1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers: Back to Back Part 1/7

Los Angeles made no major moves before the 1987-88 campaign. The Lakers opened the season with an eight-game winning streak but lost six of their next nine games. They snapped out of the uncharacteristic slump with a 115-114 victory in Boston on December 11 that ignited a 15-game winning streak, the second longest in franchise history.

The club finished with a 62-20 record and a seventh consecutive Pacific Division title. After sweeping San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs, Los Angeles was forced to the limit in each of the next two series. The Lakers struggled against both the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks before winning each series in seven games. In the NBA Finals the Lakers had a new opponent in the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons had grown into an Eastern Conference power thanks to Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, and Dennis Rodman. Detroit had managed to unseat the Celtics in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The NBA Finals represented a clash of styles, with the run-and-gun Lakers battling the physical Pistons. The series went a grueling seven games, with players on both sides turning in heroic performances. The most heroic of all was turned in by James Worthy, who had a triple-double in Game 7 to lead the Lakers to a 108-105 victory. Worthy was named Finals MVP, and Los Angeles became the first club to repeat as NBA champions since the Boston Celtics in 1968-69.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• Kareem
• Abdul-Jabbar
• Magic
• Johnson
• James
• Worthy
• Byron
• Scott
• A.C.
• Green
• Bill
• Laimbeer
• Rick
• Mahorn
• Adrian
• Dantley
• Joe
• Dumars
• Isiah
• Thomas
• 1988
• NBA
• Finals
• yt:crop=16:9

[pastorfw]

magic johnson the greatest player of all time. the toughest ers in basketball

[tsunamizc]

My first memory of Dallas Mavericks basketball, and finally after 25 years I have received some WCF's vengeance B)

[bigmanny699]

the last time a watched this i was 6 years old 1989

[pkaces26]

thank you so much for posting this video. I have this on vhs, Long live the Lakers and long live Chick Hearns!

[ErickReyKing]

Thankx 4 Posting!!!