1987–88 Detroit Pistons season

1987–88 Detroit Pistons season
1987–88 Detroit Pistons season
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coach	Chuck Daly
General manager	Jack McCloskey
Owner(s)	William Davidson
Arena	Pontiac Silverdome
Results
Record	54–28 (.659)
Place	Division: 1st (Central); Conference: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finish	NBA Finals; (Lost to Lakers 3–4)
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	PASS Sports; (Fred McLeod, Tom Wilson); WKBD; (George Blaha, Hubie Brown, Dick Motta)
Radio	WWJ–AM; (George Blaha, Hubie Brown, Dick Motta)
< 1986–87	1988–89 >

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

The 1987–88 season saw the Pistons finishing with a franchise-best record of 54–28. In the 1988 NBA Playoffs, they defeated the Washington Bullets 3–2 in the first round, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls 4–1 in the semifinals, and Larry Bird and the top-seeded Boston Celtics 4–2 in the Conference Finals. They would advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1956 when the team was based in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons, only to lose to the defending and eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in a hard fought seven games. Isiah Thomas was the only member of the team to be selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game.

Game 5 of the 1988 Finals was the franchise's last game at the Pontiac Silverdome, as they would move to another Detroit-area suburban arena, the purpose-built Palace of Auburn Hills, for the upcoming season.

Draft picks[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
2	24	Freddie Banks		United States	Nevada-Las Vegas
3	65	Eric White	PF	United States	Pepperdine
4	88	Dave Popson	PF/C	United States	North Carolina
5	111			United States	Iowa
6	134	Antoine Joubert	G	United States	Michigan
7	157	Mark Gottfried	G	United States	Alabama

Roster[]

1987–88 Detroit Pistons roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Height	Weight	DOB (YYYY-MM-DD)
C	25	Bedford, William	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Memphis
SF	45	Dantley, Adrian	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	Notre Dame
C	50	Dawkins, Darryl	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	251 lb (114 kg)	Maynard Evans High School
G	4	Dumars, Joe	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	McNeese State University
F/C	53	Edwards, James	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Washington
SG	15	Johnson, Vinnie	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Baylor University
C	40	Laimbeer, Bill	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	University of Notre Dame
SG	35	Lewis, Ralph	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	La Salle
F/C	44	Mahorn, Rick	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Hampton
C	54	Moore, Ron	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	West Virginia State
C	42	Nevitt, Chuck	7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	North Carolina State University
F	10	Rodman, Dennis	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	SE Oklahoma State
SG	23	Russell, Walker	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Western Michigan
F/C	22	Salley, John	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Georgia Tech
PG	11	Thomas, Isiah (C)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Indiana

Head coach

Chuck Daly

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Regular season[]

Season standings[]

Central Division v t	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	–	34–7	20–21	20–10
x-Chicago Bulls	50	32	.610	4	30–11	20–21	16–13
x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	4	30-11	20-21	16–13
x-Milwaukee Bucks	42	40	.512	12	30–11	12–29	13–17
x-Cleveland Cavaliers	42	40	.512	12	31–10	11–30	11–19
Indiana Pacers	38	44	.463	16	25–16	13–28	13–17

#	Eastern Conference v t
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	c-Boston Celtics	57	25	.695	–
2	y-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	3
3	x-Chicago Bulls	50	32	.610	7
4	x-Atlanta Hawks	50	32	.610	7
5	x-Milwaukee Bucks	42	40	.512	15
6	x-Cleveland Cavaliers	42	40	.512	15
7	x-Washington Bullets	38	44	.463	19
8	x-New York Knicks	38	44	.463	19

9	Indiana Pacers	38	44	.463	19
10	Philadelphia 76ers	36	46	.439	21
11	New Jersey Nets	19	63	.232	38

Record vs. opponents[]

1987-88 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–4	2–3	5–1	2–0	1–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	4–2	2–0	0–2	3–3	5–0	3–3	6–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–3
Boston	4–2	—	3–3	2–3	2–0	0–2	3–3	2–0	1–1	5–0	2–0	0–2	3–3	5–1	5–1	4–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	5–1
Chicago	3–2	3–3	—	3–3	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–0	2–0	3–3	2–0	1–1	5–1	5–1	3–2	4–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–3
Cleveland	1–5	3–2	3–3	—	1–1	1–1	1–5	0–2	1–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	5–1	2–4	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	6–0
Dallas	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	—	3–3	1–1	4–1	4–2	2–0	5–0	1–4	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–0	3–2	5–1	5–1	3–2	3–3	1–1
Denver	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–3	—	1–1	4–1	4–2	1–1	5–0	3–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–2	2–3	4–2	5–1	4–1	2–4	2–0
Detroit	4–2	3–3	4–2	5–1	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	3–3	1–1	0–2	4–2	5–1	4–2	4–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–2
Golden State	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–4	1–4	0–2	—	0–5	0–2	3–3	0–6	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–4	1–5	2–3	3–2	1–5	1–4	0–2
Houston	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–4	1–1	5–0	—	2–0	3–2	1–4	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1	4–1	4–2	2–4	3–2	3–3	2–0
Indiana	2–4	0–5	3–3	2–4	0–2	1–1	3–3	2–0	0–2	—	1–1	1–1	3–3	6–0	2–3	2–4	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–4
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	0–5	1–1	3–3	2–3	1–1	—	1–5	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4	0–6	3–2	0–5	1–5	1–4	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–1	2–3	2–0	6–0	4–1	1–1	5–1	—	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–1	3–3	4–1	5–0	4–2	4–1	1–1
Milwaukee	3–3	3–3	1–5	4–2	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–0	0–2	3–3	2–0	2–0	—	3–2	3–3	2–4	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1
New Jersey	0–5	1–5	1–5	1–5	1–1	0–2	1–5	0–2	1–1	0–6	2–0	0–2	2–3	—	3–3	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–6
New York	3–3	1–5	2–3	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–0	0–2	3–3	3–3	—	3–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–3
Philadelphia	0–6	2–4	2–4	2–3	1–1	0–2	1–4	1–1	1–1	4–2	1–1	0–2	4–2	4–2	3–3	—	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–3
Phoenix	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	2–3	0–2	4–2	1–4	0–2	4–2	1–5	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	—	0–6	3–2	2–3	2–4	2–3	0–2
Portland	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	3–2	1–1	5–1	1–4	2–0	6–0	3–3	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	6–0	—	4–1	5–0	3–3	1–4	2–0
Sacramento	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–5	2–4	0–2	3–2	2–4	0–2	2–3	1–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–3	1–4	—	3–3	1–4	1–5	0–2
San Antonio	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–5	1–5	1–1	2–3	4–2	0–2	5–0	0–5	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	0–5	3–3	—	3–2	3–3	0–2
Seattle	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–3	1–4	1–1	5–1	2–3	1–1	5–1	2–4	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–2	3–3	4–1	2–3	—	1–4	2–0
Utah	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–3	4–2	0–2	4–1	3–3	1–1	4–1	1–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–2	4–1	5–1	3–3	4–1	—	2–0
Washington	3–3	1–5	3–3	0–6	1–1	0–2	2–3	2–0	0–2	4–2	2–0	1–1	1–4	6–0	3–3	3–3	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	—

Game logs[]

Regular season[]

1987–88 game log
Total: 54–28 (Home: 34–7; Road: 20–21)

November: 7–5 (Home: 3–1; Road: 4–4)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
1	November 6, 1987 7:30 PM EST	New York	W 110–99				Pontiac Silverdome 28,676	1–0
2	November 7, 1987 9:00 PM EST	@ Milwaukee	L 105–119				MECCA Arena 11,052	1–1
3	November 10, 1987 7:30 PM EST	@ Indiana	L 118–121				Market Square Arena 11,885	1–2
4	November 13, 1987 7:30 PM EST	@ Philadelphia	W 113–94				The Spectrum 12,302	2–2
5	November 14, 1987 7:30 PM EST	@ Cleveland	W 128–113				Richfield Coliseum 10,157	3–2
6	November 18, 1987 7:30 PM EST	Philadelphia	L 109–113				Pontiac Silverdome 17,445	3–3
7	November 20, 1987 7:30 PM EST	Golden State	W 131–108				Pontiac Silverdome 20,362	4–3
8	November 21, 1987 8:30 PM EST	@ Chicago	W 144–132 (OT)				Chicago Stadium 18,466	5–3
9	November 24, 1987 8:00 PM EST	@ Houston	W 97–83				The Summit 16,611	6–3
10	November 25, 1987 8:30 PM EST	@ Dallas	L 107–113	Dumars (19)	Rodman (10)	Thomas (15)	Reunion Arena 17,007	6–4
11	November 27, 1987 7:30 PM EST	San Antonio	W 143–111				Pontiac Silverdome 30,743	7–4
12	November 28, 1987 7:30 PM EST	@ Washington	L 102–124				Capital Centre 13,028	7–5

December : 11–1 (Home: 8–1; Road: 3–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
13	December 1, 1987 7:30 PM EST	@ New Jersey	W 124–115 (OT)				Brendan Byrne Arena 8,232	8–5
14	December 2, 1987 7:30 PM EST	Milwaukee	W 115–105				Pontiac Silverdome 18,780	9–5
15	December 4, 1987 7:30 PM EST	Boston	W 128–105				Pontiac Silverdome 34,523	10–5
16	December 8, 1987 7:30 PM EST	Portland	W 127–117				Pontiac Silverdome 17,126	11–5
17	December 11, 1987 7:30 PM EST	Washington	W 114–108				Pontiac Silverdome 17,884	12–5
18	December 12, 1987 7:30 PM EST	New York	W 124–96				Pontiac Silverdome 21,368	13–5
19	December 15, 1987 8:00 PM EST	Chicago	W 127–123 (OT)				Pontiac Silverdome 23,729	14–5
20	December 18, 1987 7:30 PM EST	Dallas	W 117–112	Dantley (28)	Laimbeer (15)	Johnson (11)	Pontiac Silverdome 19,426	15–5
21	December 25, 1987 12 Noon EST	@ New York	W 91–87				Madison Square Garden 14,549	16–5
22	December 26, 1987 7:30 PM EST	New Jersey	W 110–75				Pontiac Silverdome 23,330	17–5
23	December 29, 1987 7:30 PM EST	Houston	L 91–101				Pontiac Silverdome 26,498	17–6
24	December 30, 1987 7:30 PM EST	@ Indiana	W 105–95				Market Square Arena 12,945	18–6

January : 6–8 (Home: 4–2; Road: 2–6)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
25	January 2, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Denver	L 142–151				Pontiac Silverdome 23,746	18–7
26	January 5, 1988 8:00 PM EST	@ Atlanta	L 71–81				The Omni 16,451	18–8
27	January 6, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Atlanta	W 90–87				Pontiac Silverdome 25,749	19–8
28	January 8, 1988 8:00 PM EST	L.A. Lakers	L 104–106	Dantley, Dumars (25)	Laimbeer, Mahorn (11)	Thomas (10)	Pontiac Silverdome 40,278	19–9
29	January 13, 1988 7:30 PM EST	@ Boston	L 105–143				Boston Garden 14,890	19–10
30	January 15, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Cleveland	W 97–93				Pontiac Silverdome 19,622	20–10
31	January 16, 1988 8:30 PM EST	@ Chicago	L 99–115				Chicago Stadium 18,676	20–11
32	January 18, 1988 4:00 PM EST	@ Denver	W 123–116				McNichols Sports Arena 13,004	21–11
33	January 20, 1988 9:30 PM EST	@ Utah	W 120–117				Salt Palace 12,212	22–11
34	January 22, 1988 10:30 PM EST	@ Seattle	L 106–109				Seattle Center Coliseum 14,737	22–12
35	January 24, 1988 10:00 PM EST	@ Portland	L 111–119				Memorial Coliseum 12,666	22–13
36	January 27, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Indiana	W 103–86				Pontiac Silverdome 19,801	23–13
37	January 29, 1988 8:00 PM EST	Boston	W 125–108				Pontiac Silverdome 61,983	24–13
38	January 30, 1988 7:30 PM EST	@ New Jersey	L 104–116				Brendan Byrne Arena 11,894	24–14

February : 11–4 (Home: 7–0; Road: 4–4)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Record
39	February 1, 1988 7:30 PM EST	@ Cleveland	L 83–94				Richfield Coliseum 10,636	24–15
40	February 2, 1988 8:30 PM EST	@ Milwaukee	W 99–97				MECCA Arena 11,052	25–15
41	February 4, 1988 7:30 PM EST	@ New York	L 93–100				Madison Square Garden 14,363	25–16
42	February 9, 1988 8:30 PM EST	@ Chicago	W 89-74				Chicago Stadium 17,846	26-16
43	February 10, 1988 7:30 PM EST	New York	W 98–87				Pontiac Silverdome 19,160	27–16
44	February 12, 1988 8:00 PM EST	Atlanta	W 108–92				Pontiac Silverdome 35,884	28–16
45	February 13, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Chicago	W 82–73				Pontiac Silverdome 40,369	29–16
46	February 15, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Philadelphia	W 102–95				Pontiac Silverdome 21,530	30–16
47	February 18, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Seattle	W 108–95				Pontiac Silverdome 24,482	31–16
48	February 19, 1988 9:00 PM EST	@ Milwaukee	L 108–119				MECCA Arena 11,052	31–17
49	February 21, 1988 3:30 PM EST	@ L.A. Lakers	L 110–117	Thomas (42)	Laimbeer (14)	Thomas (10)	The Forum 17,505	31–18
50	February 23, 1988 10:30 PM EST	@ Sacramento	W 121–105				ARCO Arena 10,333	32–18
51	February 24, 1988 10:30 PM EST	@ Golden State	W 107–93				Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena 14,340	33–18
52	February 26, 1988 7:30 PM EST	New Jersey	W 137–109				Pontiac Silverdome 25,334	34–18
53	February 28, 1988 12:00 PM EST	Boston	W 106–101				Pontiac Silverdome 37,462	35–18

March : 11–5 (Home: 8–1; Road: 3–4)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
54	March 1, 1988 7:30 PM EST	@ Atlanta	W 117–104	The Omni 16,451	36–18
55	March 2, 1988 7:30 PM EST	L.A. Clippers	W 103–90	Pontiac Silverdome 16,554	37–18
56	March 5, 1988 7:30 PM EST	@ Washington	L 97–101	Capital Centre 15,656	37–19
57	March 6, 1988 7:00 PM EST	Milwaukee	W 109–99	Pontiac Silverdome 24,751	38–19
58	March 8, 1988 7:30 PM EST	@ Indiana	L 104–117	Market Square Arena 13,220	38–20
59	March 9, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Utah	W 103–98	Pontiac Silverdome 20,623	39–20
60	March 11, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Phoenix	W 116–88	Pontiac Silverdome 21,612	40–20
61	March 12, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Cleveland	W 104–100	Pontiac Silverdome 33,854	41–20
62	March 14, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Sacramento	W 109–97	Pontiac Silverdome 16,909	42–20
63	March 17, 1988 7:30 PM EST	@ Cleveland	W 102–99	Richfield Coliseum 13,261	43–20
64	March 20, 1988 7:00 PM EST	Washington	W 118–110	Pontiac Silverdome 22,075	44–20
65	March 22, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Indiana	W 123–104	Pontiac Silverdome 18,645	45–20
66	March 25, 1988 8:30 PM EST	@ San Antonio	L 106–107	HemisFair Arena 8,596	45–21
67	March 26, 1988 9:30 PM EST	@ Phoenix	W 108–103	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 14,025	46–21
68	March 28, 1988 10:30 PM EST	@ L.A. Clippers	L 100–102	Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 12,156	46–22
69	March 30, 1988 7:30 PM EST	Atlanta	L 102–103	Pontiac Silverdome 47,692	46–23

April : 8–5 (Home: 4–2; Road: 4–3)

Game	Date	Team	Score	Location Attendance	Record
70	April 1, 1988 8:00 PM EST	@ Boston	L 110–121	Boston Garden 14,890	46–24
71	April 3, 1988 1:30 PM EDT	Chicago	L 110–112	Pontiac Silverdome 23,712	46–25
72	April 5, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	@ New Jersey	W 125–108	Brendan Byrne Arena 11,586	47–25
73	April 8, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	@ Philadelphia	W 96–86	The Spectrum 15,164	48–25
74	April 9, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	@ Atlanta	W 115–102	The Omni 16,451	49–25
75	April 11, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	@ New York	L 111–114 (OT)	Madison Square Garden 13,312	49–26
76	April 13, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	Cleveland	W 115–98	Pontiac Silverdome 18,808	50–26
77	April 15, 1988 8:00 PM EDT	Milwaukee	W 92–91	Pontiac Silverdome 27,126	51–26
78	April 16, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	New Jersey	W 114–96	Pontiac Silverdome 22,767	52–26
79	April 19, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	@ Boston	L 110–121	Boston Garden 14,890	52–27
80	April 21, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	@ Washington	W 99–87	Capital Centre 11,713	53–27
81	April 22, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	Indiana	L 98–103	Pontiac Silverdome 27,881	53–28
82	April 24, 1988 7:00 PM EDT	Philadelphia	W 128–118	Pontiac Silverdome 27,854	54–28

1987–88 schedule

Playoffs[]

1988 playoff game log

First Round: 3–2 (Home: 3–0; Road: 0–2)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	April 28, 1988 7:30 PM EDT	Washington	W 96–87	Isiah Thomas (34)	Bill Laimbeer (12)	Joe Dumars (6)	Pontiac Silverdome 17,356	1–0
2	April 30, 1988 8:00 PM EDT	Washington	W 102–101	Isiah Thomas (30)	Bill Laimbeer (11)	Joe Dumars (5)	Pontiac Silverdome 18,293	2–0
3	May 2, 1988 8:00 PM EDT	@ Washington	L 106–114 (OT)	Isiah Thomas (29)	Bill Laimbeer (8)	Isiah Thomas (8)	Capital Centre 9,673	2–1
4	May 4, 1988 8:00 PM EDT	@ Washington	L 103–106	Dantley, Rodman (23)	Bill Laimbeer (10)	Isiah Thomas (10)	Capital Centre 10,513	2–2
5	May 8, 1988 3:30 PM EDT	Washington	W 99–78	Joe Dumars (20)	Bill Laimbeer (11)	Isiah Thomas (11)	Pontiac Silverdome 18,403	3–2

Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–0)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	May 10, 1988 8:30 PM EDT	Chicago	W 93–82	Adrian Dantley (23)	Bill Laimbeer (14)	Isiah Thomas (8)	Pontiac Silverdome 18,312	1–0
2	May 12, 1988 8:00 PM EDT	Chicago	L 95–105	Isiah Thomas (25)	Bill Laimbeer (14)	Isiah Thomas (13)	Pontiac Silverdome 20,281	1–1
3	May 14, 1988 1:00 PM EDT	@ Chicago	W 101–79	Vinnie Johnson (23)	Bill Laimbeer (10)	Isiah Thomas (11)	Chicago Stadium 18,676	2–1
4	May 15, 1988 3:30 PM EDT	@ Chicago	W 96–77	Adrian Dantley (24)	Bill Laimbeer (13)	Isiah Thomas (11)	Chicago Stadium 18,676	3–1
5	May 18, 1988 8:30 PM EDT	Chicago	W 102–95	Isiah Thomas (25)	Bill Laimbeer (13)	Isiah Thomas (9)	Pontiac Silverdome 21,371	4–1

Conference Finals: 4–2 (Home: 2–1; Road: 2–1)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	May 25, 1988 8:00 PM EDT	@ Boston	W 104–96	Isiah Thomas (35)	Rick Mahorn (10)	Isiah Thomas (12)	Boston Garden 14,890	1–0
2	May 26, 1988 8:00 PM EDT	@ Boston	L 115–119 (2OT)	Isiah Thomas (24)	John Salley (12)	Isiah Thomas (11)	Boston Garden 14,890	1–1
3	May 28, 1988 3:30 PM EDT	Boston	W 98–94	Joe Dumars (29)	John Salley (9)	Isiah Thomas (6)	Pontiac Silverdome 26,481	2–1
4	May 30, 1988 3:00 PM EDT	Boston	L 78–79	Bill Laimbeer (29)	three players tied (8)	Isiah Thomas (7)	Pontiac Silverdome 26,625	2–2
5	June 1, 1988 8:00 PM EDT	@ Boston	W 102–96 (OT)	Isiah Thomas (35)	John Salley (9)	Dumars, Thomas (5)	Boston Garden 14,890	3–2
6	June 3, 1988 9:00 PM EDT	Boston	W 95–90	Vinnie Johnson (24)	Bill Laimbeer (9)	Isiah Thomas (9)	Pontiac Silverdome 38,912	4–2

NBA Finals: 3–4 (Home: 2–1; Road: 1–3)

Game	Date	Team	Score	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Location Attendance	Series
1	June 7, 1988 9:00 PM EDT	@ L.A. Lakers	W 105–93	Dantley (34)	Laimbeer (7)	Thomas (12)	The Forum 17,505	1–0
2	June 9, 1988 9:00 PM EDT	@ L.A. Lakers	L 96–108	Dantley (19)	Laimbeer, Mahorn (9)	Thomas, Dumars (7)	The Forum 17,505	1–1
3	June 12, 1988 3:30 PM EDT	L.A. Lakers	L 86–99	Thomas (28)	Rodman (12)	Thomas (9)	Pontiac Silverdome 39,188	1–2
4	June 14, 1988 9:00 PM EDT	L.A. Lakers	W 111–86	Dantley (27)	Thomas (9)	Thomas (12)	Pontiac Silverdome 34,297	2–2
5	June 16, 1988 9:00 PM EDT	L.A. Lakers	W 104–94	Dantley (25)	Laimbeer (11)	Thomas (8)	Pontiac Silverdome 41,372	3–2
6	June 19, 1988 3:30 PM EDT	@ L.A. Lakers	L 102–103	Thomas (43)	Laimbeer (9)	Dumars (10)	The Forum 17,505	3–3
7	June 21, 1988 9:00 PM EDT	@ L.A. Lakers	L 105–108	Dumars (25)	Salley (10)	Thomas (7)	The Forum 17,505	3–4

1988 schedule

Player stats[]

Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average

Player	GP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	AVG
Adrian Dantley	69	227	171	39	10	1380	20.0
Dennis Rodman	82	715	110	75	45	953	11.6

NBA Finals[]

Game 1[]

The Pistons had just dispatched the Celtics in six games, while the Lakers were coming off back-to-back seven-game wins over the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers were tired, and it showed. Adrian Dantley scored 34 points, hitting 14 of 16 shots from the field. The Pistons took control of the game with six seconds left in the first half when Bill Laimbeer hit a 3-point shot to put the Pistons up 54–40. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar then fired an inbound pass intended for Byron Scott, but it was intercepted by Isiah Thomas who let fly with another three-pointer which went in at the halftime buzzer. The Pistons had a 57–40 halftime lead and never looked back, stealing Game 1 with a 105–93 win.

Game 2[]

Facing the possibility of going down 2–0 with three games to play in Detroit, the veteran Lakers found resolve with a 108–96 win. James Worthy led the Lakers with 26 points, Byron Scott had 24, and Magic Johnson 23 despite battling the flu.

Game 3[]

With Magic still battling the flu, the Lakers got a key win in Detroit, 99–86, to go up 2–1 in games. The Lakers took control of the game in the third period, outscoring the Pistons 31-14. Despite his illness, Magic had 18 points, 14 assists, and six rebounds.

Game 4[]

With pride in front of their home fans, the Pistons tied the series at 2–2 with a 111–86 blowout win. The Pistons decided to attack the basket and make Magic Johnson defend. Johnson wound up on the bench early in the second half with foul trouble.

With Magic out of the game, the Pistons built a substantial lead. During timeouts, Bill Laimbeer was almost frantic. He kept saying, "No letup! We don't let up!" They didn't, and blew out the defending NBA champions by 25 points.

Left open by the trapping Lakers defense, Dantley led the team with 27 points. Vinnie Johnson came off the bench to add 16 while James Edwards had 14 points and five rebounds off the bench.

Game 5[]

The Pistons' 104-94 victory was a perfect farewell to the Pontiac Silverdome. "I told Joe Dumars with a minute left in the game to look around and enjoy this because you'll never see anything like it again," Laimbeer said. "Forty-one thousand people waving towels and standing. It was awesome."

The Lakers opened Game 5 with a fury of physical intimidation, scoring the game's first 12 points. But that approach soon backfired, as the Laker big men got into foul trouble.

Dantley played a major role in the turnaround, scoring 25 points, 19 of them in the first half, to rally the Pistons to a 59-50 halftime lead. Vinnie Johnson added 12 of his 16 points in the first half to keep Detroit moving.

Joe Dumars added 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting to send the Pistons back to Los Angeles, one win away from their first NBA title.

Game 6[]

This game turned out to be a classic confrontation between a team hungry for their first title (Detroit) and a veteran team with their backs to the wall (the Lakers).

The Lakers led 56–48 in the third quarter when Isiah Thomas suddenly began a classic performance. He scored the game's next 14 points, hitting two free throws, a driving layup, four jump shots, and a running bank shot.

On the Pistons' next possession, Thomas stepped on Michael Cooper's foot, rolled his ankle, and had to be helped from the floor. Despite a severe sprain, Thomas returned to the game 35 seconds later and continued his dizzying onslaught. By the end of the third quarter, Thomas had scored 25 points, an NBA Finals record for one quarter, on 11-of-13 shooting. This helped the Pistons gain an 81–79 lead.

The Pistons' momentum carried into the final period as they led 102–99 with a minute left. Byron Scott cut the lead to one with a 14-footer in the lane with 52 seconds remaining. The Lakers then turned up the defense on the Pistons' next possession, forcing Thomas into a desperation 18-footer. Forty-one-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar then got the ball on the Lakers' trip down the floor and posted up Bill Laimbeer for his signature skyhook. As Kareem shot, Laimbeer was whistled for a foul, even though replays showed he barely touched Kareem. Jabbar then coolly sank the two free throws to put the Lakers up 103–102. The lead held up as Thomas, bad ankle and all, missed another shot at the buzzer.

Thomas would end up with 43 points and eight assists, but it was for naught as the series moved to Game 7.

Game 7[]

One of the best NBA Finals in recent memory closed out with another classic.

Thomas' ankle was still sore, as evidenced by his limping badly in warmups. He did manage to play the first half, scoring 10 points and leading the Pistons to a 52–47 halftime lead. But, the delay between halves caused the ankle to stiffen, and Thomas could not continue. With Isiah on the bench, the Lakers turned the halftime deficit into a 90–75 lead late in the 4th quarter.

Chuck Daly then went to a faster lineup with Dennis Rodman, John Salley, Joe Dumars, and Vinnie Johnson that created matchup problems for the Lakers and enabled the Pistons to score at a torrid pace. With 3:52 left, Salley canned two free throws to cut the Laker lead to 98-92, sending the Forum fans into a panic.

With 1:17 left, Dumars hit a jump shot to cut the lead to 102–100. Magic Johnson then hit a free throw after a Rodman foul to put the Lakers up by three. On the Pistons' next trip down the floor, Rodman took an ill-advised jumper with 39 seconds left. Byron Scott rebounded and was fouled. His two free throws pushed the lead to 105–100.

After Dumars made a layup, James Worthy hit a free throw and Bill Laimbeer canned a three-pointer, pushing the score to 106–105 with six seconds showing. A. C. Green completed the scoring with a layup off a length-of-the court pass from Magic, making it 108–105, and although the Pistons got the ball to Thomas at midcourt with a second remaining, he fell without getting off a shot.

Worthy racked up a monster triple-double: 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists. For that and his earlier efforts in the series, he was named the Finals MVP.

1987–88 Detroit Pistons season

Contents

Draft picks[]

Roster[]

Regular season[]

Season standings[]

Record vs. opponents[]

Game logs[]

Regular season[]

Playoffs[]

Player stats[]

NBA Finals[]

Game 1[]

Game 2[]

Game 3[]

Game 4[]

Game 5[]

Game 6[]

Game 7[]

Award winners[]

External links[]

References[]