NBA: 1988 playoff finals - Pistons vs Lakers (game 7, Worthy 36 pts + 16 rebs + 10 assists)

Lakers champions (4-3)
Dumars 25 pts + 5 rebs
Scott 21 pts
M. Johnson 19 pts + 14 assists
Salley 17 pts + 10 rebs
Dantley 16 pts + 5 rebs
Rodman 15 pts + 5 rebs
Cooper 12 pts + 5 rebs
Thompson 12 pts
Laimbeer 11 pts + 9 rebs + 3 steals
Thomas 10 pts + 7 assists + 4 steals
V. Johnson 10 pts + 5 assists

[@boys1221ful]

Crowds are so into the game. I love the heat.

[@exdemocrat9038]

No cell phones. No Twitter. No racist players. China didn't control the players or league. Every shot wasn't a 3 pointer. There was contact on every single play. Players actually cared about winning and playing defense. The league now is unwatchable!

[@susanstamboulian646]

@@exdemocrat9038 "If Larry Bird was black, he'd be just another player" - Dennis Rodman "I agree"- I Thomas. No, not racist one bit! I agree with all your other points, though. Cell phones have ruined pretty much EVERYTHING in today's society. I can't stand them. My twin cousin, was killed by a motorist, that was driving and texting, and all the bitch got was two years probation. Just disgusting.

[@mscottlawrence2037]

​@susanstamboulian646 yeah I agree, it was a simpler time, sorry to hear about your cousin 😢

[@joelb.2685]

BIG GAME JAMES WORTHY only has 1 triple double in his career. He chose to do it in 1988 Finals Game 7! Legend!

[@vanhalenrulz9474]

I will never forget that game. As a lifelong Lakers fan, my biggest emotion when that game ended was relief.

[@brucedavis3816]

The most highly rated game in nba history!!!!!

[@chake46]

You are looking live at the Forum in Inglewood California, the Detroit Pistons vs the defending World Champion Los Angeles Lakers!!!!!!

[@pasadena1992]

Now it's called the Kia Forum

[@aurora-cj6ui]

world champion? why not galaxy champ?

[@DetroitLove4U]

Amazing how many people mugged the floor at game's end. Unprecedented

[@andrewcrawford4635]

Yes, especially with 2 seconds still left on the clock. Laimbeer could have hit someone with the basketball.

[@atheistleopard618]

not to mention, EJ fouled Thomas final seconds of the game, 3FTs NOT awarded due to home field refs. THEND.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot2]

Last time Magic rocked the goatee. Was 5-2 in the Finals with it…0-2 without it.

[@jasonpeng33]

Lol...great observation

[@truthiscensored]

Those two losses were due to injuries to key players. Including Magic who didn't play in Game 4 and only played 5 Minutes in Game 3 in the 1989 Finals due to hamstring injury

[@petierican6079]

What a great era of sports basketball 🏀 baseball ⚾ football 🏈..boxing 🥊 all sports thank you..amazing ball..❤

[@zacharythomason7359]

And Hockey as well.

[@bruces3613]

Auto racing too.

[@jarrodmurray6424]

Wrestling was golden too

[@petierican6079]

@@zacharythomason7359 absolutely 🫡

[@petierican6079]

@@bruces3613 absolutely 🫡

[@Milordvega]

This game for the 1987-88 NBA title was played on June 21, the first official day of summer in 1988. I remember a news article the day after saying that for the first time ever, a complete season in a US sports league covered all the 4 seasons of the year, having started in the fall of 1987. This season may have been the greatest single NBA season of all time.

[@AdrianWalsh-qz9fr]

Wow (1988) Detroit vs. Los Angeles its a classic series piston thomas jonhson game 7

[@UFOsAreRealArea51]

I miss the CBS nba music....kid memories.

[@davidintel]

Hard to believe this was 36 years ago, seems like yesterday. The Lakers were phenomenal!!

[@mikekillagreen9432]

These things even out. Isiah got hurt the next year Magic got hurt.

[@Scaglieri102]

THIS is the real basketball, played by real men.

[@jamesbutler8226]

Today's NBA is not like it use to be it's a shame

[@slowmo8631]

Yes yes whatever you say no ones care at the present. Those are now old men

[@Iranian_Phrenologist]

Stop this bro. Today's nba is more skilled and better by far. And nowadays they don't play on drugs.

[@Stephen32-zs7jm]

Talent level is lower than today Lebron speed power and agility would be too much and Steph and Klay would shoot them boys into oblivion😂😂

[@Scaglieri102]

@@Stephen32-zs7jm LOL LeFake and Splash Bros would shit pants in front of Laimbeer, Mahorn, Michael Cooper, Celtics frontcourt, Charles Oakley... Man it would be a bloodbath.

[@OtisKopp]

My man said he was hooked up to a machine that released elecrodes to push his thresholds of pain.

[@ianweir3608]

a pain machine? WHO TF invented a pain machine?

[@Youraveragebasketballfan]

Thank you, this was a banger 😊

[@TonyRobles-t4q]

I was sooo nervous, Isaiah almost beat the Lakers by himself while playing on one good leg. Lucky NO CALL at the end.

[@ianweir3608]

The Pistons were down by three with three seconds left, they easily could have made something to send it into overtime; but the crowd rushed the floor, and the refs didnt call the hip-check foul at the last moment. still, if any team deserved to be cheated out of a chip, it was the badboy pistons; the dirtiest team in NBA history. A whole team of Embiids and Draymonds. Big Game James proved himself Worthy of his name with this one. That was one CLUTCH performance

[@LaCream973]

That ghost foul is crazy

[@richbrake9910]

For Worthy to score 36 against perhaps the best defense of all time shows just how good he was.

[@edkiely2712]

16rebs, 10ast, and 2 steals as well! One of the all-time greatest performances in NBA playoff history!

[@123slasher.16]

Look at the final play of the series and tell me Detroit didn't get screwed. 1-2 seconds on the clock, Detroit down 3 and the entire LA bench is on the court. That should have been a Technical Foul with Detroit getting the ball at midcourt. 2-By the time Isiah Thomas catches the ball, LA fans are ON THE COURT.

[@MichaelSevilla97]

they definitely got screwed refs have been helping the damn Lakers win since the 80s smh

[@eddieG667]

this was a tight series on a mentally exhausted and physically exhausted reigning champ. Of course you can nitpick 1 or 2 plays in any tight game. Bottom line is that the Lakers had home court and certainly wasn't the only champ to get a few calls here and there. We can nitpick games 4 and 5 in Detroit with so many fouls being called on the Lakers that were questionable. That put lots of key players on the bench those games in crucial moments. This is the only game where the Lakers finally showed the explosiveness of their 1987 team. This was still a young Detroit team and many whiners will say "they would've 3 peated.." but forget that this is the series that made them even tougher. If they win in 1988, you can bet Jerry Buss would've had a better offseason in free agency and probably would've added another badly needed athletic guard or small forward. In the 80's the pendulum swung every year and the teams that got beat usually would come back stronger the next season.

[@raulvasquez2036]

I was a kid and a laker fan at the time, but looking at it now, there's no doubt the ref should have stopped play to get people off the court, or called a technical foul on laker bench. Detroit fought back to get within a three-point shot of tying. Two seconds is plenty to get off a shot. Shouldn't have ended like that.

[@123slasher.16]

@@raulvasquez2036 - the rules at that time should have awarded Detroit a technical foul shot and the ball at miscourt.. Dumars should have been shooting a T to cut the leaf to 2 and with the ball at miscourt, anything was possible. But the NBA allowed the entire LA bench to come on the floor before Detroit ever inbounded the ball then once Isiah Thomas caught the ball to start the play, the fans had joined the court . Just another way the NBA has constantly screwed Detroit.

[@joshuaj.2108]

Cry cry. Cry Funny how pistons fans don't want to talk about the countless cheap shots the Pistons got away with not only in this series but for a decade, yet you whine about call at the end of game. 🤡😅

[@MrDuds1984]

Nothing beat the NBA in the 80’s and early 90’s, it’s plain garbage now.

[@Repunza]

FACTS!!!

[@jamesbutler8226]

Ain't it the truth

[@lastoneleft1000]

I don't even watch the nba anymore. I'm 47 from detroit. Best basketball ever played right here

[@Repunza]

@@lastoneleft1000 Yep...I was just at the MGM Grand Detroit playing Poker with some people and they were telling me how much the miss the Bad Boys Pistons. They said today's Pistons would have gotten beat very badly if they played against the Bad Boys

[@couldbe8348]

You must be 43?

[@ErnestoGarcia-rd2th]

ea rayo puñeta que clase de celebración y juegazo del 1, en este presente ya no se celebra así 😆

[@Junkosei100]

Lakers almost lost the game due to missed free throws. Honestly, AC Green should have just run the clock at the end so no more chances for Detroit. That foul at the end was not given. Still had over a second after the foul. A free throw and a miracle follow up could have tied the game. You knew the NBA wanted the Lakers to go back to back.

[@susanstamboulian646]

You are right, the NBA wanted LA to go back to back, and have been on a mission to get the Lakers past the Celtics in overall titles, since 1987. The absolute BS at the end of this game, with fans and photographers all over the floor, in a ONE POSSESSION game, was a travesty, and an embarrassment to the integrity of the game. Can anybody sit here, and say with a straight face, that had the roles been reversed, that the refs would have made sure the floor was completely cleared off for the Lakers? I actually had a Lakers fan complain to me that the same exact scenario happened to the Lakers in Boston Garden, in Game 7 of the 84 Finals, when the fans stormed the court while time ran out, when there was 1-2 seconds left. Big difference, the score was Boston 111-Los Angeles 102. I don't think the Lakers had a 9 point play up their sleeves.

[@dylanstyles8056]

​@@susanstamboulian646Lol..yeah ok. Take your tin foil hat off. Throughout the course of multiple sports, when the home team is about to clinch it the fans have crowded/reacted in such a way. No league conspiracy theories needed.

[@OtisKopp]

Agreed. And fans were already rushing the court with 2 seconds left. The Pistons "technically" would have had a chance in today's game.

[@mongoslade277]

​@@susanstamboulian646ABSOLUTELY. The league Gave the Lakers this championship. The shenanigans at the end of games 6 & 7 were ridiculous. Glad Detroit swept them the next season

[@susanstamboulian646]

@@mongoslade277 It was all about the whole Pat Riley "guarantee" that the Lakers would go back to back, after winning in 1987. As a Celtics fan, that was a nauseating Finals to watch, two years in a row, the Pistons and Lakers. It's like choosing being shot in the head or the heart. 🤮🤮🤮

[@paulnguyen8910]

Jack Nicholson was in attendance, and I turned 17 some 18 days before. Look at those mountains, look at those trees; Look at that bum over there, he's down on his knees. Look at these women, ain't nothing like it nowhere. Century Boulevard (you'll love it!) Victory Boulevard (you'll love it!) Santa Monica Boulevard (you'll love it!) 6th Street! (You'll love it! You'll love it! You'll love it!) You Love L.A. We love L.A.! (You'll love it!) We love L.A.! (You'll love it!) We love L.A.! (You'll love it!)

[@gregrambo606]

What was Rodman doing shooting at : 41?

[@aurora-cj6ui]

What was Chuck doing with Isiah on the bench? And Dennis was just trying to win the game since the rest of the team suddenly lost all their balls. Exept Sally.

[@Freelancer2311]

@43:33 Thats 5 shots flagrant foul ejection suspension and they would call in the national guard in 2024, but in the 80's get up like a man two shots.

[@ericwright2594]

rip dr buss

[@EyeForKnowledge.]

1:27:05 Rodman making this shot was the final nail. If he would have passed and they could have scored with Johnson or Sally, I think Detroit would have won this game. Why did he think he had any business taking that shot?

[@mrejmanalo123]

Don’t see any major difference in terms of skill from before and now. They just adopted to the style that is being played before. The only difference I see is that the game now is played by the 3 ball instead of the more efficient low post and midrange game plus it has gone soft. The old era is definitely more exciting to watch.

[@upsidedown9823]

Thanks for posting this video, luv it! (quality kinda blurry, though)

[@scottl.1568]

I remember this! I was 11😅

[@lastoneleft1000]

So was I. I grew up In Detroit I cried all night when the pistons lost.

[@GangsterofloveSpacecowboy]

@@lastoneleft1000I was too, the Pistons were a Larry Bird steal in 87, and a phantom call on Bill Laimbeer in game 6 of the 88 Finals from possible 4 peat

[@lastoneleft1000]

@@GangsterofloveSpacecowboy u knw all facts

[@historyhongkong7521]

WHAT"S THE LAST REFEREE LAST CALL?

[@untexan]

The chaos at the end gets the headlines but the Pistons got some bad calls in their favor during the comeback. The super late and-one by Salley, the jump ball when Rodman only had one hand on the ball, etc.

[@whenever500]

still crying. go fight win lady.!!!!!

[@Ggggg12354]

Back 2 Back

[@mikekillagreen9432]

The kiss is weird af. Lol

[@mariohostios]

Piston beat the Lakers and almost beat the refs too. Fan and reporters on the court before the final buzzer. No tech, no penalty.

[@loganwolverine2573]

1:27:05 "rodman takes the jumper" what the hell rodman?

[@pillbox1240]

Yeah. That shot was really unwise. Funny to hear he’s too young and inexperienced just in his 2nd year.

[@jasonpeng33]

He knew he woulda been fouled and didn't want to shoot free throws...shoulda called a time out

[@kincamell2]

Gratitude

[@divo253644]

Any team with Bill Laimbeer deserves lost.

[@perryickes8991]

If Isaiah Thomas had been healthy the Pistons would have won

[@truthiscensored]

Showtime Lakers, Healthy Bird's Celtics, Dr. J and Moses 76ers and Bad Boy Piston would destroy Jordan's 90's Bulls. Bulls will have a very hard time keep those teams under a 100 points and the Bulls definitely NOT Winning 4 games out of 7 scoring UNDER 100 points...that worked against 90's teams, but not against 80's teams

[@jasonpeng33]

1:25:36....what did the commentator mean when he reference Bill Laimbeer in changing up the shot selection on that play? Never understood that

[@123slasher.16]

A few plays earlier he got a T for slamming the ball. That gave them one extra point before Detroit rallied.

[@jasonpeng33]

I hear ya but still dont know why Pistons would want to go for a three on that play​@@123slasher.16

[@truthiscensored]

The 1980's was a great time...when the team wins the fans and groupies all go to the locker room... Woo hoo! lol wait What you doing in here?

[@joshuaramirez6039]

One of the biggest robberies in NBA history!

[@bruces3613]

Detroit impressive with no quit to the end, if Isiah was healthy a different result perhaps.

[@pillbox1240]

Lakers smack down.

[@mikekillagreen9432]

More like Lakers escape.

[@dylanstyles8056]

​@@mikekillagreen9432More like Lakers 5th title in 9 years.

[@natelikes2012]

1:34:07

[@atheistleopard618]

whaqt kind of crappy ending was THAT?!? erving johnson fouled him , so he shou;ld've had 3 FTs and a chance to tie the game lmao. THAT WAS BULLSHHHHT ending

[@TheodoreRizzo]

Can you guys do better cleaning up these videos there’s a lot 70’and 80’s NFL games in KZbin that look crystal clear you guys uploading these NBA games should clean them up these games are gold

[@Amazing_Ball]

Hey, I'm already uploading these games for you all to watch...

[@austinchaney1103]

That’s what makes it better. Gives it that 80s aesthetic

[@andrewmartinez9992]

Somebody always complaining

[@truthiscensored]

Find the Clean version and upload them on YOUR Own U-tube Channel

[@mscottlawrence2037]

26:16

[@victorramos287]

They celebrate 2 seconds before 😄the game wasn’t over yet 😄Lambeer can make another 3 point in two seconds 😊 but every one wants LA to win that year 😊

[@johndo6175]

Take a closer look. By the time Thomas gets the ball in his hands there is one second left. Why don't you watch the whole game and count the number of flagrant fouls that were NOT called on Detroit.

[@victorramos287]

Ok Jonh you are right.. and also Detroit don’t had time out left

[@mikekillagreen9432]

Lucky Isiah got hurt.

[@dylanstyles8056]

​@@mikekillagreen9432Lucky Magic and Scott were hurt the next year.

[@mikekillagreen9432]

Nah. Lakers got slaughtered in Game 1 and The Pistons had homecourt advantage. You don't get swept when you have Kareem and Worthy unless you're overwhelmed. Pistons were back in The Finals the next year. The Lakers were booted in the 2nd round.

[@Ascuurman69]

Mr Michael Glasewski U said alllat 2 say what?! Answer these ?s n idc what u say 2 me just answer them as if your having a by yourself meeting n that way u will only be trying 2 deceive yourself 4 the greatest deceiver is the 1 who deceives himself Mr "talking loud saying nothing" Glazsewski... 1.in terms of Bird n Magic did they or did they not have a far more supporting cast than Doc prior 2 Moses's arrival?! Thas a no- Brainer of course they did when u can create a whole team just counting the hall of famers between the Celtics n lakers alone!!2.Did the Sixers 82-83 season outdo not just the times they faced the Celtics n Lakers but every championship run they ever had{Bird n Magic teams)?3whos won the most games as a professional ballplayer Magic,Bird or The Doc?n not 4 nothing,Me,the city of philadelphia n Doc(being the classy,unselfish team player he was)love Moses 4 completing the puzzle in terms of the roster n getting it done!!n Moses being the finals mvp has no effect on Doc's overall legacy 4 Doc's best years were behind him by that point but clearly he was still good enuf 2 get it done in the same year Moses came so I don't know why u even mentioned that?!They swept the Lakers that year n 4 those that know,know that says it all!!! It says that Doc needed far less than Magic n Bird 2 win the chip....Again Doc has the highest winning percentage between the 3 of them!!!f..it u can add jordan,kobe n lebron 2 the list also!! So if u can answer them ?s with true value Mr Glaszewski then u will prove 2 be a man that keeps it real in the moment of truth opposed 2 some1 that just lies 2 kick it..excellent,proceed..$ecure aka Mr.Boston

[@krlm2280]

"Big game James" was cemented on this night

[@paullentz1972]

Isiah was fouled with 1 second left. Plus the fans were storming the court when Laimbeer was trying to inbound the ball. The Pistons not having any timeouts the last few minutes of the game...really hurt them.

[@LaCream973]

Next they swept them

[@kennethzamoravillalobos2217]

As laimbeer said,what foul?

[@123slasher.16]

We Detroiters heard every excuse about Magic Johnson and Scott in 1989, the year Detroit was 6-0 against them the entire season, BUT Lakers fans KNOW that in Game 7 of 1988, they were fortunate to play against Isiah Thomas on that bad ankle.

[@stevenhines5550]

Did Karl Malone smash Isaiah Thomas' face apart before or after this series? I think it was after. That was the best play in sports history. Watching Big Tough Bill Laimbeer powerlessly hopping up and down like a 5 year old girl while Pretty Isaiah was laid out gushing blood and squirming around on tge floor was beautiful. I heard it took the doctors hours to reconstruct Isaiah's face.

[@krlm2280]

That happened in 91/92

[@123slasher.16]

How did it take doctors hours to reconstruct his face when he returned to that same game?

[@stevenhines5550]

@@123slasher.16 wishful thinking i guess

[@123slasher.16]

@@stevenhines5550 expect comments like this from a keyboard coward

[@lawrenceconnor4219]

He actually came back by the end of the 3rd quarter. Name me another player who would go get 42 stitches and come back to finish the game. I'll wait...............