1988 NBA Finals

1988 basketball championship series February 2024 1988NBAFinals.png NBA 1988 Detroit Pistons Chuck Daly 3 Los Angeles Lakers Pat Riley 4 June 7–21 James Worthy(Los Angeles Lakers) Pistons:Adrian Dantley (2008)Joe Dumars (2006)Dennis Rodman (2011)Isiah Thomas (2000)Lakers:Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1995)Michael Cooper (2024)Magic Johnson (2002)James Worthy (2003)Coaches:Chuck Daly (1994)Pat Riley (2008)Officials:Hugh Evans (2022)Darell Garretson (2016)Earl Strom (1995) Pistons defeated Celtics, 4–2 Lakers defeated Mavericks, 4–3 The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1987–88 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The defending NBA champion and Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Pistons in seven games to win their eleventh title. This was the last championship for the Lakers until 2000. One of Lakers head coach Pat Riley's most famous moments came when he promised the crowd a repeat championship during the Lakers' 1987 championship parade in downtown Los Angeles. With every team in the league now gunning for them, the Lakers still found a way to win, taking their seventh consecutive Pacific Division title. While the 1988 Lakers did not produce as many wins in the regular season as the 1987 Lakers, they were just as successful in the playoffs, becoming the first team since the Boston Celtics in 1969 to repeat as champions. One of Pistons guard Isiah Thomas's career-defining performances came in Game 6. Despite badly twisting his ankle midway through the period, Thomas scored an NBA Finals record 25 third-quarter points, but Detroit fell valiantly, 103–102, after a controversial foul on Bill Laimbeer in the final seconds of the game.Lacy Eric 2014-04-01 Q&A: Former Detroit Pistons owner's son reflects on 'Bad Boys,' sheds light on NBA team's future https://www.mlive.com/entertainment/detroit/2014/04/former_detroit_pistons_owners.html 2026-06-21 mlive.com en Thomas still managed to score 10 first-half points in Game 7, as Detroit built a 5-point lead. In the 3rd quarter, the Lakers, inspired by Finals MVP James Worthy and Byron Scott (14 3rd-quarter points), exploded as they built a 10-point lead entering the final period. The lead swelled to 15 before Detroit mounted a furious 4th-quarter rally, trimming the lead to two points on several occasions. The Lakers ultimately prevailed and captured their fifth championship in the last nine seasons and eleventh overall. This was the first NBA Finals since 1983 not to feature the Boston Celtics. It would also be the last to feature teams scoring 100 points or more in Game 7 until the Oklahoma City Thunder did so in 2025.@LawMurrayTheNU Law Murray June 22, 2025 The Oklahoma City Thunder are the first team to score at least 100 points in a NBA Finals Game 7 since 1988. https://x.com/LawMurrayTheNU/status/1936978983037665531 X, formerly known as Twitter Background Lakers-Pistons rivalry thumb|left|200px|A ticket for Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals at The Forum. Los Angeles Lakers 1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers season During the 1987 championship parade in Los Angeles, Lakers coach Pat Riley guaranteed a repeat championship, a feat that had not been achieved since the Boston Celtics won the 1969 NBA Finals.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTocQ9obx3o Pat Riley we're gonna win it again 2011-09-08 escooo23 2026-06-21 YouTube Motivated by their coach's boast, the Lakers once again earned the league's best record in the 1987–88 season (62–20), despite winning three games less than the previous year.Rhoden William C. Times Special To the New York 1988-06-23 N.B.A. Playoffs; After the Victory, Los Angeles Loses Its Usual Cool https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/23/sports/nba-playoffs-after-the-victory-los-angeles-loses-its-usual-cool.html 2026-06-21 The New York Times 0362-4331 They also had a 15-game winning streak from December 11, 1987, until the Lakers were beaten by the LA Clippers (109–110) on January 13, 1988. They also had another double-digit winning streak (10-game winning streak) from February 11 until February 28.1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1988_games.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com The playoffs proved to be a difficult climb for the Lakers, however. They swept the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. They came back from a 2–1 deficit against the Utah Jazz in the semifinals round before beating them in Game 7.1988 NBA Western Conference Semifinals - Jazz vs. Lakers https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1988-nba-western-conference-semifinals-jazz-vs-lakers.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com They then defeated the Dallas Mavericks in 7 games in the Conference finals round.1988 NBA Western Conference Finals - Mavericks vs. Lakers https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1988-nba-western-conference-finals-mavericks-vs-lakers.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com The Lakers eventually prevailed in both series thanks to their championship experience.Archives L. A. Times 1988-06-22 Lakers Repeat as Champions in Tight Game https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-22-mn-4645-story.html 2026-06-21 Los Angeles Times Detroit Pistons 1987–88 Detroit Pistons season The Pistons of head coach Chuck Daly were an up-and-coming team that gradually moved up the Eastern Conference ranks. Known as the "Bad Boys" for their physical and defensive-minded style of play, the Pistons' core featured guards Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, forwards Adrian Dantley and Rick Mahorn, center Bill Laimbeer, and bench players Vinnie Johnson, Dennis Rodman and John Salley. Midway through the season, Detroit gained a valuable backup to Laimbeer and Mahorn when they acquired James Edwards.Youngmisuk Ohm March 20, 2019 Bad Boys for Life https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26317520/bad-boys-life 2026-06-21 espn.com The 1987–88 season marked a further ascension for the franchise, as Detroit won the Central Division title with a 54–28 record. The second-seeded Pistons beat the Washington Bullets and the Chicago Bulls in five games each, before facing the Boston Celtics once again in the conference finals. This time, the Pistons were the better team, eliminating the Celtics in six games for their first NBA Finals appearance since 1956 and the franchise's first since moving to Detroit.@NBACobwebs NBA Cobwebs June 3, 2026 June 3, 1988: The Pistons advance to the NBA Finals with a 95-90 win over Boston in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. https://x.com/NBACobwebs/status/2062270530666054098 X, formerly known as Twitter Road to the Finals 1988 NBA playoffs Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference champion) Detroit Pistons (Eastern Conference champion)LAL1st seed in the West, best league recordRegular seasonDET2nd seed in the East, 4th best league recordDefeated the (8) San Antonio Spurs, 3–0First roundDefeated the (7) Washington Bullets, 3–2Defeated the (5) Utah Jazz, 4–3Conference semifinalsDefeated the (3) Chicago Bulls, 4–1Defeated the (3) Dallas Mavericks, 4–3Conference finalsDefeated the (1) Boston Celtics, 4–2 Regular season series The Los Angeles Lakers won both games in the regular season series: #fff January 8, 1988 Los Angeles Lakers |score1=106 Detroit Pistons 104 Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan February 21, 1988 Detroit Pistons 110 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=117 The Forum, Inglewood, California Series summary Game Date Road team Result Home team Game 1 June 7 Detroit Pistons 105–93 (1–0) Los Angeles Lakers Game 2 June 9 Detroit Pistons 96–108 (1–1) Los Angeles Lakers Game 3 June 12 Los Angeles Lakers 99–86 (2–1) Detroit Pistons Game 4 June 14 Los Angeles Lakers 86–111 (2–2) Detroit Pistons Game 5 June 16 Los Angeles Lakers 94–104 (2–3) Detroit Pistons Game 6 June 19 Detroit Pistons 102–103 (3–3) Los Angeles Lakers Game 7 June 21 Detroit Pistons 105–108 (3–4) Los Angeles Lakers Game 1 #eee June 7 9:00 pm EDT The Forum, Inglewood, California CBS Detroit Pistons |score1=105 Los Angeles Lakers 93 22–21 35–19 23–28 25–25 Adrian Dantley 34 Magic Johnson 28 Bill Laimbeer 7 A.C. Green 12 Isiah Thomas 12 Magic Johnson 10 17,505 No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 17 Joe Crawford Detroit leads the series, 1–0 The Pistons had just dispatched the Celtics in six games, while the Lakers were coming off back-to-back seven-game wins over the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers were tired, and it showed. Adrian Dantley scored 34 points, hitting 14 of 16 shots from the field. The Pistons took control of the game with four seconds left in the first half when Bill Laimbeer hit a three-point shot to put the Pistons up 54–40. Isiah Thomas then stole Kareem's inbound pass at half court and let fly with another three-pointer which hit nothing but net at the halftime buzzer. The Pistons had a 57–40 halftime lead and never looked back, stealing Game 1 with a 105–93 win.1988 NBA Finals Game 1: Pistons vs Lakers, June 7, 1988 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198806070LAL.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com Game 2 #eee June 9 9:00 pm EDT The Forum, Inglewood, California CBS Detroit Pistons 96 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=108 20–25 19–24 30–27 27–32 Adrian Dantley 19 James Worthy 26 Laimbeer, Mahorn 9 each A.C. Green 13 Dumars, Thomas 7 each Magic Johnson 11 17,505 No. 4 Ed T. Rush No. 20 Jess Kersey Series tied, 1–1 Facing the possibility of going down 2–0 with three games to play in Detroit, the veteran Lakers found resolve with a 108–96 win. James Worthy led the Lakers with 26 points, Byron Scott had 24, and Magic Johnson 23 despite battling the flu.1988 NBA Finals Game 2: Pistons vs Lakers, June 9, 1988 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198806090LAL.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com Game 3 #eee June 12 3:30 pm EDT Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan CBS Los Angeles Lakers |score1=99 Detroit Pistons 86 23–21 24–25 31–18 21–22 James Worthy 24 Isiah Thomas 28 James Worthy 9 Dennis Rodman 12 Magic Johnson 14 Isiah Thomas 9 39,188 No. 12 Earl Strom No. 25 Hugh Evans Los Angeles leads the series, 2–1 With Magic still battling the flu, the Lakers got a key win in Detroit, 99–86, to go up 2–1 in games. The Lakers took control of the game in the third period, outscoring the Pistons 31–18. Despite his illness, Magic had 18 points, 14 assists, and six rebounds.1988 NBA Finals Game 3: Lakers vs Pistons, June 12, 1988 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198806120DET.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com Game 4 #eee June 14 9:00 pm EDT Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan CBS Los Angeles Lakers 86 Detroit Pistons |score2=111 29–32 22–26 14–25 21–28 Magic Johnson 23 Adrian Dantley 27 A.C. Green 10 Isiah Thomas 9 Magic Johnson 6 Isiah Thomas 12 34,276 No. 11 Jake O'Donnell No. 14 Jack Madden Series tied, 2–2 In front of their home fans, the Pistons tied the series at 2–2 with a 111–86 win. The Pistons decided to attack the basket and make Magic Johnson defend. Johnson wound up on the bench early in the second half with foul trouble. With Magic out of the game, the Pistons built a substantial lead. During timeouts, Bill Laimbeer was almost frantic. He kept saying, "No letup! We don't let up!" They didn't, and blew out the defending NBA champions by 25 points. Left open by the trapping Lakers defense, Dantley led the team with 27 points. Vinnie Johnson came off the bench to add 16 while James Edwards had 14 points and five rebounds off the bench.1988 NBA Finals Game 4: Lakers vs Pistons, June 14, 1988 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198806140DET.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com Game 5 #eee June 16 9:00 pm EDT Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan CBS Los Angeles Lakers 94 Detroit Pistons |score2=104 30–27 20–32 25–22 19–23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 26 Adrian Dantley 25 Abdul-Jabbar, Green, Johnson 6 each Bill Laimbeer 11 Magic Johnson 17 Isiah Thomas 8 41,372 No. 10 Darell Garretson No. 17 Joe Crawford Detroit lead the series, 3–2 The Pistons' 104–94 victory was a perfect farewell to the Pontiac Silverdome. Bill Laimbeer told Joe Dumars with a minute left in the game to "look around and enjoy this because you'll never see anything like it again". He went on to say, "Forty-one thousand people waving towels and standing. It was awesome." The Lakers opened Game 5 with a fury of physical intimidation, scoring the game's first 12 points. But that approach soon backfired, as the Laker big men got into foul trouble. Dantley played a major role in the turnaround, scoring 25 points, 19 of them in the first half, to rally the Pistons to a 59–50 halftime lead. Vinnie Johnson added 12 of his 16 points in the first half to keep Detroit moving. Joe Dumars added 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting to send the Pistons back to Los Angeles, one win away from their first NBA title. Games 3, 4, and 5 were the last NBA Finals games to be contested in a domed stadium built primarily for football until the 1999 NBA Finals in which Games 1 and 2 were played at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The Pistons left the Pontiac Silverdome after the 1987–88 season and moved into The Palace of Auburn Hills for the 1988-89 NBA season.1988 NBA Finals Game 5: Lakers vs Pistons, June 16, 1988 https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198806160DET.html 2026-06-21 Basketball-Reference.com en Game 6 #eee June 19 3:30 pm EDT The Forum, Inglewood, California CBS Detroit Pistons 102 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=103 26–20 20–33 35–26 21–24 Isiah Thomas 43 James Worthy 28 Bill Laimbeer 9 A.C. Green 10 Joe Dumars 10 Magic Johnson 19 17,505 No. 25 Hugh Evans No. 4 Ed T. Rush Series tied, 3–3 The Lakers led 56–48 in the third quarter when Isiah Thomas suddenly began a classic performance. He scored his team's next 14 points, hitting two free throws, a driving layup, four jump shots, and a running bank shot. With a little less than 5 minutes left in the period and the score 70–64, Lakers, Thomas rolled his right ankle while passing off to Joe Dumars for a basket. Thomas tried to run upcourt, but collapsed while the Lakers scored again. Despite a severe sprain, Thomas returned to the game with 3:44 left and the Lakers up 74–66. Thomas, with his bad ankle, scored 11 of the Pistons' last 15 points of the quarter to finish with 25, an NBA Finals record for one quarter, on 11-of-13 shooting. During this time, the Pistons outscored the Lakers 15–5 to take an 81–79 lead. The fourth quarter was nip-and-tuck; with 1:30 left, Thomas, sore ankle and all, hit a baseline jumper for his 42nd and 43rd points to give the Pistons a 100–99 lead. The Lakers came down and Magic Johnson got the ball inside to James Worthy, but his layup attempt was blocked by Dennis Rodman. Joe Dumars penetrated inside on the ensuing possession, was fouled, and hit the two free throws for a three-point lead at 102–99 with a minute left. The Lakers called timeout, and on the next possession, Byron Scott drove by Thomas from the top of the key and hit a 14-footer from the right elbow to cut the lead to one with 45 seconds left. Thomas then missed another baseline jumper and Worthy rebounded with 27 seconds remaining. The Lakers then set up and Scott got it to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who drew a foul on Bill Laimbeer (his sixth) as he wheeled for a skyhook on the right baseline with 14 seconds left. Replay showed Laimbeer jumping toward Abdul-Jabbar and bumping his left shoulder during the shot.Laimbeer's Foul on Kareem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R76Uack9TmQ&t=28s 5 June 2026 24 August 2016 This foul has remained controversial to the Pistons and their fans, who claim that Laimbeer never made contact with Jabbar on his shot attempt, often referred to as a "phantom foul".https://www.nba.com/top-nba-finals-moments-isiah-thomas-game-6-ankle-1988-finals Top NBA Finals moments: Isiah Thomas scores 25 in quarter on injured ankle NBA.com Alter Marlowe Isiah Thomas produced historic game. Then Detroit Pistons were robbed of first NBA title https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2020/06/19/detroit-pistons-bad-boys-isiah-thomas-1988-nba-finals/3226382001/ 2025-09-16 Detroit Free Press en-US Abdul–Jabbar then proceeded to sink two high-pressure free throws providing the Lakers with a one-point lead. After a time out, the Pistons set up for a final shot. Thomas collided with Dantley after inbounding the ball, but Dumars penetrated in the paint and put up a shot that missed after he was forced to by A.C. Green to alter it. After a scramble, Scott came up with the ball for the Lakers and was shoved out of bounds by Rodman, inciting a near-fight, with 5 seconds left on the clock. Scott missed both free throw attempts, but the Pistons, who had no timeouts remaining, lost precious seconds trying to secure the loose rebound and could not get a shot off before time expired. Thomas had 43 points and eight assists despite his ankle injury.Detroit Pistons vs Los Angeles Lakers Jun 19, 1988 Game Summary https://www.nba.com/game/det-vs-lal-0048700079 2025-09-16 NBA en To date, Thomas’ 25 points in the third quarter is still the record for most points in a quarter of the NBA Finals.Top Moments: Isiah Thomas heroically hobbles to record 25-point quarter in Finals NBA.com https://www.nba.com/news/history-top-moments-isiah-thomas-25-points 2025-12-07 NBA en Game 7 #eee June 21 9:00 pm EDT The Forum, Inglewood, California CBS Detroit Pistons 105 Los Angeles Lakers |score2=108 23–21 29–26 21–36 32–25 Joe Dumars 25 James Worthy 36 John Salley 10 James Worthy 16 Isiah Thomas 7 Johnson 14 17,505 No. 12 Earl Strom No. 11 Jake O'Donnell Los Angeles wins the series, 4–3 This was the first Game 7 since 1984, and the first to be played under the 2–3–2 format, adopted in 1985. It also was the very last playoff game manned by two officials, as the league added one more next season. In the final game, Thomas' ankle was still sore, as evidenced by his limping badly in warm-ups. He did manage to play the first half, scoring 10 points and leading the Pistons to a 52–47 halftime lead, but the delay between halves caused the ankle to stiffen and Thomas played little in the second half. With Isiah on the bench, the Lakers turned the halftime deficit into a 90–75 lead early in the 4th quarter. A key factor was Laker guard Michael Cooper; he had been mired in a terrible shooting slump all series, but suddenly caught fire, hitting three 3-point baskets. Chuck Daly then went to a faster lineup with Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Joe Dumars, and Vinnie Johnson that created matchup problems for the Lakers and enabled the Pistons to score at a torrid pace. With 3:54 left, Salley canned two free throws to cut the Laker lead to 98–92, making the Forum fans nervous. With 1:17 left, Dumars hit a jump shot to cut the lead to 102–100. Magic Johnson then hit a free throw after a Rodman foul to put the Lakers up by three. After the two teams exchanged turnovers, Rodman took an ill-advised jumper with 40 seconds left. Byron Scott rebounded and was fouled. His two free throws pushed the lead to 105–100. After another Pistons' turnover, Michael Cooper had a chance to essentially clinch the victory after being fouled, but he missed both free throws, and the Lakers' lead remained at five. After Dumars made a layup, James Worthy hit a free throw and Bill Laimbeer canned a 28-foot three-pointer, pushing the score to 106–105 with six seconds showing. A.C. Green completed the scoring with a layup off a length-of-the court pass from Magic, making it 108–105. Laimbeer made a long desperate pass to Thomas who caught the ball trying to shoot a three to send the game to overtime, but Thomas fell to the floor in a collision with Johnson, losing the ball as time ran out. Fans were already beginning to storm onto the floor even though time had not expired, but the officials ignored this. Pat Riley and the Laker players hurried back to their dressing room as the players and coaches on both teams were pummeled by the storming fans. Worthy racked up a triple-double: 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. It would prove to be the only triple-double in Worthy's Hall of Fame career.https://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs/2010/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=BestFinalsGame-Individual-3 Hollinger: Best single-game performances: No. 3 June 11, 2010 For that and his earlier efforts in the series, he was named the Finals MVP, cementing his nickname "Big Game James".1988 Finals Game 7: James Worthy's Performance Gives Los Angeles Back-To-Back Titles https://www.nba.com/watch/video/1988-finals-game-7-lakers-vs-pistons 2026-06-21 NBA.com en Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the only members of all 5 Lakers championship teams from the 1980s. Pat Riley is the only coach that was on all 5 Lakers championship teams from the 1980s, he was an assistant coach on the 1980 championship team, and head coach on the other four championship teams. This was the Lakers' first Game 7 Finals victory since 1954; however, it was their first ever Game 7 win in the Finals since moving to Los Angeles in 1960; they were 0–5 in previous Game 7's since moving (1962, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1984). This would end up being the Lakers' last home win in the Finals until 2000. Team rosters Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers 1987–88 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar C 7 2 225 1947–04–16 UCLA 19 Tony Campbell SF/SG 6 7 215 1962–05–17 Ohio State 21 Michael Cooper SF/SG 6 5 170 1956–04–15 New Mexico 45 A. C. Green PF 6 9 220 1963–10–04 Oregon State 32 Magic Johnson PG 6 9 215 1959–08–14 Michigan State 3 Jeff Lamp SF/SG 6 6 195 1959–03–09 Virginia 1 Wes Matthews PG 6 1 170 1959–08–24 Wisconsin 31 Kurt Rambis PF 6 8 213 1958–02–25 Santa Clara 4 Byron Scott basketball SG 6 3 195 1961–03–28 Arizona State 52 Mike Smrek C 7 0 250 1962–08–31 Canisius 55 Billy Thompson basketball SF 6 7 195 1963–12–01 Louisville 43 Mychal Thompson C 6 10 226 1955–01–30 Minnesota 20 Milt Wagner SG 6 5 185 1963–02–20 Louisville 42 James Worthy SF 6 9 225 1961–02–27 North Carolina Pat Riley Bill Bertka Randy Pfund Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons 1987–88 00 William Bedford basketball C 7 0 225 1963–12–14 Memphis 45 Adrian Dantley SF 6 5 208 1955–02–28 Notre Dame 50 Darryl Dawkins C 6 11 251 1957–01–11 Maynard Evans (HS) 4 Joe Dumars SG 6 3 190 1963–05–24 McNeese State 53 James Edwards basketball F/C 7 0 225 1955–11–22 Washington 15 Vinnie Johnson PG 6 2 200 1956–09–01 Baylor 40 Bill Laimbeer C 6 11 245 1957–05–19 Notre Dame 35 Ralph Lewis basketball SG 6 6 200 1963–03–08 La Salle 44 Rick Mahorn F/C 6 10 240 1958–09–21 Hampton 54 Ron Moore basketball C 7 0 260 1962–06–16 West Virginia State 42 Chuck Nevitt C 7 5 217 1959–06–13 NC State 10 Dennis Rodman SF 6 8 210 1961–05–13 Southeastern Oklahoma State 23 Walker Russell SG 6 5 195 1960–10–26 Western Michigan 22 John Salley PF 6 11 230 1964–05–16 Georgia Tech 11 Isiah Thomas PG 6 1 180 1961–04–30 Indiana Chuck Daly Brendan Malone Brendan Suhr Player statistics Los Angeles Lakers Los Angeles Lakers |- | align="left" | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar || 7 || 7 || 29.6 || .414 || .000 || .714 || 4.1 || 1.0 || 0.6 || 1.1 || 13.1 |- | align="left" | Tony Campbell || 2 || 0 || 7.0 || .667 || .000 || 1.000 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 4.0 |- | align="left" | Michael Cooper || 7 || 0 || 25.1 || .205 || .150 || .625 || 1.6 || 2.1 || 0.9 || 0.3 || 3.7 |- | align="left" | A.C. Green || 7 || 7 || 34.6 || .558 || .000 || .733 || 8.7 || 0.6 || 0.4 || 0.0 || 10.0 |- | align="left" | Magic Johnson || 7 || 7 || 41.4 || .550 || .333 || .866 || 5.7 || 13.0 || 2.0 || 0.1 || 21.1 |- | align="left" | Wes Matthews || 4 || 0 || 2.3 || .333 || .000 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 1.5 |- | align="left" | Kurt Rambis || 5 || 0 || 6.6 || .667 || .000 || .400 || 1.6 || 0.0 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 1.2 |- | align="left" | Byron Scott || 7 || 7 || 40.1 || .476 || .455 || .771 || 4.9 || 2.0 || 1.0 || 0.4 || 18.9 |- | align="left" | Mike Smrek || 2 || 0 || 3.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 |- | align="left" | Mychal Thompson || 7 || 0 || 21.6 || .500 || .000 || .412 || 3.6 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 0.4 || 7.0 |- | align="left" | Milt Wagner || 2 || 0 || 2.5 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 0.0 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 |-! style="background:#FDE910;" | align="left" | James Worthy || 7 || 7 || 38.0 || .492 || .000 || .735 || 7.4 || 4.4 || 0.7 || 0.6 || 22.0 Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons |- | align="left" | Adrian Dantley || 7 || 7 || 36.4 || .573 || .000 || .859 || 5.0 || 2.3 || 0.6 || 0.1 || 21.3 |- | align="left" | Joe Dumars || 7 || 7 || 33.3 || .513 || .500 || .929 || 2.3 || 4.6 || 0.6 || 0.0 || 13.4 |- | align="left" | James Edwards basketball || 7 || 0 || 13.7 || .477 || .000 || .636 || 3.0 || 1.0 || 0.1 || 0.4 || 7.0 |- | align="left" | Vinnie Johnson || 7 || 0 || 23.4 || .405 || .167 || .444 || 3.7 || 3.0 || 0.7 || 0.1 || 11.0 |- | align="left" | Bill Laimbeer || 7 || 7 || 33.6 || .391 || .333 || 1.000 || 8.9 || 1.9 || 0.4 || 1.0 || 9.4 |- | align="left" | Ralph Lewis basketball || 3 || 0 || 1.3 || .500 || .000 || .000 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.7 |- | align="left" | Rick Mahorn || 7 || 7 || 10.6 || .409 || .000 || .833 || 2.4 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 0.6 || 3.3 |- | align="left" | Chuck Nevitt || 1 || 0 || 1.0 || .500 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 2.0 |- | align="left" | Dennis Rodman || 7 || 0 || 24.9 || .629 || .000 || .524 || 6.9 || 0.6 || 0.9 || 1.0 || 7.9 |- | align="left" | Walker Russell || 3 || 0 || 1.7 || .333 || .000 || 1.000 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.3 |- | align="left" | John Salley || 7 || 0 || 25.3 || .581 || .000 || .700 || 6.3 || 0.9 || 0.7 || 1.3 || 7.1 |- | align="left" | Isiah Thomas || 7 || 7 || 37.4 || .426 || .294 || .833 || 4.4 || 9.0 || 2.9 || 0.3 || 19.7 Television coverage The Detroit Pistons season documentary "Bad Boys", narrated by George Blaha recaps Detroit's run to the Finals and how they garnered the "Bad Boys" moniker while the Los Angeles Lakers documentary "Back To Back", narrated by Chick Hearn recaps the Lakers quest to become the first team since the Bill Russell-led Celtics to achieve NBA championships in consecutive years. That year, CBS Sports used three sideline reporters which were Pat O'Brien (the Pistons' sideline), Lesley Visser (the Lakers' sideline) and James Brown (both teams). Dick Stockton and Billy Cunningham served as the play-by-play announcer and color analyst respectively. After the season, Cunningham left CBS to join the Miami Heat ownership group, and Hubie Brown was promoted the following season. Aftermath 1989 NBA Finals thumb|Head coach Pat Riley and his wife Chris Rodstrom handing President Ronald Reagan a warm-up jersey at the team's White House visit. Both teams would meet again in the Finals the next year, in which the Pistons returned the favor and swept the Lakers to win their first championship. The Lakers came into the series exhausted after Pat Riley held a torturous mini-camp in Santa Barbara to keep the Lakers fresh after sweeping through the Western Conference playoffs.1989-06-13 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES : Notes : Lakers Say Camp Riley Didn't Lead to Injuries https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-13-sp-2168-story.html 2025-12-20 Los Angeles Times en-US During the mini-camp, Byron Scott picked up a hamstring injury and did not appear in the Finals and Magic Johnson suffered the same injury in Game 2 and could not finish the series.McMANIS S. A. M. 1989-06-09 NBA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES : Lakers Caught With Guards Down : Magic Joins Scott on Sideline After Straining Hamstring in 108-105 Game 2 Loss to Pistons https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-06-09-sp-1714-story.html 2025-12-20 Los Angeles Times en-US Game 4 of the Finals would also be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s last NBA game. Despite their famous "kiss" on the cheek before the 1988 NBA Finals, Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson friendship would become strained thereafter. Their friendship deteriorated around the 1989 Finals, worsened by allegations that Thomas spread rumors about Johnson's sexuality after his 1991 HIV announcement.Buzinski Jim Magic blames Isiah for gay rumors https://www.outsports.com/2009/10/23/4048812/magic-blames-isiah-for-gay-rumors/ 2026-02-18 OutSports en Then Thomas blamed Johnson as he felt he had something to do with him being left off the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. This was confirmed in Johnson's book, When the Game Was Ours, when he admitted to being instrumental in keeping Thomas off the team.2020-04-30 Why Isiah Thomas was left off the Dream Team at 1992 Olympics https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/isiah-thomas-dream-team-michael-jordan 2026-02-18 NBC Sports en-USHill Jemele Hill: Magic, Isiah and broken bonds http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hill/091104&sportCat=nba 2026-02-18 ESPN.com In 2017, they appeared on NBA TV for a 1-on-1 interview, where they tearfully reconciled and apologized.Friends Make Amends After Years Apart NBA.com https://www.nba.com/watch/list/collection/friends-make-amends-after-years-apart 2026-02-18 NBA en Although the Lakers did not win their third consecutive title, head coach Pat Riley filed for the trademark "three-peat" in 1988 for use on apparel and other merchandise, allowing him to collect royalties when teams in the future like the Chicago Bulls (1991–1993 and 1996–1998), New York Yankees (1998–2000), or Lakers (2000–2002) achieved three consecutive championships, with most proceeds going to charity.Reynolds Tim Heat President Pat Riley reveals where his ‘three-peat’ trademark revenues wind up NBA.com https://www.nba.com/news/heat-president-pat-riley-reveals-where-his-three-peat-trademark-revenues-wind-up 2026-01-03 NBA en It was later revealed that Byron Scott was actually the one who coined the term three-peat first.Bridges C. A. 2025-02-01 If Chiefs win Super Bowl 'three-peat,' they'll have to pay Pat Riley to use it https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-win-super-bowl-three-120327582.html 2026-01-17 Yahoo Sports en-US This was the last championship the Lakers won during the Showtime era. They returned to the Finals the next year, but were swept by the Pistons. They also made one more trip to the Finals in 1991, but lost to Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls in five games, becoming the first victim of the Bulls’ first three-peat from 1991 to 1993. The Lakers’ next title would come in 2000 over the Reggie Miller-led Indiana Pacers in six games. The Lakers and Pistons met in the Finals again in 2004, which the Pistons also won. Four months later, the Los Angeles Dodgers would win the World Series, making Los Angeles the first city ever to win NBA and MLB championships within the same season.Mukherjee Rahul 2020-10-27 Ten Cities have won more than one title in a year. The Dodgers win makes Los Angeles tie for the most of any of them. https://www.latimes.com/projects/los-angeles-dodgers-multiple-titles/ 2026-02-07 Los Angeles Times en See also 1988 NBA playoffs References External links NBA History Category:NBA Finals Finals NBA Finals NBA Finals Category:Sports in Pontiac, Michigan Category:1980s in Los Angeles County, California NBA Finals Category:Basketball competitions in Michigan Category:Basketball competitions in Inglewood, California NBA Finals NBA Finals Category:Organized events in Pontiac, Michigan Category:Organized events in Michigan Category:Organized events in California