2015 NBA Tournament of Champions: Group Play Day 5

I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July! Continue to enjoy your weekend, and with it... enjoy some more basketball.

We're through two rounds of the 2015 NBA Tournament of Champions group stage with another dozen still to go. Several undefeated teams still remain, including nine that are playing today.

Today, we begin Round 3 of Group Play. Groups E and G are playing back to back (with Group E all finishing a home-and-home), while Groups D and F return from a day off.

Below, I will include links to each group's page in their respective headers so you can view scores and standings. On those pages, the team on the right will be considered the home team for all games. All game simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. To view player and team stats for the tournament, click here. Let's get to it.

Group D

@ 2013 Miami Heat 104, 1959 Boston Celtics 82
I think we have a new record for best defensive performance in terms of opponents' shooting. Miami held the Celtics to just 30.4 percent from the floor, including a 5-21 performance in an opening quarter where the Heat outscored the Celtics 30-14. Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 25 points and added 10 assists, while LeBron James scored 21 and chipped in 12 rebounds and six assists. Bob Cousy paced the Celtics with 14 points, while Bill Russell added 11 points and 19 rebounds.

@ 1999 San Antonio Spurs 103, 2009 Los Angeles Lakers 100

In a fantastic game where both teams shot over 50 percent, it came down to the wire, but with the Lakers needing an intentional foul to try and get the ball back, Kobe Bryant stupidly committed his sixth foul of the game with 12 seconds to go, removing the Lakers' best option from the final play. Trevor Ariza missed the potential tying three as time expired to give San Antonio the win. Tim Duncan was marvelous, scoring 33 points on 9-13 shooting (plus a 15-17 day at the line), while David Robinson added 20 points; both players finished with 12 rebounds. Due to foul trouble, Kobe Bryant played just 25 minutes and only scored 12 points. Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

@ 2011 Dallas Mavericks 101, 2007 San Antonio Spurs 93
The Spurs led in this battle of Texan Champions 21-17 after a quarter, but the Mavs rallied back by shooting 13-18 in the second quarter to open up a 52-44 halftime edge. The Spurs never gave up, even pulling to within two points with about three minutes to play, but the Mavs hit clutch shots down the stretch to ice the game. Dirk Nowitzki led all scorers with 23 points, while Tyson Chandler added 19 and 14 rebounds to lead the way for Dallas. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 14, Manu Ginobili added 13, and Tony Parker and Brent Barry each netted 12.

@ 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 101, 1953 Minneapolis Lakers 91
LA makes it a sweep for the home teams in Group D today, as the Lakers shot 51.3 percent from the floor to help outscore Minneapolis in every quarter except the fourth. Los Angeles led by as many as 16 in the fourth quarter, but Minneapolis never gave up, coming right back and making it a competitive game all the way through despite only shooting 37.6 percent for the contest. Shaquille O'Neal led the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds, Kobe Bryant had a near triple-double of 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and Glen Rice chipped in 20. George Mikan led Minneapolis with 22 points and a game-high 18 rebounds, while James Pollard chipped in 19 points.

Group E

2008 Boston Celtics 108, @ 1997 Chicago Bulls 100

The Celtics got revenge on the back end of their home-and-home, getting to the line a whopping 43 times against a tough Bulls defense, opening up a 14 point lead after three quarters. While Chicago did outscore Boston in the fourth and even pulled to within three with under two minutes to play, Ray Allen picked up a critical three-point play to seal the win. Paul Pierce led the way with 26 points while filling up the stat sheet, Ray Allen added 23, and the Celtics as a team picked up assists on 26 of their 32 field goals. Michael Jordan led the Bulls with 22 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, Toni Kukoc scored 20, and Dennis Rodman had a game-high 18 rebounds.

@ 1974 Boston Celtics 131, 1978 Washington Bullets 110
Another revenge game on a back-to-back, this time with the home teams prevailing. This game wasn't close, as the Celtics led 35-20 after just one quarter and let the lead balloon from there. Boston shot 49 percent from the floor and were nearly perfect at the free throw line. Seven Celtics scored in double figures, led by John Havlicek's 22. Dave Cowens had 15 points and 16 rebounds while Paul Silas added 18 and 12. Elvin Hayes had 23 points to lead Washington, while Wes Unseld chipped in 14 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.

1973 New York Knicks 125, @ 1981 Boston Celtics 107
The Knicks got their first win of the tournament in a big way, outrebounding the Celtics by 16 in a game that they never trailed. It was kind of a slow game though, with 59 fouls leading to 84 free throws between the two teams. Dave DeBusschere led the way for the Knicks with 26 points and 13 rebounds while Earl Monroe added 18. Larry Bird had a good game in the loss, scoring 17 points, pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds and adding seven assists. Kevin McHale added 17 points off the bench, while Robert Parish had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks.

2014 San Antonio Spurs 102, @ 1990 Detroit Pistons 94
The Spurs are the only team to pull of the back-to-back sweep as the Pistons fall to 0-3 in Group E. Detroit led 48-45 going into the break, but the Spurs came back, outscoring the Pistons 18-6 in the final 6:35 of the third quarter to pull away. The Spurs were efficient, getting to the line 36 times and shooting 43 percent from the floor. Tim Duncan led the way with 23 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, Tony Parker had 18, and Manu Ginobili scored 17 off the bench. Isiah Thomas had a near triple-double in the loss, scoring 22 points, pulling down nine rebounds and dishing out 10 assists. Joe Dumars added 16 and Bill Laimbeer had a game-high 12 rebounds for the Pistons.

Group F

1994 Houston Rockets 115, @ 1998 Chicago Bulls 90
Bill Simmons cleverly noted that the "dirty little secret" of Jordan's Dynasty is that he was able to avoid most of the great bigs of his era. In a battle with one of said bigs, Hakeem and the Rockets tore apart Jordan's last title team. Despite leading for a good chunk of the opening quarter, the Bulls couldn't contain Houston, as the Rockets attacked the rim, getting 46 free throws in the game to Chicago's 14. Hakeem led the way with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Otis Thorpe added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Jordan only managed 20 points in the loss. Scottie Pippen added 16.

@ 1956 Philadelphia Warriors 128, @ 1961 Boston Celtics 122
In quite the back and forth game, Boston outscored Philly 41-26 in the third quarter to take a 90-87 lead into the final frame. Philly took the lead with about nine minutes left though and didn't trail again en route to their first win. It was a fast-paced game, as the teams combined for 203 field goals and 74 free throws. Neil Johnston led the way for the Warriors with 30 points, 17 rebounds and seven assists, while Paul Arizin added 30, seven and six. Tommy Heinsohn led the Celtics with 27 points, Bob Cousy added 24, and Bill Russell had 11 points and a game-high 25 rebounds.

@ 1988 Los Angeles Lakers 109, 2004 Detroit Pistons 92

Despite the final score, this was a bipolar game. The Lakers jumped out to a 31-20 lead after one, but the Pistons wouldn't go away and took a 52-51 lead into the locker room. Pat Riley made the necessary adjustments though, as the Lakers outscored Detroit 30-19 in the third quarter. The Pistons would get no closer than eight points down in the final frame as LA sealed the win. Big Game James came to play, leading all scorers with 29 points. Byron Scott added 22, Magic Johnson had 10 points, seven rebounds and 16 assists, and A.C. Green had 10 points and 15 rebounds. Detroit was led by two bench players, Corliss Williamson and Chucky Atkins with 14 points apiece, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups each had 13, and Rasheed Wallace had 12.

1986 Boston Celtics 126, @ 1960 Boston Celtics 109
The '86 Celtics were willing to get into a running game with the '60 Celtics, and proved to be better at it. The teams combined for 205 field goals and hit 95 of them for a good offensive day, but the '86 team was more efficient. Larry Bird was lethal, leading the '86 team with 28 points, six rebounds and 13 assists. Kevin McHale added 21 points, and Robert Parish had 10 points and 15 rebounds. Bill Sharman led the '60 Celtics with 24 points, Tommy Heinsohn added 20, and Bill Russell had a game-high 24 rebounds.

Group G

@ 1967 Philadelphia 76ers 121, 1955 Syracuse Nationals 112

59 fouls led to 90 free throws in this game, but both teams still shot a fair number of field goals. The Sixers were more efficient shooting the ball however, hitting 49.4 percent of their shots en route to their second straight victory. Wilt Chamberlain finally broke through for a big game, notching 27 points, 28 rebounds, six assists and seven blocks. Luke Jackson added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Paul Seymour paced the the Nationals with 27 points of his own, while Dolph Schayes added 26 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

@ 2003 San Antonio Spurs 116, 1964 Boston Celtics 93
The Celtics looked to be running away with this one early, jumping out to a 22-6 lead in the first quarter. The Spurs fought back, however, and outscored by at least 10 points in the final three quarters to come away with a fairly easy win. Tim Duncan was all over the place for the Spurs, leading all scorers with 26 points while adding 15 rebounds, four assists and six blocks. Malik Rose added 13 off the bench, and he outscored every Celtic except Sam Jones, who led Boston with 14. Bill Russell had 11 points and 17 rebounds.

@ 1987 Los Angeles Lakers 115, 2005 San Antonio Spurs 101
The Lakers finally picked up their first win of the tournament and did so against a finalist from 2013. They did so by shooting 53.9 percent from the field and outrebounding the Spurs 52-39. Magic Johnson had 19 points and 10 assists, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also added 19 points plus eight rebounds to lead the way for Los Angeles. Five Spurs scored in double figures in the loss, with Tim Duncan filling up the stat sheet to do so: 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginobili each added 15.

2001 Los Angeles Lakers 115, @ 1957 Boston Celtics 80
The back-to-back wasn't kind of the Celtics, who shot just 32.7 percent from the floor while having no answer for the Lakers' stars. Boston did keep it close in the first half, actually going into intermission with a 43-all tie. LA roared out of the gate in the third quarter though, and Boston had no answer. Shaquille O'Neal was a monster, picking up 36 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and four blocks, while Kobe Bryant added 22 points. Bill Sharman led the Celtics with 25 points, Bob Cousy added 17, while Bill Russell picked up 13 rebounds but just four points.