It was not enough for Coach Pat Riley that his Lakers won the NBA championship in 1987, their third in six years.

• When asked if his team could repeat–something that hadn't been done since the 1968-69 Celtics–he replied, "I guarantee it."
• Beginning with training camp, Riley drove his veteran team like a man pos­sessed. But he was sensitive enough to know when to lighten up.
• The Lakers' top eight scorers from 1986-87 returned: Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, A.C. Green, Michael Cooper, Mychal Thompson, and Kurt Rambis.

The '87-88 Lakers won 62 games, three fewer than the year before, but still won the Pacific Division by nine games over the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Detroit Pistons had a driven coach too.

• Chuck Daly came to Detroit for the 1983-84 season and immediately im­proved the Pistons from 37 wins to 49.
• They had a winning record in each of his four years but couldn't reach the Eastern Finals until 1986-87 when they lost to the Celtics in seven games.
• The Pistons finally broke through in '88 when they toppled the Celtics for the East title in six games despite not having home court advantage.

Just as the Lakers were Magic Johnson's team, the Pistons belonged to Isiah Thomas.

• The quick point guard from Indiana directed his team, as Magic did the Lakers, since his rookie season in 1981-82.
• The Pistons put more pieces in place over the next six years until they finally reached the finals.
• Where Riley was intense and professorial, Daly was subdued and fatherly. He could get angry occasionally, but he gave his players, especially Thomas, room to breathe.

The Pistons hung their hat on their physical, aggressive defense.

• The team reveled in the nickname "Bad Boys," which they earned because of numerous fines for altercations on the court.
• They considered themselves the "Oakland Raiders of the NBA."
• The #1 "Bad Boy" was C Bill Laimbeer, described as "a tough-minded re­bounder who wasn't opposed to giving hard fouls on defense."
• "Bad Boy #2" was F Rick Mahorn, whom some regarded as one of the league's best low-post defenders and others considered a thug.
• Detroit's leading scorer was F Adrian Dantley (20.0ppg), a half-point ahead of Thomas. Next came G Joe Dumars (14.2).
• All factors pointed to the Pistons being a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division Team W L % GB Boston Celtics 57 25 .695 -- Washington Bullets 38 44 .463 19 New York Knicks 38 44 .463 19 Philadelphia 76ers 36 46 .439 21 New Jersey Nets 19 63 .232 38	Central Division Team W L % GB Detroit Pistons 54 28 .659 -- Chicago Bulls 50 32 .610 4 Atlanta Hawks 50 32 .610 4 Milwaukee Bucks 42 40 .512 12 Cleveland Cavaliers 42 40 .512 12 Indiana Pacers 38 44 .463 16

Western Conference
Midwest Division Team W L % GB Denver Nuggets 54 28 .659 -- Dallas Mavericks 53 29 .646 1 Utah Jazz 47 35 .573 7 Houston Rockets 46 36 .561 8 San Antonio Spurs 31 51 .367 23 Sacramento Kings 24 58 .293 30	Pacific Division Team W L % GB Los Angeles Lakers 62 20 .756 -- Portland Trail Blazers 53 29 .646 9 Seattle Supersonics 44 38 .537 18 Phoenix Suns 28 54 .341 34 Golden State Warriors 20 62 .244 42 Los Angeles Clippers 17 65 .207 45

Eastern Conference First Round Pistons over Bullets 3-2 Celtics over Knicks 3-1 Bulls over Cavaliers 3-2 Hawks over Bucks 3-2	Western Conference First Round Lakers over Spurs 3-0 Mavericks over Rockets 3-1 Jazz over Trail Blazers 3-1 Nuggets over Supersonics 3-2
Eastern Conference Semifinals Pistons over Bulls 4-1 Celtics over Hawks 4-3	Western Conference Semifinals Mavericks over Nuggets 4-2 Lakers over Jazz 4-3
Eastern Conference Finals Pistons over Celtics 4-2	Western Conference Finals Lakers over Mavericks 4-3

Neither team coasted into the finals.

• The Lakers swept the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs but had to go the full seven games to dispose of the Utah Jazz in the Western semifinals. The Dallas Mavericks also forced the Lakers to Game 7 in a finals series in which the home team won every game.
• Since the Celtics had the best record in the East, the road to the Finals would go through the Boston Garden. The Pistons had to go the full five games to take out the Bullets in the first round before zipping past the Bulls in five games to get another shot at the Celtics. The key game was the fifth in Bos­ton with the teams tied 2-2. The Pistons staged a big second-half comeback, then finished off the Celts in Detroit in Game 6.

Writers overwhelmingly predicted a Lakers victory in the finals, with most agreeing it would take only six games. They underestimated the determination of the Pistons.

• Game One: Adrian Dantley hit an amazing 14 of 16 shots from the floor for 34 points to lead Detroit to a surprisingly easy 105-93 victory. Reporters wrote that the Lakers resembled the Celtics–old and tired.
• Game Two: Magic Johnson came down with the flu but, with his team needing a win to avoid going to Detroit down 0-2, scored 23 points as the Lakers reversed Game One's 12-point loss with a 12-point victory. "I don't think there's any doubt Earvin Johnson showed the heart of a champion," said Coach Riley. "He was weak, very weak."
• Game Three: Before 39,188 in the vast Silverdome, the Lakers won 99-86 as all five starters scored in double figures led by James Worthy's 24. Most of the damage was done in the third quarter when LA shot 64% to outscore the Pistons 31-18.
• Game Four: Isiah Thomas spent hours in bed or a hot tub with a lower back bruise suffered in Game Three. But like Magic in Game 2, Isiah played and helped the Pistons even the series with a 111-86 victory. Coach Daly switched defensive specialist Dennis Rodman onto Johnson who blunted Magic's ability to penetrate and dish.

• Game Five: Needing to win to avoid going back to California down 3-2, the Pistons outscored the Lakers 32-20 in the second quarter on their way to a 104-94 triumph. Detroit outrebounded the Lakers 53-31 in the last game the Pistons in the Superdome before moving to their new arena the next season.
• Game Six: Back at the Forum, the Lakers stayed alive but just barely. The Pistons trailed 56-48 in the third quarter before Isiah scored the next 14 points. But a few minutes later, he landed on Michael Cooper's foot and suffered a sprained ankle. But he returned 35 seconds later and continued the onslaught, setting a Finals record with 25 points in the quarter to give the Pistons an 81-79 lead. With a minute left in the game, they still led 102-99. The championship trophy was wheeled into the Pistons locker room and iced champagne brought in. But Byron Scott hit a jumper to cut the lead to one and Thomas missed an 18-footer. With 0:14 on the clock, Abdul-Jabbar set up for his patented skyhook from the baseline, but Laimbeer was whistled for a foul. The LA captain made both shots for a one-point lead. Joe Dumars took the final shot for Detroit but missed, and the Lakers got the rebound to force Game Seven.