1987 NBA Finals Game 6 vs Boston Celtics
The Lakers defeat the Celtics in six games to win their tenth NBA championship.
The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship series of the NBA's 1986–87 season. The Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers defeated the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics in six games to win their tenth NBA championship, becoming the second team in league history to win ten or more championships.
- Date
- June 14, 1987
- Venue
- Great Western Forum (Inglewood, CA)
- Final Score
- Lakers 106, Celtics 93
- Series Result
- Lakers win 4-2
- Key Play
- Magic Johnson's 'Baby Hook' with 18 seconds remaining
- MVP of Series
- Magic Johnson (averaged 26.2 PPG)
- Historical Significance
- First Finals sweep against Boston since 1972
Lore & Background
The key moment of the series was Magic Johnson's Junior sky hook in Game 4. This was the tenth time that the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals (more than any other Finals matchup). It would be Larry Bird's last Finals appearance, as well as the Celtics' last Finals appearance until the two teams met in 2008.
In Their Own Story
Magic Johnson dribbled near the top of the key, his eyes scanning the floor, seeing not just defenders but openings in time itself. The clock read 18 seconds. He signaled the play, then ignored it. Rolling hard to the basket after drawing Robert Parish, he elevated with a sudden, fluid motion for the hook. It wasn't the power of Kareem, nor the speed of A.C., but the pure finesse of Magic. The ball arced high, defying gravity and logic, dropping softly through the net as the buzzer sounded. In that split second, the ghosts of Boston were laid to rest, and a new era was born.
Reader's Guide
The Lakers won the series 4–2. Game 1: Lakers 126, Celtics 113. Game 2: Lakers 141, Celtics 122. Game 3: Celtics 109, Lakers 103. Game 4: Lakers 107, Celtics 106. Game 5: Celtics 123, Lakers 108. Game 6: Lakers 106, Celtics 93.
Did You Know?
- This was the first NBA Championship Series conducted entirely in June.
- It is the first NBA Finals series to be conducted on a Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday rotation.
- Magic Johnson was league MVP that year instead of Larry Bird.
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