell missed a go-ahead try the next time down, Tim Duncan finally broke San Antonio's dry spell with a 12 foot jumper with just over a minute to go. After each team got a stop, the Celtics somehow made the climb to the summit when Bill Russell converted a three point play on a tip in, tying the game at 113 with 29 seconds left. A Manu miss gave the Celtics a chance to win, but John Havlicek's free throw line jumper was off, and Manu managed the rebound, allowing the Spurs to call timeout. Somehow the Celtics completely lost track of Tim Duncan on the inbounds, and he finger rolled it home at the buzzer to send the Spurs to the Round of 32.
Tim Duncan ('07 SA): 25 pts, 20 reb, 3 blk; made game-winning shot at the buzzer
Tony Parker ('07 SA): 25 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast
Bill Russell ('68 BOS): 21 pts, 25 reb, 5 ast
(8) 1972 Indiana Pacers vs (1) 1997 Chicago Bulls
Game 1: @ '97 CHI 116, '72 IND 96
The Pacers scored on the opening possession and held the lead for most of the first six minutes until Scottie Pippen scored four straight to put the Bulls out in front. Chicago followed that up with a 13-1 run to roar into control, going into the second quarter up 11. Indiana scored eight in a row early in the second to cut it to three, then later in the period had a 12-2 run that gave them the lead. But it was short lived, as Luc Longley scored with 50 seconds left to put Chicago back in front, and Pippen hit a three late to push the margin to four going to the locker room. The Bulls began to pull away in the third, thanks in part to a 10-0 run that included back to back threes from Michael Jordan and Pippen, and a Rodman layup right before the third quarter buzzer got the margin to 10 going into the final stanza. Indy got within six early in the frame, but Chicago managed to push the lead back to double digits fairly quickly, and the defense kept the Pacers out of the basket for the final 4:21 to secure the early series lead.
Scottie Pippen ('97 CHI): 23 pts, 5 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl
Michael Jordan ('97 CHI): 16 pts, 7 reb, 10 ast, 3 stl
Roger A. Brown ('72 IND): 24 pts, 9 reb, 9 ast
Game 2: @ '97 CHI 106, '72 IND 103
In this one it was Chicago who got out to the early advantage, going up 6-0 three minutes in. Chicago got the lead as high as eight before Indy fought back, scoring the final five of the quarter to pull within one. The teams swapped leads early in the second before Chicago began to pull away, using an 11-3 run to push the margin to nine. The Bulls would lead by as many as a dozen before the Pacers cut that in half going to the intermission. Chicago survived pushes for most of the third, leading again by as many as nine until about the two minute mark when a Roger A. Brown fadeaway gave the Pacers a 75-74 lead. After swapping leads a couple times, Ron Harper buried a three in the closing seconds to give Chicago a four point cushion going to the fourth. The Pacers then opened the fourth on a 12-2 run to steal a six point lead with a little over eight minutes to play. A Rick Mount three that made it a seven point game was immediately answered by Steve Kerr, and the Bulls would go on to tie the game a couple times over the next few minutes, prompting a back and forth of lead changes. The Pacers seemed in control up 103-100 with just over two minutes to go, but Brian Williams immediately cut it to a one point game, and four chances on the Pacers' ensuing possession all came up empty. Jordan was fouled on the other end, and he calmly hit both free throws to give Chicago a 104-103 lead with just over a minute to go. After Mel Daniels missed on the other end, Luc Longley pulled down the rebound and went give-and-go with Michael Jordan for a dunk and a three point lead. Jordan had a chance to put it away with under 10 seconds, but his baseline jumper missed. Bob Netolicky got the rebound and hurried down, but couldn't hit the game-tying try and the Bulls will head to Indianapolis up two games to none.
Michael Jordan ('97 CHI): 37 pts, 4 ast
Steve Kerr ('97 CHI): 13 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast
Mel Daniels ('72 IND): 18 pts, 19 reb, 3 blk
Game 3: '97 CHI 108, @ '72 IND 99
Chicago got off to a good start on the road, but it was the hosts with the first big run of the game, a 10-4 one that helped get them back into the game, and that early control of the paint helped them build a six point lead after 12 minutes. But the Bulls opened the second on a 9-1 run, briefly giving the the lead before the Pacers retook control. An eight point lead with four minutes left was nearly dwindled, but a Mel Daniels drive with 1:25 left was the final basket of the half, and it helped send Indy to the break up seven. Chicago proceeded to score the first seven of the second half to tie the game, though Indy would retake the lead and remain in control for most of the third, going into the final stanza up five. They quickly got it to nine in the fourth and survived a stretch of seven straight Bulls points to stay up by six at the halfway mark of the period. They managed to stay just ahead for the next couple minutes but couldn't press the advantage back past one possession, and the Bulls finally went for the kill. Michael Jordan and Luc Longley combined for the final 14 points as the Bulls allowed just one Mel Daniels bucket over the final three minutes, and Chicago secures a stranglehold on the series.
Michael Jordan ('97 CHI): 34 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 4 blk
Scottie Pippen ('97 CHI): 21 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast, 4 stl
Mel Daniels ('72 IND): 27 pts, 15 reb
The game was tied at 12 with five minutes left in the opening quarter when Chicago made its run: 10 straight built a double digit lead, and it stayed at 10 once the first quarter buzzer sounded. Indiana managed to keep it at that mark for several minutes in the second, but they couldn't sustain it as the Bulls broke through late, closing the half on a 14-2 run to go into the break up 24 thanks in part to a late Steve Kerr three. The Pacers couldn't get it below 20 in the third as Chicago slowly pulled away, leading by as many as 35 late before the Pacers trimmed it to 29 by the end of the third. Indy managed to cut it to 23 with about six and a half left to play, but the Bulls scored the next six, and they were able to call off the dogs with just under four minutes to play to cruise to the sweep.
Michael Jordan ('97 CHI): 42 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast
Steve Kerr ('97 CHI): 18 pts
Mel Daniels ('72 IND): 12 pts, 15 reb
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