Lakers vs Pistons

Lore & Background

Prior to facing each other in the 1988, 1989, and 2004 Finals, the Lakers and Pistons squared off in nine postseason series between 1950 and 1962. Both teams originally came from the NBL, one of two predecessors of the NBA. The Lakers were originally the Detroit Gems before moving to Minneapolis, while the Pistons were originally based in Fort Wayne, Indiana before moving to Detroit. The Lakers, featuring stars such as George Mikan, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West, defeated the Pistons of Andy Phillip, George Yardley, and Earl Lloyd in eight of the nine playoff meetings.

The Lakers would appear in seven NBA Finals and won five titles during that era. The only Pistons victory came in the playoffs, en route to their first of two consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. After 1962, the Pistons declined from prominence and would not return to title contention until the mid-1980s with the arrivals of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, and coach Chuck Daly. Meanwhile, the Lakers appeared in 12 of the next 25 NBA Finals and won five titles behind players such as Baylor, West, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Prior to 1978, the Pistons and Lakers were both members of the Western Division/Conference in all but three seasons. Detroit moved to the Eastern Conference before the 1978–79 season, and both teams are currently guaranteed to meet only twice per season.

Reader's Guide

The Lakers and Pistons renewed their acquaintances in the 1988 NBA Finals. Los Angeles swept the San Antonio Spurs in the opening round, but they needed 7 games to knock off both the Utah Jazz in the Western semifinals and the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Still, the Lakers, who finished the season with a 62–20 record, were heavily favored to defeat the Pistons and become the first team since the 1969 Boston Celtics to repeat as NBA champions.

Detroit finished their campaign with a 54–28 record, they defeated the Washington Bullets in the opening round and the Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinals, both in five games each. They survived a tough, 6-game Eastern Conference Finals series against the Boston Celtics to reach the final round. The series started out with a customary kiss between Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas, who were close friends off the court. However, there would soon be no love lost between both teams.

After defeating the Lakers with a 105–93 shocker in Game 1 at The L.A. Forum, the Pistons fought hard with Los Angeles and even took a 3–2 series lead heading into Game 6, which proved to be a classic battle, with Isiah Thomas overcoming a badly sprained ankle to score 25 points in the 3rd quarter. However, the contest ended on a sour note for Detroit. With the Pistons leading 102–101 with 14 seconds left, a controversial foul was called on Bill Laimbeer, enabling Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to go to the foul line, which has since been dubbed the Phantom Foul.

The legend calmly sank two free throws, giving the Lakers a 103–102 victory and helping Los Angeles force a Game 7. Despite a valiant effort by the Pistons, the Lakers managed to escape with a 108–105 win in the deciding game and capture their 5th NBA title of the 1980s. James Worthy scored 36 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists in the seventh game, and was named the NBA Finals MVP for his efforts. Both the Pistons and Lakers were considered to be the two best teams in the NBA entering the 1989 NBA Finals.

Behind the no-nonsense leadership of head coach Chuck Daly, Detroit finished with a franchise best 63–19 record, which was also the best record in the league.

Did You Know?

• The 1989 Finals was the first NBA Finals sweep since the 2–3–2 format began in 1985.
• James Worthy recorded a triple-double in Game 7 of the 1988 Finals and was named Finals MVP.
• Chauncey Billups won the 2004 Finals MVP before making his first All-Star team, a feat previously accomplished by Joe Dumars.