Who Won the 1987 NBA Finals?

On June 12, 1987, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in game four of the NBA Finals, winning the series four games to two. The victory gave the Lakers their tenth NBA championship, and earned them the title of “Team of the 1980s”.

The Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers won the 1987 NBA Finals, beating the Boston Celtics in six games. The Lakers were led by Finals MVP Magic Johnson, who had 24 points, 12 assists, and eight rebounds in the deciding game six. It was the Lakers’ first championship since 1982 and their 10th overall.

The Road to the Finals

The Los Angeles Lakers were the clear favorite heading into the 1987 NBA Finals. They had won 65 games in the regular season, giving them the best record in the Western Conference. They then went on to sweep the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the playoffs, before dispatching the Denver Nuggets in five games in the second round. In the Western Conference Finals, they faced a tough test from the Houston Rockets, but emerged victorious in a seven-game series.

The Finals

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Lakers compete in the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers have won 16 NBA championships, their last being in 2010. Alongside the Boston Celtics, they hold the record for the most wins in a season with 72, which they accomplished during the 1972–73 season. As of 2019, the Lakers are second in the NBA in wins behind the Celtics.

The Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics won the 1987 NBA Finals, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4-2 in the best-of-seven series. The Celtics’ victory was their 15th NBA Championship, and their first since 1981. The Finals were also the first time that the Celtics and Lakers had met in the NBA Finals since 1969.

The Road to the Finals

The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-87 NBA season. The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers four games to two. The Celtics were in their sixth NBA Finals appearance, while the Lakers were in their 32nd appearance, a record still held by the team as of 2019. Boston was making its first appearance since 1981, following controversies surrounding the team’s 1985 acquisition of commodities playing star center Bill Russell from the Seattle SuperSonics.

The key moment of the series came late in Game 4, with the Celtics leading 111-110 and possession of the ball. After a timeout, Larry Bird executed a pass to an open Danny Ainge on the wing. As Ainge prepared to shoot, Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar fouled him before he could release the ball. Ainge made both free throws with under a minute remaining to put the Celtics up 113-110. The Lakers had one last chance to tie or win the game, but James Worthy’s jump shot was off target, and Boston held on for the victory.

With the win, Boston became only the second team in NBA history (after the 1969 Los Angeles Lakers) to win a championship after being down three games to one in the Finals.

The Finals

The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers met in The Finals for the 11th time, a record for two teams in any major North American professional sport. The Celtics had won eight of the previous 10 meetings, including five straight from 1959 to 1966. This was the first trip to The Finals for the Lakers since 1969, when they had been swept by the Celtics. After losing to Boston in seven games in 1984 and 1986, this was Los Angeles’ chance to exact revenge and win their first championship since 1972.

The Results

The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 1986-87 season. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics. The Celtics defeated the Lakers 4 games to 2, winning their 16th NBA championship.

Game 1

The Boston Celtics were the defending NBA champions, and they were looking to repeat as champions for the first time since 1969. They had defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1985 NBA Finals, and they were ready to do it again. The Lakers, on the other hand, were looking to prove that they could win without star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who had been injured during the playoffs.

The game was played at Boston Garden, and the Celtics got off to a hot start. They led by as many as 15 points in the first half, but the Lakers fought back and took a slim lead at halftime. In the second half, the Lakers pulled away and won the game by a final score of 108-103. James Worthy was named the Finals MVP.

Game 2

The Boston Celtics won game two in impressive fashion, providing a much-needed win after losing the first game of the series. The Celtics were led by Larry Bird, who scored 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds. With the help of their star player, the Celtics were able to take down the Los Angeles Lakers 120-111.

Game 3

The Los Angeles Lakers were leading the best-of-seven series two games to none against the Boston Celtics. The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar-led Lakers had won both games handily, by scores of 124–121 in overtime in Game 1 and 108–96 in Game 2. The Lakers seemed poised to win their first championship since 1979 andMagic Johnson’s rookie year.

But the Celtics, led by Larry Bird, stormed back in Game 3. Bird scored 33 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while Dennis Johnson added 27 points. The Celtics won 111–100, taking a 2–1 lead in the series.

Game 4

The Lakers won game four, 122–105, to even the series at two games apiece. Johnson had another triple double with 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, but it was Abdul-Jabbar who led the team with 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting. Scott again struggled with his shot, making only two of his 11 field goal attempts, but he did contribute eight assists. James Worthy also struggled, scoring only 13 points on 6-of-16 shooting, but he did grab eight rebounds. Kupchak came off the bench to score 14 points in 17 minutes. Byron Scott was the only Laker starter not to score in double figures; he finished with nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. The Nuggets were paced by English, who scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while Alex English was their only other player to score more than 14 points; he finished with 16 points on 8-of-19 shooting.

Game 5

Byron Scott scores 21 points andralph Sampson 20 as the Lakers win, 108-96, to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scores 29 points for Los Angeles, which gets 11 points apiece from Magic Johnson and Mychal Thompson. Jeff Malone pours in 28 points for the Jazz, who also get 18 points and 10 rebounds from Karl Malone.