1. 1996 NBA CHAMPION CHICAGO BULLS V. 16. 2017 LA CLIPPERS
We move to Region 2 - and see the second overall seed, the '96 Bulls.
Bulls: 72-10, 1st in Cen Div., 1st in Off, 1st in Def
d. Heat East First Rnd 3-0
d. Knicks East Semis 4-1
d. Magic East Finals 4-0
d. Sonics, NBA Finals 4-2
#2 overall seed
Coach: Phil Jackson
Starters
C Bill Wennington (32 St Johns) 5.3 PPG 11 PER 2.8 Win Shares
F Toni Kukoc (27) 13.1 20.4 10.1
F Scottie Pippen (30, Cen Arkansas) 19.4 21 12.3
G Ron Harper (32, Miami Oh) 7.4 14.4 6.3
G Michael Jordan (32, UNC) 30.4 29.4 20.4
Rotation Reserves
C Luc Longley (27, New Mexico) 9.1 11.9 3.5
F Dennis Rodman (34, SE Oklahoma St) 5.5 13.6 6.2
F Jud Buechler (27, Arizona) 3.8 14.1 2.3
G Randy Brown (27, N Mexico St) 2.7 11.2 1.5
G Steve Kerr (30, Arizona) 8.4 15.2 8.3
Leaders: Rodman (2nd in Rebounds, 1st Reb/Gm, 1st Reb%)
Jordan (3rd in Steals, 1st in Pts, 1st PPG, 3rd Steals/Gm, 2nd PER, 5th Steal %, 5th Off Rating, 1st Win Shares, 1st Win Shares/48, 1st +/1, 1st in VORP)
Kerr (2nd True Shooting, 1st TO %,
Harper (4th Def +/-)
Kukoc and Pippen are over 20 PER with double digit WS and Jordan's near 30 PER and over 20 WS. Rodman's coming off the bench for this tournament.
Clippers: 51-31, 4th in West Conf, 5th in Off, 12th in Def
lost first round, Jazz 4-3
d. 1966 Sixers
#255 overall seed
Coach: Doc Rivers
Starters
C DeAndre Jordan (28 Texas A&M) 12.7 PPG 21.8 PER 11.8 Win Shares
F Blake Griffin (27 Oklahoma) 21.6 22.6 7.7
F L.Mbah a Moute (30 UCLA) 6.1 10.2 3.1
G Chris Paul (31 Wake Forest) 18.1 26.2 10.6
G JJ Redick (32 Duke) 15 14.8 4.8
Reserve Rotation
C Marreese Speights (29 Florida) 8.7 17.5 4.2
F Brandon Bass (31 LSU) 5.6 19.7 2.2
F W.Johnson (29 Syracuse) 2.7 8.4 .9
G R.Felton (32 UNC) 6.7 10.9 1.9
G A.Rivers (24 Duke) 12 11.4 2.5
Leaders: Jordan (2nd Rebounds, 1st FG%, 3rd Reb/Gm, 1st Eff FG %, 2nd Reb %, 1st % Off %, 2nd True Shooting)
Redick (5th 3pt %)
Paul (4th Assists/Gm, 3rd Steals/Gm, 4th Asst %, 2nd Steal %, 2nd WS/48, 5th +/-)
Jordan/Griffin/CP3 all over 20 PER, Jordan/Paul double digit WS.
Roster Matchup:
C Jordan (Clips)
F Push
F Pippen (Bulls)
G Paul (Clips)
G Jordan (Bulls)
Bench: Bulls
Clips "Big 3" match up as well as could be expected with the Bulls starters; Chicago's bench is much stronger.
Best Case for the Bulls: No one can guard Jordan; he goes for 30+ and Chicago wins going away.
Best Case for the Clips: The Clips are a late 2010s team, it's entirely possible they ride a three ball to a massive upset.
GAME ONE
1ST QTR
9 MIN BULLS 8 CLIPS 4
BULLS Kukoc, Jordan, Kukoc (1) Jordan (3)
CLIPS Mbah a Moute, Mbah a Moute
6 MIN BULLS 16 CLIPS 14
BULLS Kukoc, Harper, Jordan, Jordan
CLIPS Redick, Jordan, Griffin, Redick, Griffin
Both teams getting it going in the last 3 minutes; Jordan's got 9.
3 MIN CLIPS 24 BULLS 19
BULLS Kukoc(3)
CLIPS Jordan, Griffin, Griffin (3) Bass (3)
1ST QTR SCORE CLIPS 31 BULLS 25
BULLS Pippen, Kerr, Jordan
CLIPS Jordan, Rivers, Rivers (3)
Well, look what we have here? The Clips up a half dozen after 1, Blake Griffin's got 9.
2ND QTR
9 MIN CLIPS 38 BULLS 34
BULLS Caffey, Wennington, Kerr (3) Caffey
CLIPS Bass, Rivers (3) Rivers
6 MIN CLIPS 46 BULLS 37
BULLS Pippen (3)
CLIPS Bass, Paul, Griffin, Jordan
Starting to get a little anxious in Chicago; can even an all time great 90s team compete with a pretty good team from two decades later? Will the 3 ball teams just run wild in the tournament? Austin Rivers has 10 points off the Clipper bench.
3 MIN CLIPS 50 BULLS 42
BULLS Harper, Pippen(1) Rodman
CLIPS Paul, Felton
HALFTIME: CLIPS 55 BULLS 50
BULLS Buechler, Pippen, Kukoc, Jordan
CLIPS Bass, Jordan (1) Paul
Clips holding the lead at the half; DeAndre Jordan has 9, Blake's got 11. 13 for MJ. 8 for Pippen.
3RD QTR
9 MIN CLIPS 64 BULLS 52
BULLS Wennington
CLIPS Paul (3) Redick, Bass, Rivers
6 MIN CLIPS 72 BULLS 55
BULLS Jordan (3)
CLIPS Paul (3) Redick (3) Speights
The 2017 Clippes have come to Chicago to face the 72 win 1996 Bulls and they are throttling them. A dozen for Chris Paul. A dozen for Austin Rivers. MJ has 16.
3 MIN CLIPS 81 BULLS 60
BULLS Kukoc, Jordan(3)
CLIPS Rivers (3) Rivers, Griffin, Griffin
3RD QTR SCORE CLIPS 89 BULLS 69
BULLS Longley(3) Brown, Jordan, Jordan
CLIPS Jordan (3) Jordan, Rivers (3)
Austin Rivers has come off the bench for 18 points and the Clips are rolling. Up 20. MJ has 23, it won't be enough in game one.
4TH QTR
9 MIN CLIPS 95 BULLS 76
BULLS Jordan, Wennington, Jordan (3)
CLIPS Jordan, Felton, Griffin,
6 MIN CLIPS 97 BULLS 82
BULLS Kukoc, Pippen, Longley
CLIPS Griffin(1) Griffin
Jordan's got 28, the Bulls trail by 15 with 6 to go.
3 MIN CLIPS 99 BULLS 88
BULLS Rodman(3) Kukoc(3)
CLIPS Paul
2:57: CHI: The Clips turn it over and Kukoc hits another triple, don't look now, but that 21 point lead is down to 8.
2:07: LA: The Clips miss, but got the second chance and then Mbah a Moute hits a huge 3 from the wing, it's 102-91.
2:02: CHI: Pippen goes down quickly and gets fouled, hits one. 102-92
1:39: LA: Both clubs miss, Mbah a Moute gets fouled and hits both, which should end this.
1:12: CHI: Kukoc layup.
:57 LA: Paul makes 2 FT
:52: CHI Pippen drives down and scores.
:49: LA: Paul Pierce comes on for the Clips, gets fouled, hits both.
:40: CHI: Jordan hits a long 3. 108-99
:24: CHI: The Clips miss both foul shots, Jordan comes right back and hits another long 3 to cut it to 6.
:23: LA: Brice Johnson is quickly fouled, hits one.
Kukoc fires off a 3 -- misses. Wennington gets the board and is fouled.
:16: CHI: Wennington hits both. Clips up 5.
:12: LA: Chris Paul is fouled, makes them both. That makes it a 3 score game and that should wrap it up.
:05: CHI: Pippen hits the long 3, it's 111-107
:04: LA: Griffin's fouled, that's Wennington's 6th. He hits both.
FINAL: CLIPS 113 BULLS 107
A furious comeback for the Bulls, they trailed 21 and cut it to 4, but the definition of too little, too late and the Clippers are a game from eliminating the second overall seed.
Jordan - 16 pts, 20 boards - Player of the Game
Paul - 18 pts, 10 assists, 7 boards
Griffin - 21 pts, 8 boards, 6 assists
Rivers - 20 pts
Bass - 11 pts, 6 boards
Jordan - 34 pts, 6 assists
Kukoc - 22 pts, 9 boards, 6 assists
Pippen - 16 pts, 12 boards, 5 assists
GAME TWO
1ST QTR
9 MIN CLIPS 8 BULLS 0
BULLS
CLIPS Paul, Redick, Redick, Paul
6 MIN CLIPS 10 BULLS 4
BULLS Longley, Jordan
CLIPS Griffin
Whoa. Bulls are down a game and have just 4 points in the first 6 minutes. Whoa.
3 MIN CLIPS 15 BULLS 9
BULLS Pippen, Kukoc(3)
CLIPS Paul(3) Rivers
1ST QTR SCORE BULLS 18 CLIPS 17
BULLS Kerr(3) Kerr (3) Kukoc (3)
CLIPS Rivers
80 seconds ago the score was 17-9, the Bulls then rip 3 triples and take their first lead. Kukoc has 9.
2ND QTR
9 MIN CLIPS 24 BULLS 23
BULLS Rodman(1) Rodman Harper
CLIPS Bass, Johnson(3) Bass
6 MIN CLIPS 31 BULLS 27
BULLS Pippen, Jordan
CLIPS Felton, Rivers (3) Rivers
Austin Rivers scored 20 in game one; he had 5 in the last 3 minutes
3 MIN CLIPS 39 BULLS 30
BULLS Pippen, Rodman(1)
CLIPS Griffin, Griffin, Paul, Jordan
HALFTIME: CLIPS 43 BULLS 32
BULLS Harper
CLIPS Bass, Speights
Shocking. The Bulls can't find the basket, they trail by 11 and are now 24 minutes from elimination. Shocking.
3RD QTR
9 MIN CLIPS 45 BULLS 41
BULLS Wennington, Jordan (3) Pippen, Pippen
CLIPS Griffin,
6 MIN CLIPS 49 BULLS 48
BULLS Pippen(3)Wennington, Kukoc
CLIPS Rivers, Jordan
The Bulls battle back, shave ten points off the deficit in the first half of the third quarter. Pippen now has 13.
3 MIN BULLS 52 CLIPS 49
BULLS Kerr (3) Rodman (1)
CLIPS
The Bulls defense locks down, the Clips have just 4 points in 9 minutes in the quarter and the Bulls have their first lead of the game, one of the few leads they've had in the series.
3RD QTR SCORE BULLS 58 CLIPS 54
BULLS Kukoc, Jordan, Pippen
CLIPS Paul (3) Griffin
We're set up for a hot finish; Bulls down a game, up 4. 12 minutes left.
4TH QTR
11:52: LA: Clips inbound, Rivers finds Jordan who dunks it home. 58-56 Bulls
11:40: CHI: Wennington finds Jordan underneath the basket, lays it up and in. 60-56
Speights misses a 3 for the Clips; MJ turns it over the other way.
10:58: LA: CP3 hits a triple from the top and the Bulls lead is down to 1.
Kukoc misses a 3. Longley gets the board for Chicago. Dishes out to Jordan.
10:28: CHI: MJ hits a 3 from the wing. 63-59 Bulls
10:11 LA: Blake Griffin gets a feed from Paul and drives hard to the rack. 63-61
9:54: CHI: Kukoc hits a 14 foot bank, Harper assist. 65-61
Harper strips CP3; finds Jordan - who misses a 3.
DeAndre Jordan gets the board - finds Mbah a Moute, he misses a 3.
MJ rebound. Goes down the floor. Finds Longley, midrange.
9:05: CHI: Longley hits a 14 footer. 67-61
8:51: LA: Blake hits a long 2, Paul assist, and he's fouled. 67-64.
Chicago turns it over; Clips follow with their own.
Both sides miss.
7:24: CHI: Jordan layup, Buecher assist. 69-64
7:09 LA: CP3 finds Bass for the hard dunk. 69-66
6:54: CHI: Jud Buechler hits a 3 from the wing. 72-66
6:19 LA: Rivers misses a 3, DeAndre gets the offensive board, over to Blake, back to Rivers for a driving layup. 72-68
Both sides miss, then there's an offensive foul on Wennington, his 4th.
5:28: LA: Brandon Bass hits a floater from the left block. 72-70 Bulls.
5:14: CHI: Jordan drives, kicks out to Longley for the J. 74-70.
Harper steals a pass, gets to Jordan, who is fouled.
4:45: CHI. MJ hits both. 76-70
4:34: LA: Mo Speights drills a 3 from the wing. 76-73
4:17: CHI: MJ hits from the top of the key 78-73
4:03 LA: DeAndre Jordan hits a baseline J. 78-75
Kukoc misses a 3. DeAndre Jordan gets the board and he'll be fouled on a shot.
3:37: LA: Jordan hits both. 78-77
Pippen misses. DeAndre Jordan board.
3:04: LA: 6 straight for DeAndre Jordan and the Clips take the lead.
2:51: CHI: Pippen takes the ball down the floor, finds Jordan for the long 2. 80-79 Bulls
2:37: LA: CP3 runs the offense, finds Blake for the midrange. 81-80 Clips
MJ misses. Pippen is there - but he misses the tip in - MJ is there to gather the board. But he misses and DeAndre gets it for the Clips. They have the ball and the lead.
At the 2:00 mark, Redick misses a 3.
Harper rebound - but Wennington misses a short J at 1:45. Redick rebound.
Redick misses another 3. Kukoc rebound. 1:33 left.
1:20: CHI: Wennington hits the short J, Pippen assist. Bulls lead. 82-81
Redick misses a short one. Wennington rebound.
:59: CHI: Kukoc banks one home, Harper assist. 84-81
:47 LA: CP3 pushes, dishes off to Blake who rams it home. 84-83 Bulls
Kukoc is fouled on the floor at :33 -- at :15, MJ....misses. DeAndre Jordan rebound.
14 seconds left. Clips call timeout. They trail by a point. CP3 runs the offense. Gets it to DeAndre - DeAndre has a baseline J - contested by Rodman - if it goes - the Clips eliminate the Bulls ---
He misses. Bulls win.
FINAL: BULLS 84 CLIPS 83
A great one in game 2; the Bulls play a defensive lockdown game, stave off elimination and force a deciding game 3.
Jordan - 22 pts, 5 boards, 5 assists. - Player of the Game
Kukoc - 14 pts, 8 boards
Pippen - 15 pts, 5 boards, 5 assists
Rodman - 5 pts, 10 boards
Paul - 15 pts, 13 assists, 6 boards
Jordan - 12 pts, 20 boards
Griffin - 19 pts
Bass - 10 pts
Rivers - 13 pts.
One more for all of it. Clips/Bulls. Winner moves on.
GAME THREE
1ST QTR
9 MIN CLIPS 8 BULLS 2
BULLS Wennington
CLIPS Griffin, Paul, Jordan, Redick
6 MIN CLIPS 17 BULLS 10
BULLS Jordan, Kukoc, Pippen, Pippen
CLIPS Paul(3) Jordan(1) Jordan, Mbah a Moute
Clips come out strong, shaking off that game 2 loss and going up 7 on the Bulls. DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul both with 5.
3 MIN CLIPS 21 BULLS 19
BULLS Pippen, Brown, Kukoc(3) Jordan
CLIPS Redick(3) Paul(1)
1ST QTR SCORE CLIPS 31 BULLS 27
BULLS Rodman, Longley, Jordan (3) Buechler
CLIPS Griffin, Bass, Paul, Griffin, Bass
Clips up 4; they've led the whole way.
2ND QTR
9 MIN CLIPS 37 BULLS 29
BULLS Wennington
CLIPS Bass, Paul, Bass
6 MIN CLIPS 39 BULLS 37
BULLS Kerr, Pippen(3) Buechler(3)
CLIPS Jordan
Tight halfway through the second; 9 for Pippen
3 MIN BULLS 42 CLIPS 41
BULLS Kerr(3) Rodman
CLIPS Paul,
HALFTIME: CLIPS 47 BULLS 46
BULLS Kukoc, Wennington
CLIPS Jordan, Mbah a Moute, Paul
Couldn't be much tighter; only 7 for MJ in the first half; we'll see if he comes out looking to take over in the third.
3RD QTR
9 MIN CLIPS 57 BULLS 53
BULLS Pippen(3) Pippen, Kukoc
CLIPS Paul, Mbah a Moute, Jordan, Paul, Johnson
6 MIN BULLS 64 CLIPS 61
BULLS Jordan, Jordan (3) Kukoc(1) Harper(3) Wennington
CLIPS Rivers, Bass
Jordan and Pippen each score 5 in the first 6 minutes of the quarter and Chicago slides back in front. Such a good series.
3 MIN BULLS 68 CLIPS 63
BULLS Jordan, Jordan
CLIPS Jordan
3RD QTR SCORE BULLS 71 CLIPS 69
BULLS Pippen(3)
CLIPS Griffin, Griffin, Jordan
As we hit the 4th quarter, the big story is fouls, Pippen has 5, Griffin has 4 - could be that whichever avoids fouling out wins this game. Scottie has 17, MJ 16. 12 minutes left. Who advances?
4TH QTR
The Clips open with the ball, Bass misses. Rodman rebound, Kukoc misses.
Both teams miss -
11:01: CHI: Jordan puts back a Pippen miss. 73-69
10:54: LA: CP3 barrels down the floor - kicks to Bass. 73-71
10:44: CHI: Pippen takes the ball down, finds Jordan for the long 2. 75-71
10:32: LA: Paul goes to Bass again, hits a midrange J and the foul. 75-74
10:22 CHI: Jordan takes it down the floor, fouled on the pull up, hits 1. 76-74
10:10: LA: Paul finds Jordan underneath. Fouled. Makes both and it's tied.
Jordan brings it up, zips it to Wennington who misses. Mbah a Moute rebound.
Both teams turn it over.
9:22: LA: Jordan fouled again. Makes both again. Clips go up. 78-76
9:05: CHI: Clear out for Jordan, he's fouled. Makes 1. 78-77
Blake misses. Rodman rebound.
8:43: CHI: Wennington from the paint, Bulls retake the lead. 79-78
8:29: LA: DeAndre Jordan drives hard to the tin. 80-79 Clips
8:18: CHI: Pippen in traffic. 81-80 Bulls
Clips turn it over. Bulls miss. DeAndre Jordan gets fouled the other way; Rodman's 4th.
7:49: LA: Jordan makes 1. Tied.
7:41: CHI: Longley's fouled, Jordan's 4th. Makes both. 83-81
Griffin misses, but DeAndre gets the board. He misses. Pippen board, he takes it down and misses. Longley board - dishes to Kukoc - fouled by DeAndre Jordan and that's his 5th.
6:54: CHI: Kukoc makes both, Bulls by 4, big spot here as Griffin/Jordan/Paul all check out for the Clips.
Speighrs misses, Pippen rebound.
6:26: CHI: Longley rocks home a dunk. 87-81
6:19: LA: Bass is fouled. Makes 1. 87-82 Griffin/Paul back on.
Speights rejects Wennington. Wennington regains control, finds Jordan who is fouled by Griffin and that's 5 on Blake.
5:54: CHI: Jordan makes 1. 88-82
5:46: LA: Austin Rivers hits a corner 3. 88-85
5:38: CHI: Kerr hits 2 FT 90-85
5:30: LA: CP3 pull up J from the foul line. 90-87
5:13: CHI: Jordan drives - kicks to an open Kukoc in the corner. 3 ball. 93-87
Griffin misses. Gets his own board - kicks out to Paul, misses. Rodman board.
Bulls turn it over, Clip breakaway.
4:23: LA: Griffin dunk and the foul. 93-90
MJ checks out.
4:15: CHI: Ron Harper from midrange. 95-90
4:07: LA: Mo Speights from the paint - and the foul - that's 5 on Rodman. 95-93
MJ checks back in.
3:51: CHI: Wennington midrange. 97-93
Speights misses. Rodman rebound.
3:28: CHI: Pippen the runner from the lane. 99-93
3:12: LA: Rivers hits the corner 3. 99-96
Wennington misses. Gets his own board - finds Pippen.
2:42: CHI: Pippen layup. 101-96.
2:34: LA: Rivers again with the 3! 101-99
Jordan misses. DeAndre rebound. Clips can tie this up. Bass misses. MJ rebound.
2:14: CHI: Jordan brings it up - finds Harper midrange 2. 103-99
1:56 LA: Rivers the 2 - he's scored the last 8 for the Clips. 103-101
1:44: CHI: Pippen is fouled. Hits them both. Starters all in now, both sides. 105-101
1:27: LA: Redick is fouled. Hits them both. 105-103.
1:08: CHI: Harper finds Kukoc for the dunk. 107-103. Great game. Great series.
Paul misses a 3. Pippen rebound. Harper misses the other way. Mbah a Moute rebound.
Blake misses. Pippen rebound. 24 seconds left, Bulls up 4 and they have the ball.
:21: CHI: Pippen's fouled. Makes 1. 108-103
Redick misses the 3. Kukoc rebound and that will do it. Jordan gets fouled.
:12: CHI: MJ makes 1. 109-103
Redick misses the 3. Wennington gets the board. Gets fouled - makes both - its done.
FINAL; BULLS 111 CLIPS 103
The Clippers had a 21 point lead through the first 3 quarters of game 1 - the Bulls furious comeback fell just short. The Clippers had the ball, down 1, for the last shot in game 2 - but couldn't close the Bulls out - and today, back and forth for 46:30 minutes, but the Clips don't score in the last 90 seconds and go home. Can a 3 ball team lose to an earlier generation? Yes - but it took the second overall seed to do it.
Pippen - 26 pts, 9 boards, 6 assists - Player of the Game
Jordan - 24 pts, 6 boards, 7 assists
Kukoc - 17 pts, 7 boards, 5 assists
Wennington - 14 pts
Rodman - 4 pts, 18 boards
8. 2019 HOUSTON ROCKETS V. 9. 1962 WEST CONF CHAMP LOS ANGELES LAKERS
The 9th seed in Region 2 was the '49 Lakers, but has already been shown the simulation starts with 1952; so, we looked for the next Lakers Champion not in the tournament - and there isn't one, there's one eliminated in the Play in Round, but from 1951-52 forward, every other Laker champion is still alive. So, then we looked for the first Laker team that lost in the finals (with a minor qualifier) and that led us to the 1962 team. Winner of this one faces the Bulls in the next round.
Rockets: 53-29, SW Div Champs, 2nd in Offense, 17th in Defense
d. Jazz West First Rnd
Lost Warriors West Semis 4-2
#127 overall seed
Coach - Mike D'Antoni
Starters
C Clint Capela (24) 16.6 PPG 23.8 PER 10.8 WShares
F PJ Tucker (33, Texas) 7.2 9.2 5
F Danuel House (25, Texas A&M) 9.4 12.2 2.3
G Chris Paul (33, Wake Forest) 15.6 19.7 6.6
G James Harden (29, Arizona St) 36.1 30.6 15.2
Rotation Reserves
C Kenneth Faried (29, Morehead St) 12.9 21.8 2.5
F Nene Hilario (36) 3.6 11.9 1.4
F James Ennis (28, Cal St Long Beach) 7.4 11.3 2.2
G Austin Rivers (26, Duke) 8.7 8.2 1.4
G Eric Gordon (30, Indiana) 16.2 12.2 2.6
Leaders: Harden (1st in 3s, 5th in Assists, 2nd in Steals, 1st in Pts, 1st in PPG, 2nd Steals/Gm, 2nd PER, 4th Asst %, 5th Steal %, 1st Win Shares, 3rd Win Shares/48, 1st +/-, 1st VORP)
Capela (2nd FG%, 5th Reb/Gm, 5th True Shooting, 3rd Eff FG%, 5th Off Reb %, 5th WS/48)
Paul (3rd Assists/Gm, 3rd Steals/Gm, 2nd Steal%,)
James Harden takes his 36 PPG, 30 PER, 15 Win Shares into the tournament. Clint Capela's got a 20 PER and 10 Win Shares. We just saw CP3 and Austin Rivers with the '17 Clips, here they are with the '19 Rockets.
Lakers: 54-26, 1st West Div 3rd in Off, 4th in Def
d. Pistons 4-2 West Finals
Lost NBA Finals Celtics 4-3
#130 overall seed
Coach: Fred Schaus
Starters
C Jim Krebs (26, SMU) 10 PPG 12.3 PER 4.2 Win Shares
F Rudy LaRusso (24, Dartmouth) 17.2 16.6 8.8
F Elgin Baylor (27, Seattle) 38.3 26.5 7.9
G Jerry West (23, West Virginia) 30.8 22.6 12.9
G Frank Selvy (29, Furman) 14.7 13.1 5.5
Rotation Reserves
C Ray Felix (31, Long Island) 5.4 9.1 2.3
F Howie Joliff (23, Ohio) 3.9 9 1.2
F Tom Hawkins (25, Notre Dame) 9.1 10.5 2.1
G Bob McNeil (23, St Joes) 1.8 7.8 .1
G Hot Rod Hundley (27, West Virginia) 5.5 9.5 .1
Leaders: West (5th Points, 3rd Triple Doubles, 4th PPG, 5th Win Shares, 5th WS/48)
Baylor (4th Triple Doubles, 2nd PER)
West and Baylor lead the Lakers; both averaging over 30 PPG, both with PERs over 20, West has double digit WS; Baylor played fewer than 50 games.
Lineup Matchup:
C Capela (Rockets)
F LaRusso (Lakers)
F Baylor (Lakers)
G West (Lakers)
G Harden (Rockets)
Bench: Rockets
It's Harden against West/Baylor; Houston's got home court and that 3 Ball advantage.
GAME ONE
1ST
9 MIN ROCKETS 9 LAKERS 6
ROCKETS House(3) Harden(3) Paul(3)
LAKERS LaRusso, West, Baylor
6 MIN ROCKETS 18 LAKERS 14
ROCKETS Paul, Harden, House, House, Paul(1)
LAKERS Baylor, Baylor, Selvy, Baylor
Rockets first 3 buckets are 3s just to set the tone for the series. Elgin Baylor has 8 for LA.
3 MIN ROCKETS 26 LAKERS 22
ROCKETS House, Paul(3) Harden(3)
LAKERS Selvy, LaRusso, West, LaRusso
1ST QTR SCORE: ROCKETS 38 LAKERS 25
ROCKETS Capela, Nene(3) Gordon, Tucker(3) Tucker
LAKERS Hawkins, Hawkins(1)
Just too many 3s; Rockets spreading it around, but up 13.
2ND
9 MIN ROCKETS 38 LAKERS 32
ROCKETS
LAKERS McNeill, Jolliff, Baylor(1) West
6 MIN ROCKETS 41 LAKERS 35
ROCKETS Harden (3)
LAKERS West(1) Krebs
Rough stretch for the Rockets; they score 3 pts in the first 6 of the 2nd quarter and LA is back in it.
3 MIN ROCKETS 49 LAKERS 40
ROCKETS Faried (1) Capela, Faried, Harden(3)
LAKERS Jolliff, Selvy(1) LaRusso
HALFTIME SCORE: ROCKETS 56 LAKERS 43
ROCKETS Harden(3) Nene(3) Harden(1)
LAKERS Baylor(1) LaRusso
The Lakers cannot keep up with the 3 ball; eventually, the numbers just get to them. Harden's got 18. That single game high is still 38.
3RD
9 MIN ROCKETS 62 LAKERS 51
ROCKETS Ennis, Harden, Ennis
LAKERS Baylor, Jolliff, Baylor, Baylor,
6 MIN ROCKETS 70 LAKERS 58
ROCKETS Faried, Capela(1) Capela House(3)
LAKERS Felix, Larusso, LaRusso, LaRusso(1)
20 for Harden; Rockets up a dozen.
3 MIN ROCKETS 79 LAKERS 64
ROCKETS Nene, Harden, Gordon(3) Capela
LAKERS West, Baylor, Hundley
3RD QTR SCORE: ROCKETS 86 LAKERS 77
ROCKETS Faried(1) Capela Harden, Capela
LAKERS West, West, Selvy, Hawkins, Larusso(3) West (buzzer)
At 2:47 the Rockets were up 16, the Lakers cut that to 9. Harden has 24.
4TH
9 MIN ROCKETS 96 LAKERS 85
ROCKETS House(3) Faried, Faried, House(3)
LAKERS Baylor, Baylor, Larusso, Selvy
6 MIN ROCKETS 106 LAKERS 92
ROCKETS Capela, Capela, Paul(3), House(1) Harden
LAKERS Krebs(3) Krebs, Larusso,
Danuel House has 7 in the first 6 minutes of the quarter; Rockets are going to take game 1.
3 MIN ROCKETS 112 LAKERS 98
ROCKETS Nene, Nene, Paul
LAKERS Selvy, Selvy, Yates
FINAL SCORE: ROCKETS 118 LAKERS 108
ROCKETS Harden, Harden(1) Harden(1) Harden
LAKERS McNeill(3) West(3) West, West
When a 3 ball team meets a 2 ball team, eventually the math just gets you. The Lakers made 4 threes in this one and the Rockets made 14. One could say it's a weakness in the simulation - or one could say the 3 ball teams are just better and the simulation reflects that.
Harden - 32 pts, 7 boards, 6 assists - Player of the Game
Capela - 17 pts, 17 boards
Paul - 14 pts, 9 assists
House - 19 pts
Faried - 10 pts, 9 boards
Nene - 12 pts, 5 boards
Baylor - 22 pts, 17 boards, 5 assists
Larusso-22 pts, 10 boards
West - 22 pts, 5 boards
Selvy - 13 pts, 5 assists
GAME TWO
1ST
9 MIN ROCKETS 12 LAKERS 8
ROCKETS House, Capela, House(3) Paul(3) Capela
LAKERS West, LaRusso, West(1) Selvy(3)
6 MIN ROCKETS 20 LAKERS 13
ROCKETS Harden(3) Paul(3) Paul
LAKERS LaRusso, LaRusso, Selvy(1)
8 points for CP3; the '62 Lakers just aren't ready for a 3 ball 2019 Rockets squad.
3 MIN ROCKETS 30 LAKERS 23
ROCKETS Paul, Harden(3) Nene, Harden(3)
LAKERS Selvy, Baylor, Krebs, Baylor, Selvy
1ST QTR SCORE: ROCKETS 36 LAKERS 29
ROCKETS Faried, Harden, Nene
LAKERS West(1) Hawkins, West(3)
Houston gets buckets. 10 for Harden.
2ND
9 MIN ROCKETS 42 LAKERS 35
ROCKETS Faried, Gordon
LAKERS Baylor, Baylor, McNeill
6 MIN ROCKETS 59 LAKERS 41
ROCKETS Green(3) House, House(3) Capela, Nene, Capela, Ennis(3)
LAKERS Felix (1) West, Larusso(1) Larusso
This series is done; House has 10.
3 MIN ROCKETS 65 LAKERS 55
ROCKETS Capela, Capela, Paul
LAKERS Selvy, Larusso, West, Baylor, Baylor, Krebs, LaRusso
HALFTIME SCORE: ROCKETS 80 LAKERS 64
ROCKETS Harden(3) Tucker, Capela, Harden(3) Harden(3) Capela(buzzer)
LAKERS Hawkins, Selvy(3) Larusso, West
Highest scoring half of the tournament; the Rockets just eating buckets. 19 for Harden, a dozen for Capela
3RD
9 MIN ROCKETS 86 LAKERS 68
ROCKETS Harden, Tucker, Harden
LAKERS Baylor, Larusso
6 MIN ROCKETS 96 LAKERS 76
ROCKETS Paul, Nene(3) Capela, Tucker(3)
LAKERS Krebs, Selvy, Larusso, Krebs
Houston rolling on to the next round; Paul will get another shot at those '96 Bulls. 23 for Harden.
3 MIN ROCKETS 102 LAKERS 88
ROCKETS Capela, Tucker(1) Capela(3)
LAKERS Larusso, Felix, Baylor, Larusso, Baylor, West
3RD QTR SCORE: ROCKETS 112 LAKERS 92
ROCKETS Capela(3) House(3) Harden, Harden
LAKERS Baylor, Baylor
Rockets up 20 headed to the 4th; 27 for Harden, tournament high remains 38 from Durant/Curry.
4TH
9 MIN ROCKETS 126 LAKERS 100
ROCKETS Faried, Ennis(3) Harden(3) Paul(3) Harden(3)
LAKERS Larusso, West, Krebs, Krebs
6 MIN ROCKETS 128 LAKERS 104
ROCKETS Harden
LAKERS West, Larusso
32 for Harden; Rockets 6 minutes from advancing.
3 MIN ROCKETS 134 LAKERS 108
ROCKETS Capela, Paul, Faried,
LAKERS Selvy, West, Jolliff
FINAL SCORE: ROCKETS 143 LAKERS 112
ROCKETS Edwards(3) Chiozza(1) Chiozza(1) Hartenstein, Jones
LAKERS Hundley
The Lakers made two 3 pointers, the Rockets made 16. Here we are.
Harden - 36 pts, 11 assists, 7 boards - Player of the Game
Capela - 28 pts, 16 boards
Paul - 19 pts, 7 assists, 5 boards
House - 13 pts
Faried - 10 pts, 9 boards
ALL REGION 2 TEAM:
C: Capela ('19 Rockets)
F: Pippen ('96 Bulls)
F: Baylor ('62 Lakers)
G Harden ('19 Rockets)
G Jordan ('96 Bulls)
