Who Won The NBA Championship in 1988?

The Los Angeles Lakers won the 1988 NBA Championship.

The Los Angeles Lakers

In 1988, the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons were one of the best teams in the NBA at the time, and the Lakers were able to defeat them in seven games. This was the first time that the Lakers had won the championship in a long time, and it was a very special moment for the team and the city of Los Angeles.

The Road to the Championship

The 1988 NBA Finals was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s 1987–88 season, and the culmination of the season’s playoffs. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Eastern Conference and defending NBA champion Detroit Pistons four games to three in a best-of-seven series. The Lakers earned their sixth NBA title, defeating their rivals who had beaten them in their previous two NBA Finals appearances.

Guard James Worthy was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his performances in Games 1, 3, 6, and 7; he averaged 36 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists for the series. Worthy became only the second player ever to receive refugee status since Oscar Robertson did so in 1961. Worthy had been injured early in game 2 but returned later in the game to score 28 points as the Lakers lost 124–115 in overtime but tied up the series at one game apiece. Byron Scott also starred for the Lakers, averaging 21 points per game while shooting over 50% from three-point range. Scott’s total of 51 three-pointers made (in 15 games) is still an NBA record for most threes made by a rookie in a playoff season.

Adrian Dantley scored 29 points per game for Detroit; Isiah Thomas averaged 27 points and 10 assists per game; Bill Laimbeer pulled down 13 rebounds per game; Mark Aguirre added 17 points per game off the bench; and Dennis Rodman provided energy and defense with 8 points and 8 rebounds per game.

The Finals

In the 1988 NBA Finals, the Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons in a seven-game series to win their fourth NBA Championship. The Lakers were led by Finals MVP James Worthy, who averaged 21.0 points per game in the series. Other key contributors for the Lakers included Byron Scott (19.8 ppg), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (17.4 ppg), and Magic Johnson (15.5 ppg, 13.0 apg).

The Detroit Pistons

In 1988, the Detroit Pistons – led by head coach Chuck Daly and starring Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer – won the NBA Championship. The Pistons defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-game sweep. It was the Pistons’ first NBA Championship.

The Road to the Championship

The Pistons took the road less traveled to the 1988 NBA championship. They were a league-worst 20-62 in 1985-86, then 22-60 the following season. Head coach Chuck Daly was brought in before the 1981-82 campaign, and he gradually improved the team. The Pistons were 39-43 in 1986-87 and 54-28 in 1987-88. They then beat the Los Angeles Lakers in a seven-game Finals to win their first title since 1974, when they were based in Baltimore.

The Finals

The Pistons lost the first game of the Finals at home, but bounced back to win four straight and take the title. The turning point of the series came in Game 3, when the Lakers were leading late in the fourth quarter before Isiah Thomas took over. The Lakers never recovered, and the Pistons won the next three games to close out the series.

The Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship in 1988. This was the first time the Celtics had won the Championship since 1986. Led by Larry Bird, the Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. The Celtics were the underdog in the series, but they were able to come out on top.

The Road to the Championship

The Celtics had a rocky start to the 1987-88 season, but they quickly turned things around and finished the season with a 57-25 record. This was good enough for second place in the Eastern Conference behind the Detroit Pistons, who had the best record in the NBA.

In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls in five games, before losing to the Pistons in six games in the Conference Finals.

Despite this disappointing loss, the Celtics remained optimistic heading into the 1988-89 season. They were led by their star player Larry Bird, who was named MVP of the league for the third time. The team also had several other talented players, such as Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

The Celtics had a great season, finishing with a 59-23 record. This was good enough for first place in the Eastern Conference, and they were seeded first in the playoffs.

Boston cruised through the playoffs, defeating the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks before facing off against their rivals, the Pistons, in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics won this series in seven games, setting up a rematch with Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

The Lakers had defeated Boston in 1986 and 1987 to win back-to-back championships. However, this time things would be different as Boston triumphed in six games to win their first championship since 1981.

The Finals

The Boston Celtics met the Los Angeles Lakers in The Finals, with each team winning two games at home. In Game 5, with the score tied 107–107 and only seconds remaining in regulation, Lakers player Byron Scott attempted a wide-open three-pointer that would have won the championship for Los Angeles. The shot went in, but after a second or two it was ruled that Scott’s foot was on the line, making it a two-point basket, and therefore the Celtics won the game 109–107 in overtime. The Celtics then won Game 6 110–102 back in Los Angeles, clinching their sixteenth NBA championship.