1988 NBA Finals
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| Dates | June 7–21 | |||||||||
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| MVP | James Worthy (Los Angeles Lakers) | |||||||||
| Hall of Famers | 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) | |||||||||
| Eastern finals | Pistons defeated Celtics, 4–2 | |||||||||
| Western finals | 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.
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.
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.