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1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers season

Pro basketball team season (won NBA championship)

Field	Value
team	Los Angeles Lakers
end_year	1988
DivisionWin	yes
ConferenceWin	yes
ChampionshipWin	yes
wins	62
losses	20
division	Pacific
division_place	1
conf_place	1
coach	Pat Riley
gm	Jerry West
owners	Jerry Buss
arena	The Forum
television	Prime Ticket, KHJ
(Chick Hearn, Stu Lantz)
radio	AM 570 KLAC
(Chick Hearn, Stu Lantz)
playoffs	[NBA champions](1988-nba-finals)
(Defeated [Pistons](1987-88-detroit-pistons-season) 4–3)
bbr_team	LAL

(Chick Hearn, Stu Lantz) (Chick Hearn, Stu Lantz) (Defeated Pistons 4–3) The 1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 42nd season for the Los Angeles Lakers as a franchise, their 40th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 28th season in Los Angeles, California. The Lakers entered the regular season as the defending NBA champion, having defeated the Boston Celtics in six games in the 1987 NBA Finals; following their championship win, Lakers head coach Pat Riley promised the team would repeat as champions.

The Lakers got off to a fast start by winning their first eight games of the regular season, then later on posting a 15-game winning streak between December and January, and holding a 35–8 record at the All-Star break. The Lakers then posted a 10-game winning streak in February, and won the Pacific Division title with a league-best 62–20 record, which earned them the first seed in the Western Conference.

Byron Scott led the Lakers in scoring averaging 21.7 points, 4.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game, while James Worthy averaged 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, and Magic Johnson provided the team with 19.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 11.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and was named to the All-NBA First Team. In addition, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar contributed 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, while A.C. Green provided with 11.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Off the bench, Mychal Thompson averaged 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, while defensive guard Michael Cooper contributed 8.7 points and 4.7 assists per game, and was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team, Wes Matthews provided with 5.7 points and 2.7 assists per game, and Kurt Rambis averaged 4.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.

During the NBA All-Star weekend at the Chicago Stadium in Chicago, Illinois, Johnson, Worthy and Abdul-Jabbar were all selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game, as members of the Western Conference All-Star team, while Riley was selected to coach the Western Conference; Johnson scored 17 points along with 19 assists and 2 steals, despite the Western Conference losing to the Eastern Conference, 138–133. Meanwhile, Scott participated in the NBA Three-Point Shootout for the second consecutive year.

Johnson also finished in third place in Most Valuable Player voting, behind Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls, and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics; Scott finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting, while Cooper finished tied in fifth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Riley finished in second place in Coach of the Year voting, behind Doug Moe of the Denver Nuggets.

Before the Lakers could make good on Riley's guarantee in the 1988 NBA playoffs, they swept the San Antonio Spurs in three straight games in the Western Conference First Round. However, the following two rounds would not be as easy for the Lakers, as they trailed 2–1 to the 5th-seeded Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semi-finals, but managed to defeat them in seven games, and then defeated the Dallas Mavericks in another tough seven-game series in the Western Conference Finals.

In the 1988 NBA Finals, the Lakers defeated the Detroit Pistons in a hard-fought seven game series, winning their eleventh NBA championship; Worthy, who had a triple-double of 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in a 108–105 Game 7 win, was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. The Lakers also became the NBA's first repeat champions since the Boston Celtics did it in the 1968–69 NBA season. Following the season, Rambis signed as a free agent with the Charlotte Hornets expansion team.

By the time the Lakers had finished their season, they had played an NBA record of 106 games, including another record of 24 playoff games, winning 77 and losing 29; the team went 62–20 in the regular season and 15–9 in the playoffs, en route to their sixth NBA championship in Los Angeles, and their 11th overall in franchise history. HoopsHype would later rank this squad as the team with the 13th easiest route to the NBA Finals championship (in terms of team records of their opponents), primarily due to the record that the Spurs had this season.

The 1988 NBA Finals was the last time the Showtime-era Lakers won an NBA championship; it was also the final time that the franchise won a championship at the Great Western Forum. The Lakers did not win another championship until 2000, when they were playing at the Staples Center (now known as the Crypto.com Arena).

Draft picks

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
3	69	Willie Glass	Forward	St. John's
4	92	Ralph Tally	Point Guard	Norfolk State
6	115	Kenny Travis		New Mexico State
6	138	Frank Ford	Guard-Forward	Auburn University
7	161	Ron Vanderschaaf	Center	Central Washington University

Roster

Pat Riley ()
Bill Bertka
Randy Pfund ()
Gary Vitti ()

Regular season

A ticket for Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals at The Forum.

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Game log

Regular season

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | 7:30p.m. PST | Seattle | W 113–109 | Johnson (26) | Green (12) | Johnson (8) | The Forum 17,505 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 || November 8 7:30 pm PST || Houston | W 101–92 | Johnson & Scott (23) | A.C. Green (18) | Magic Johnson (12) | The Forum 17,505 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 || November 10 5:30 pm PST || @ San Antonio | W 133–124 | A.C. Green (32) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (13) | HemisFair Arena 13,751 | 3–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 || November 12 7:30 pm PST || L.A. Clippers | W 111–82 | James Worthy (20) | Abdul-Jabbar & M. Thompson (10) | Magic Johnson (11) | The Forum 15,569 | 4–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 || November 14 7:30 pm PST || @ Golden State | W 118–110 | Byron Scott (27) | Mychal Thompson (9) | Magic Johnson (12) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 15,025 | 5–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 || November 15 7:30 pm PST || San Antonio | W 147–130 | Magic Johnson (25) | A.C. Green (13) | Johnson & Worthy (10) | The Forum 17,505 | 6–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | 7:30p.m. PST | Portland | W 142–115 | Mychal ThompsonM Thompson (24) | Green, Rambis (10) | Johnson (14) | The Forum 16,347 | 7–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 8 | 7:30p.m. PST | Dallas | W 119–116 | Scott (25) | Green (11) | Johnson (15) | The Forum 17,505 | 8–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 9 | 7:30p.m. PST | Milwaukee | L 116–124 (OT) | Johnson (26) | Green (11) | Johnson (11) | The Forum 17,505 | 8–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 10 | 7:30p.m. PST | @ Seattle | L 85–103 | Johnson (23) | Green (10) | Johnson (6) | Seattle Center Coliseum 14,634 | 8–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 11 | 7:30p.m. PST | Denver | W 127–119 | Green (28) | Green (16) | Johnson (16) | The Forum 17,505 | 9–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 12 || December 1 7:30 pm PST || @ Sacramento | W 125–120 (OT) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (27) | A.C. Green (15) | Magic Johnson (10) | ARCO Arena I 10,333 | 10–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 13 || December 2 7:30 pm PST || Portland | L 104–117 | Michael Cooper (17) | A.C. Green (13) | Cooper & Johnson (9) | The Forum 17,505 | 10–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 14 | 5:00p.m. PST | @ Milwaukee | L 83–85 | Johnson (22) | Johnson (10) | Johnson (12) | MECCA Arena 11,052 | 10–4 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 15 | 4:30p.m. PST | @ Cleveland | L 95–97 | Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson, Scott (19) | Green, Johnson (9) | Johnson (9) | Richfield Coliseum 20,015 | 10–5 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 16 || December 8 4:30 pm PST || @ New Jersey | W 98–81 | Byron Scott (21) | Magic Johnson (13) | Magic Johnson (14) | Brendan Byrne Arena 18,008 | 11–5 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 17 | 4:30p.m. PST | @ Washington | L 112–120 (OT) | Johnson (30) | Cooper (12) | Johnson (14) | Capital Centre 18,643 | 11–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 18 | 5:00p.m. PST | @ Boston | W 115–114 | Abdul-Jabbar (23) | Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson (8) | Johnson (17) | Boston Garden 14,890 | 12–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 19 | 7:30p.m. PST | Cleveland | W 90–89 | Worthy (20) | Green (11) | Johnson (8) | The Forum 17,505 | 13–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 20 || December 15 7:30 pm PST || Phoenix | W 122–97 | Byron Scott (31) | A.C. Green (14) | Johnson & Scott (9) | The Forum 17,371 | 14–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 21 || December 17 7:30 pm PST || @ Golden State | L 113–106 | Magic Johnson (31) | A.C. Green (12) | Magic Johnson (17) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 15,025 | 15–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 22 || December 19 7:30 pm PST || @ L.A. Clippers | W 108–97 | Magic Johnson (28) | A.C. Green (12) | Cooper & Johnson (7) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 14,417 | 16–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 23 | 7:30p.m. PST | Seattle | W 103–94 | M. Thompson (22) | Green (9) | Johnson (12) | The Forum 17,505 | 17–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 24 || December 23 7:30 pm PST || Sacramento | W 117–103 | Magic Johnson (26) | Green & M. Thompson (9) | Michael Cooper (9) | The Forum 17,505 | 18–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 25 | 1:00p.m. PST | @ Utah | W 117–109 | Scott (26) | Abdul-Jabbar (9) | Johnson (14) | Salt Palace 12,212 | 19–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 26 || December 29 7:30 pm PST || Philadelphia | W 131–115 | Byron Scott (37) | Kurt Rambis (10) | Magic Johnson (17) | The Forum 17,505 | 20–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 27 || January 3 5:00 pm PST || @ Portland | W 98–81 | Byron Scott (31) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (9) | Memorial Coliseum 12,666 | 21–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 28 || January 4 7:30 pm PST || San Antonio | W 133–115 | James Worthy (23) | Magic Johnson (8) | Magic Johnson (13) | The Forum 17,505 | 22–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 29 | 7:30p.m. PST | Dallas | W 103–89 | Scott (28) | Green (9) | Johnson (15) | The Forum 17,505 | 23–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 30 | 5:00p.m. PST | @ Detroit | W 106–104 | Scott (35) | Worthy (8) | Johnson (9) | Pontiac Silverdome 40,278 | 24–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 31 || January 9 4:30 pm PST || @ Indiana | W 101–98 | Johnson & Worthy (21) | A.C. Green (12) | Magic Johnson (13) | Market Square Arena 16,912 | 25–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 32 || January 12 7:30 pm PST || Golden State | W 117–113 | Byron Scott (30) | A.C. Green (11) | Magic Johnson (14) | The Forum 17,505 | 26–6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 33 || January 13 7:30 pm PST || @ L.A. Clippers | L 109–110 (OT) | Magic Johnson (27) | Magic Johnson (11) | Magic Johnson (13) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 14,906 | 26–7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 34 || January 16 6:30 pm PST || @ Phoenix | W 107–96 | James Worthy (25) | A.C. Green (8) | Magic Johnson (9) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14,471 | 27–7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 35 || January 18 2:00 pm PST || Houston | W 121–110 | Magic Johnson (39) | A.C. Green (9) | Magic Johnson (17) | The Forum 17,505 | 28–7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 36 | 6:30p.m. PST | @ Denver | L 113–115 | Worthy (22) | Green, Johnson (10) | Johnson (14) | McNichols Sports Arena 17,022 | 28–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 37 || January 22 7:30 pm PST || New York | W 113–112 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (24) | A.C. Green (9) | Johnson & Scott (8) | The Forum 17,505 | 29–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 38 | 12:30p.m. PST | @ Seattle | W 116–109 | Johnson (34) | Worthy (12) | Worthy (7) | Seattle Center Coliseum 14,739 | 30–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 39 | 7:30p.m. PST | Utah | W 111–100 | Johnson (22) | Worthy (10) | Johnson (11) | The Forum 17,505 | 31–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 40 || January 28 7:30 pm PST || @ Sacramento | W 115–94 | James Worthy (26) | A.C. Green (13) | Magic Johnson (9) | ARCO Arena I 10,333 | 32–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 41 | 7:30p.m. PST | Atlanta | W 117–107 | Worthy (29) | Green (8) | Johnson (13) | The Forum 17,505 | 33–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 42 | 7:30p.m. PST | Chicago | W 110–101 | Worthy (25) | Abdul-Jabbar (8) | Johnson (11) | The Forum 17,505 | 34–8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 43 || February 4|| @ L.A. Clippers | W 117–86 | Byron Scott (21) | Abdul-Jabbar & Johnson (10) | Magic Johnson (11) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 15,371 | 35–8 |- align="center" |- style="background:#cfc;" |- bgcolor="#bbffbb" |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 44 || February 9 7:30 pm PST || Indiana | L 108–110 | James Worthy (30) | Green & Worthy (8) | Magic Johnson (11) | The Forum 17,505 | 35–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 45 | 6:30p.m. PST | @ Denver | W 120–108 | Johnson (26) | Green (14) | Cooper (9) | McNichols Sports Arena 17,022 | 36–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 46 || February 12 5:30 pm PST || @ San Antonio | W 133–132 | Scott & Worthy (23) | Magic Johnson (9) | Magic Johnson (13) | HemisFair Arena 15,770 | 37–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 47 | 12:30p.m. PST | Boston | W 115–106 | Scott (38) | M. Thompson (11) | Johnson (14) | The Forum 17,505 | 38–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 48 || February 16 7:30 pm PST || L.A. Clippers | W 119–100 | Byron Scott (30) | Mychal Thompson (9) | Magic Johnson (12) | The Forum 17,505 | 39–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 49 || February 18 5:30 pm PST || @ Houston | W 111–96 | Byron Scott (27) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (13) | The Summit 16,611 | 40–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 50 | 5:00p.m. PST | @ Atlanta | W 126–119 (OT) | Worthy (38) | Green (11) | Johnson (19) | The Omni 16,451 | 41–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 51 | 12:30p.m. PST | Detroit | W 117–110 | Worthy (24) | Scott, M. Thompson (8) | Johnson (13) | The Forum 17,505 | 42–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 52 | 7:30p.m. PST | Washington | W 111–100 | Worthy (23) | M. Thompson (9) | Johnson (12) | The Forum 17,505 | 43–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 53 | 7:30p.m. PST | Utah | W 112–105 | Johnson (27) | M. Thompson (10) | Johnson (17) | The Forum 17,505 | 44–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 54 || February 28 7:30 pm PST || Phoenix | W 111–97 | Byron Scott (30) | Mychal Thompson (7) | Magic Johnson (15) | The Forum 17,505 | 45–9 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 55 | 7:30p.m. PST | @ Seattle | L 100–114 | Scott (21) | Green (16) | Johnson (13) | Seattle Center Coliseum 14,850 | 45–10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 56 || March 4 7:30 pm PST || Golden State | W 120–107 | Byron Scott (30) | A.C. Green (11) | Magic Johnson (10) | The Forum 17,505 | 46–10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 57 | 11:00a.m. PST | @ Dallas | W 108–97 | Scott (28) | Green (12) | Johnson (16) | Reunion Arena 17,007 | 47–10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 58 || March 7 4:30 pm PST || @ Philadelphia | W 110–104 | Magic Johnson (24) | Magic Johnson (11) | Magic Johnson (17) | The Spectrum 18,168 | 48–10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 59 || March 9 5:00 pm PST || @ New York | W 104–99 | Magic Johnson (26) | Magic Johnson (14) | Magic Johnson (9) | Madison Square Garden 19,591 | 49–10 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 60 | 5:30p.m. PST | @ Chicago | L 107–128 | James Worthy (21) | Green, M. Thompson (12) | Milt Wagner (6) | Chicago Stadium 18,676 | 49–11 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 61 | 8:00p.m. PST | Dallas | L 101–110 | Scott (35) | M. Thompson (11) | Scott (10) | The Forum 17,505 | 49–12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 62 || March 14 7:30 pm PST || New Jersey | W 115–105 | Byron Scott (21) | Kurt Rambis (6) | Wes Matthews (11) | The Forum 17,505 | 50–12 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 63 || March 15 7:30 pm PST || @ Portland | L 95–112 | James Worthy (21) | A.C. Green (11) | Michael Cooper (5) | Memorial Coliseum 12,666 | 50–13 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 64 || March 19 6:30 pm PST || @ Phoenix | L 97–102 | Mychal Thompson (21) | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (12) | Matthews & Scott (7) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14,471 | 50–14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 65 || March 20 7:30 pm PST || @ Golden State | W 130–127 | Byron Scott (29) | Mychal Thompson (10) | Wes Matthews (13) | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 15,025 | 51–14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 66 || March 22 7:30 pm PST || Houston | W 117–95 | Byron Scott (21) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (12) | The Forum 17,505 | 52–14 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 67 | 7:30p.m. PST | Denver | L 119–120 | Worthy (24) | Green (13) | Scott (10) | The Forum 17,505 | 52–15 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 68 || March 26 7:30 pm PST || @ Sacramento | L 92–114 | Byron Scott (26) | James Worthy (9) | Wes Matthews (5) | ARCO Arena I 10,333 | 52–16 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 69 | 7:30p.m. PST | Utah | W 122–111 | Worthy (31) | Rambis (12) | Matthews (13) | The Forum 17,505 | 53–16 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 70 | 6:30p.m. PST | @ Utah | L 92–106 | Scott (23) | M. Thomspn (10) | Matthews (7) | Salt Palace 12,444 | 53–17 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 71 || April 3 7:30 pm PDT || Sacramento | W 108–104 | James Worthy (24) | Mychal Thompson (7) | Wes Matthews (10) | The Forum 17,505 | 54–17 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 72 | 7:30p.m. PDT | Seattle | W 94–90 | Worthy (28) | Worthy (8) | Worthy (4) | The Forum 17,505 | 55–17 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 73 || April 8 7:30 pm PDT || L.A. Clippers | W 126–107 | Campbell & Scott (20) | Kurt Rambis (15) | Magic Johnson (9) | The Forum 17,505 | 56–17 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 74 || April 9 7:30 pm PDT || @ Portland | L 109–119 | James Worthy (22) | Kurt Rambis (6) | Magic Johnson (12) | Memorial Coliseum 12,666 | 56–18 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 75 || April 12 7:30 pm PDT || Portland | W 109–103 | Scott & Worthy (25) | Mychal Thompson (13) | Magic Johnson (13) | The Forum 17,505 | 57–18 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 76 | 6:30p.m. PDT | @ Denver | L 106–120 | Campbell (16) | Johnson (11) | Johnson (10) | McNichols Sports Arena 17,022 | 57–19 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 77 || April 15 7:30 pm PDT || Phoenix | W 117–114 | Magic Johnson (31) | Mychal Thompson (9) | Magic Johnson (15) | The Forum 17,505 | 58–19 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 78 || April 17 10:00 am PDT || @ Houston | L 119–127 | Scott & M. Thompson (22) | Magic Johnson (10) | Magic Johnson (12) | The Summit 16,611 | 58–20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 79 || April 19 5:30 pm PDT || @ San Antonio | W 133–126 | James Worthy (28) | A.C. Green (10) | Magic Johnson (9) | HemisFair Arena 12,456 | 59–20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 80 | 5:30p.m. PDT | @ Dallas | W 114–107 | Scott (31) | M. Thompson (11) | Johnson (23) | Reunion Arena 17,007 | 60–20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 81 || April 22 7:30 pm PDT || @ Phoenix | W 117–112 | Mychal Thompson (24) | A.C. Green (11) | Magic Johnson (17) | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14,077 | 61–20 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 82 || April 24 12:30 pm PDT || Golden State | W 136–100 | Tony Campbell (28) | Kurt Rambis (11) | Wes Matthews (10) | The Forum 17,505 | 62–20

Playoffs

|- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 || April 29 7:30 pm PDT || San Antonio | W 122–110 | James Worthy (22) | Mychal Thompson (14) | Magic Johnson (18) | The Forum 17,505 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 || May 1 7:30 pm PDT || San Antonio | W 130–112 | Mychal Thompson (29) | Mychal Thompson (16) | Magic Johnson (15) | The Forum 17,505 | 2–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 || May 3 5:30 pm PDT || @ San Antonio | W 109–107 | Magic Johnson (25) | James Worthy (11) | Magic Johnson (11) | HemisFair Arena 11,542 | 3–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | 12:30p.m. PDT | Utah | W 110–91 | Worthy (23) | Abdul-Jabbar (10) | Johnson (9) | The Forum 17,505 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 2 | 8:00p.m. PDT | Utah | L 97–101 | Scott (26) | M. Thompson (12) | Johnson (10) | The Forum 17,505 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 3 | 8:00p.m. PDT | @ Utah | L 89–96 | Scott (29) | M. Thompson (12) | Johnson (6) | Salt Palace 12,444 | 1–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 4 | 12:30p.m. PDT | @ Utah | W 113–100 | Worthy (29) | Abdul-Jabbar (11) | Johnson (9) | Salt Palace 12,444 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | 7:30p.m. PDT | Utah | W 111–109 | Worthy (27) | M. Thompson (11) | Johnson (13) | The Forum 17,505 | 3–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" | 6 | 7:30p.m. PDT | @ Utah | L 80–108 | Scott (16) | M. Thompson (9) | Johnson (9) | Salt Palace 12,444 | 3–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | 12:30p.m. PDT | Utah | W 109–98 | Scott (29) | Johnson (9) | Johnson (16) | The Forum 17,505 | 4–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 1 | 7:30p.m. PDT | Dallas | W 113–98 | Worthy (28) | Green, Johnson, M Thompson (6) | Johnson (12) | The Forum 17,505 | 1–0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | 7:30p.m. PDT | Dallas | W 123–101 | Scott (30) | Abdul-Jabbar (7) | Johnson (19) | The Forum 17,505 | 2–0 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 3 | 5:00p.m. PDT | @ Dallas | L 94–106 | Worthy (19) | Johnson (8) | Johnson (10) | Reunion Arena 17,007 | 2–1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 4 | 12:30p.m. PDT | @ Dallas | L 104–118 | Johnson (28) | Green (12) | Johnson (12) | Reunion Arena 17,007 | 2–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 5 | 8:30p.m. PDT | Dallas | W 119–102 | Worthy (28) | Green (10) | Johnson (20) | The Forum 17,505 | 3–2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 6 | 6:00p.m. PDT | @ Dallas | L 103–105 | Scott, Worthy (27) | Worthy (11) | Johnson (12) | Reunion Arena 17,007 | 3–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | 12:30p.m. PDT | Dallas | W 117–102 | Worthy (28) | Johnson (9) | Johnson (11) | The Forum 17,505 | 4–3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 1 | 6:00p.m. PDT | Detroit | L 93–105 | Johnson (28) | Green (12) | Johnson (10) | The Forum 17,505 | 0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 2 | 6:00p.m. PDT | Detroit | W 108–96 | Worthy (26) | Green (13) | Johnson (11) | The Forum 17,505 | 1–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 3 | 12:30pm PDT | @ Detroit | W 99–86 | Worthy (24) | Worthy (9) | Johnson (14) | Pontiac Silverdome 39,188 | 2–1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 4 | 6:00p.m. PDT | @ Detroit | L 86–111 | Johnson (23) | Green (10) | Johnson (6) | Pontiac Silverdome 34,297 | 2–2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 5 | 6:00p.m. PDT | @ Detroit | L 94–104 | Abdul-Jabbar (26) | Abdul-Jabbar, Green, Johnson (6) | Johnson (17) | Pontiac Silverdome 41,372 | 2–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 6 | 12:30p.m. PDT | Detroit | W 103–102 | Worthy (28) | Green (10) | Johnson (19) | The Forum 17,505 | 3–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" | 7 | 6:00p.m. PDT | Detroit | W 108–105 | Worthy (36) | Worthy (16) | Johnson (14) | The Forum 17,505 | 4–3

Player statistics

Season

|- | | 80 || 80 || 28.9 || .532 || .000 || .762 || 6.0 || 1.7 || 0.6 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.2 || 14.6 |- | | 13 || 1 || 18.6 || .564 || .333 || .718 || 2.1 || 1.1 || 0.8 || 0.2 || 11.0 |- | | 61 || 8 || 19.4 || .392 || .320 || .858 || 3.7 || 4.7 || 1.1 || 0.4 || 8.7 |-

****

| | 72 || 70 || 36.6 || .492 || .196 || .853 || 6.2 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 11.9 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.6 || 0.2 || 19.6 |- | **** | 3 || 0 || 2.3 || .000 || .000 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.000 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.7 |- | | 51 || 8 || 13.8 || .460 || .233 || .831 || 1.3 || 2.7 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 5.7 |- | | 70 || 20 || 12.1 || .548 || .000 || .785 || 3.8 || 0.8 || 0.6 || 0.2 || 4.0 |- | **** | 81 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 81 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 37.6 || .527 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| .346 || .858 || 4.1 || 4.1 || 1.9 || 0.3 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 21.7 |- | | 48 || 2 || 8.8 || .427 || .000 || .667 || 1.8 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 0.9 || 2.8 |- | | 9 || 0 || 4.2 || .231 || .000 || .800 || 1.0 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 1.6 |- | | 80 || 0 || 25.1 || .512 || .000 || .634 || 6.1 || 0.8 || 0.5 || 1.0 || 11.6 |- | | 14 || 0 || 5.9 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| .571 || .000 || .769 || 0.7 || 1.5 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 3.0 |- | | 40 || 4 || 9.5 || .422 || .200 || .897 || 0.7 || 1.5 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 3.8 |- | | 75 || 72 || 35.4 || .531 || .125 || .796 || 5.0 || 3.9 || 1.0 || 0.7 || 19.7 |}

Playoffs

|- | |- | | 15 || 0 || 6.3 || .429 || .000 || .688 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 0.0 || 3.1 |-

****
****
-
****
-

| | 10 || 0 || 2.7 || .400 || .000 || .800 || 0.1 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 0.0 || 1.2 |- | | 19 || 6 || 9.8 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| .618 || .000 || .692 || 2.7 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 2.7 |-

****

| | 8 || 0 || 4.3 || .200 || .000 || .333 || 0.8 || 0.0 || 0.1 || 0.3 || 0.4 |-

****

| | 5 || 0 || 2.8 || .400 || .000 ||style="background:#ffcd35;color:#6137ad;"| 1.000 || 0.4 || 0.6 || 0.0 || 0.2 || 1.2 |- | **** |}

Player statistics citation:

Awards and records

Awards

James Worthy, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
Magic Johnson, All-NBA First Team
Michael Cooper, NBA All-Defensive First Team

All-Star

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named to his 18th consecutive NBA All-Star Game. He broke the All-Star scoring record during the game at Chicago Stadium
Magic Johnson was voted to his 6th consecutive NBA All-Star Game as a starter and 8th overall
James Worthy was voted to his 3rd consecutive NBA All-Star Game
Pat Riley was the NBA All-Star Games Western Conference coach for the 4th consecutive time and 6th overall

Transactions

Trades

Free Agents

Additions

Subtractions

References

[https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/1988.html 1987-88 Los Angeles Lakers]
(November 1, 1987). "Halfway Through A 2-Year Quest For Greatness". [[The New York Times]].
"NBA Games Played on February 4, 1988". Basketball-Reference.
"1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers Schedule and Results". Basketball-Reference.
"1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.
Barnard, Bill. (February 7, 1988). "Today's NBA All-Star Game Will Be Homecoming of Sorts for 3 Players". Los Angeles Times.
(September 13, 2021). "1988 NBA All-Star Recap". NBA.com.
"1988 NBA All-Star Game: East 138, West 133". Basketball-Reference.
(January 13, 1988). "Field Set for NBA Dunk Contest". The Daily Record.
"NBA & ABA All-Star Game Contest Winners". Basketball-Reference.
(May 26, 1988). "Jordan Named M.V.P.". The New York Times.
"1987–88 NBA Awards Voting". Basketball-Reference.
(May 16, 1988). "Moe Named NBA Coach of Year". Los Angeles Times.
"1988 NBA Western Conference First Round: Spurs vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference.
"1988 NBA Western Conference Semifinals: Jazz vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference.
"1988 NBA Western Conference Finals: Mavericks vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference.
Goldaper, Sam. (June 22, 1988). "N.B.A. PLAYOFFS; Lakers Hold Off Pesky Pistons to Regain Their Title". The New York Times.
(June 22, 1988). "Lakers Repeat as Champions in Tight Game". Los Angeles Times.
"1988 NBA Finals: Pistons vs. Lakers". Basketball-Reference.
Edes, Gordon. (July 26, 1988). "Rambis May Go to Charlotte: Laker Forward Expected to Complete Multi-Year Deal Today". Los Angeles Times.
Edes, Gordon. (July 28, 1988). "Rambis to Sign Four-Year Contract with Charlotte". Los Angeles Times.
Howard-Cooper, Scott. (November 8, 1988). "Rambis Happy with Hornets". The Washington Post.
Urbina, Frank. (2024-06-17). "Ranking the easiest paths to an NBA title ever".

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