# 1987–88 NBA season

The 1987–88 NBA season was the 42nd season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their second straight Championship, beating the Detroit Pistons in seven hard-fought games in the NBA Finals, becoming the NBA's first repeat champions since the Boston Celtics did it in the 1968–69 NBA season.

## Notable occurrences

Coaching changes :
| Offseason |||
| Team | 1986–87 coach | 1987–88 coach |
| Dallas Mavericks | Dick Motta | John MacLeod |
| Phoenix Suns | Dick Van Arsdale | John Wetzel |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Don Nelson | Del Harris |
| New York Knicks | Bob Hill | Rick Pitino |
| Sacramento Kings | Jerry Reynolds | Bill Russell |
| Los Angeles Clippers | Don Chaney | Gene Shue |
| In-season |||
| Team | Outgoing coach | Incoming coach |
| Golden State Warriors | George Karl | Ed Gregory |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Matt Guokas | Jim Lynam |
| New Jersey Nets | Dave Wohl | Bob MacKinnon |
| New Jersey Nets | Bob MacKinnon | Willis Reed |
| Sacramento Kings | Bill Russell | Jerry Reynolds |
| Washington Bullets | Kevin Loughery | Wes Unseld |
* The 1988 NBA All-Star Game was played at Chicago Stadium in Chicago, with the East defeating the West 138–133. Local hero Michael Jordan steals the show during the weekend, taking home the game's MVP award, after winning the slam dunk contest earlier in the week over runner-up Dominique Wilkins.
* Michael Jordan becomes the only player in NBA history to win both the scoring title and Defensive Player of the Year honors. He is also the only player in NBA history to combine these awards with the season's Most Valuable Player award.
* Michael Jordan becomes the only player in NBA history to accumulate over 200 steals with over 100 blocks in a season twice, and in a row.
* James Worthy records the first ever Game Seven triple double as he records 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists.
* The league awards expansion franchises to Charlotte, Miami, Minneapolis, and Orlando. The Charlotte and Miami franchises would debut in the 1988–89 NBA season, while Minneapolis and Orlando would begin play in the 1989–90 NBA season.
* The New Jersey Nets had 3 different head coaches during the season, a rare occurrence. The Indiana Pacers had four different head coaches during the following season.
* The San Antonio Spurs are the last team in NBA history to lose 50 or more games in a season, and still make the playoffs. Although they drafted center David Robinson with the No. 1 overall pick the previous year, he does not join the team until the 1989–90 season, due to a two-year commitment to the United States Navy.
* With the exception of a first round sweep of San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers played seven-game series the rest of the way. During the run, they overcame the Utah Jazz in the semifinals, the Dallas Mavericks in the conference finals, and the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals. The Mavs' appearance in the conference finals was the team's first of four appearances.
* This was the first time that the season extended until the 21st of June, which meant that the entire NBA season covered all four seasons of the year, beginning with autumn in November during the regular season and lasting all the way to Game 7 of the Finals which was played on the first official day of summer.
* On January 5, 1988, Hall of Famer Pete Maravich died of a heart attack during a pickup game. He was 40 years old. The Utah Jazz subsequently honored him by sporting a patch containing his jersey No. 7.
* The Phoenix Suns mourned the loss of center Nick Vanos, killed in an airline crash on August 16, 1987. The Suns sported black circular patches with his jersey No. 30 on their uniforms for the season.
* The Detroit Pistons play their final season at Pontiac Silverdome.
* The Milwaukee Bucks play their final season at MECCA (Milwaukee Arena).
* The Sacramento Kings play their final season at ARCO Arena I.
* The Washington Bullets played the 1987–88 season with two players on opposite sides of the NBA height record: 7'7" Manute Bol, then the league's tallest player (tied with another former Bullet, Gheorghe Mureșan) and 5'3" Muggsy Bogues, the league's shortest player.
* CBS begins broadcasting the NBA games in stereo.
* Larry Bird becomes the first player in NBA history to enter the 50–40–90 club more than once, and in consecutive seasons.

## Teams

1987-88 National Basketball Association :
| Eastern Conference |||||
| Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| Atlantic | Boston Celtics | Boston, Massachusetts | Boston Garden | 14,890 |
| Atlantic | New Jersey Nets | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Brendan Byrne Arena | 20,049 |
| Atlantic | New York Knicks | New York, New York | Madison Square Garden | 19,812 |
| Atlantic | Philadelphia 76ers | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | The Spectrum | 18,176 |
| Atlantic | Washington Bullets | Landover, Maryland | Capital Centre | 18,756 |
| Central | Atlanta Hawks | Atlanta, Georgia | Omni Coliseum | 16,378 |
| Central | Chicago Bulls | Chicago, Illinois | Chicago Stadium | 18,676 |
| Central | Cleveland Cavaliers | Richfield, Ohio | Richfield Coliseum | 20,900 |
| Central | Detroit Pistons | Pontiac, Michigan | Pontiac Silverdome | 33,000 |
| Central | Indiana Pacers | Indianapolis, Indiana | Market Square Arena | 17,171 |
| Central | Milwaukee Bucks | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | MECCA Arena | 10,783 |
| Western Conference |||||
| Midwest | Dallas Mavericks | Dallas, Texas | Reunion Arena | 18,293 |
| Midwest | Denver Nuggets | Denver, Colorado | McNichols Sports Arena | 17,171 |
| Midwest | Houston Rockets | Houston, Texas | The Summit | 16,285 |
| Midwest | Sacramento Kings | Sacramento, California | ARCO Arena | 10,333 |
| Midwest | San Antonio Spurs | San Antonio, Texas | HemisFair Arena | 16,057 |
| Midwest | Utah Jazz | Salt Lake City, Utah | Salt Palace | 12,686 |
| Pacific | Golden State Warriors | Oakland, California | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena | 13,335 |
| Pacific | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles, California | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | 16,161 |
| Pacific | Los Angeles Lakers | Inglewood, California | The Forum | 17,505 |
| Pacific | Phoenix Suns | Phoenix, Arizona | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 14,870 |
| Pacific | Portland Trail Blazers | Portland, Oregon | Memorial Coliseum | 12,888 |
| Pacific | Seattle SuperSonics | Seattle, Washington | Seattle Center Coliseum | 14,252 |

## 1987–88 NBA changes

* The Cleveland Cavaliers changed their road uniform from orange to dark blue color.
* The Washington Bullets changed their logo and uniforms.

## Final standings
### By division

| Atlantic Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Boston Celtics | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 36–5 | 21–20 | 19–5 |
| x-Washington Bullets | 38 | 44 | .463 | 19 | 25–16 | 13–28 | 13–11 |
| x-New York Knicks | 38 | 44 | .463 | 19 | 29–12 | 9–32 | 10–14 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 36 | 46 | .439 | 21 | 27–14 | 9–32 | 12–12 |
| New Jersey Nets | 19 | 63 | .232 | 38 | 16–25 | 3–38 | 6–18 |
| Central Divisionvte | 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 |
| Midwest Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Denver Nuggets | 54 | 28 | .659 | – | 35–6 | 19–22 | 18–12 |
| x-Dallas Mavericks | 53 | 29 | .646 | 1 | 33–8 | 20–21 | 20–10 |
| x-Utah Jazz | 47 | 35 | .573 | 7 | 33–8 | 14–27 | 18–12 |
| x-Houston Rockets | 46 | 36 | .561 | 8 | 31–10 | 15–26 | 13–17 |
| x-San Antonio Spurs | 31 | 51 | .378 | 23 | 23–18 | 8–33 | 12–18 |
| Sacramento Kings | 24 | 58 | .293 | 30 | 19–22 | 5–36 | 9–21 |
| Pacific Divisionvte | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div |
| y-Los Angeles Lakers | 62 | 20 | .756 | – | 36–5 | 26–15 | 23–7 |
| x-Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 9 | 33–8 | 20–21 | 23–7 |
| x-Seattle SuperSonics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 18 | 32–9 | 12–29 | 19–11 |
| Phoenix Suns | 28 | 54 | .341 | 34 | 22–19 | 6–35 | 11–19 |
| Golden State Warriors | 20 | 62 | .244 | 42 | 16–25 | 4–37 | 7–23 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 45 | 14–27 | 3–38 | 7–23 |

### By conference

| # | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte |
| # | 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 |
| # | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte | Western Conferencevte |
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB |
| 1 | z-Los Angeles Lakers | 62 | 20 | .756 | – |
| 2 | y-Denver Nuggets | 54 | 28 | .659 | 8 |
| 3 | x-Dallas Mavericks | 53 | 29 | .646 | 9 |
| 4 | x-Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 9 |
| 5 | x-Utah Jazz | 47 | 35 | .573 | 15 |
| 6 | x-Houston Rockets | 46 | 36 | .561 | 16 |
| 7 | x-Seattle SuperSonics | 44 | 38 | .537 | 18 |
| 8 | x-San Antonio Spurs | 31 | 51 | .378 | 31 |
| 9 | Phoenix Suns | 28 | 54 | .341 | 34 |
| 10 | Sacramento Kings | 24 | 58 | .293 | 38 |
| 11 | Golden State Warriors | 20 | 62 | .244 | 42 |
| 12 | Los Angeles Clippers | 17 | 65 | .207 | 45 |
Notes
* z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
* c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
* y – Clinched division title
* x – Clinched playoff spot

## Playoffs

Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.
| First Round | First Round | First Round | | | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Semifinals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | Conference Finals | | NBA Finals | NBA Finals | NBA Finals |
| E1 | Boston* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | New York | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E8 | New York | 1 | | | E1 | Boston* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E4 | Atlanta | 3 | | | | | | | |
| E4 | Atlanta | 3 | | | E4 | Atlanta | 3 | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Milwaukee | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E5 | Milwaukee | 2 | | | | | | E1 | Boston* | 2 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E1 | Boston* | 2 | | | | |
| Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | Eastern Conference | E2 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | |
| E3 | Chicago | 3 | | | | | | | | | E2 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | |
| E6 | Cleveland | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E6 | Cleveland | 2 | | | E3 | Chicago | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | E2 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E2 | Detroit* | 3 | | | E2 | Detroit* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Washington | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| E7 | Washington | 2 | | | | | | | | | | E2 | Detroit* | 3 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 |
| W1 | LA Lakers* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 |
| W8 | San Antonio | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W8 | San Antonio | 0 | | | W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W5 | Utah | 3 | | | | | | | |
| W4 | Portland | 1 | | | W5 | Utah | 3 | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Utah | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W5 | Utah | 3 | | | | | | W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W1 | LA Lakers* | 4 | | | | |
| Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | Western Conference | W3 | Dallas | 3 | | | | |
| W3 | Dallas | 3 | | | | | | | | | W3 | Dallas | 3 | | | | |
| W6 | Houston | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| W6 | Houston | 1 | | | W3 | Dallas | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | W2 | Denver* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W2 | Denver* | 3 | | | W2 | Denver* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| W7 | Seattle | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* * Division winner
* Bold Series winner
* Italic Team with home-court advantage

## Statistics leaders

| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
| Points per game | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 35.0 |
| Rebounds per game | Michael Cage | Los Angeles Clippers | 13.0 |
| Assists per game | John Stockton | Utah Jazz | 13.8 |
| Steals per game | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | 3.16 |
| Blocks per game | Mark Eaton | Utah Jazz | 3.71 |
| FG% | Kevin McHale | Boston Celtics | .604 |
| FT% | Jack Sikma | Milwaukee Bucks | .922 |
| 3FG% | Craig Hodges | Milwaukee Bucks | .492 |

## NBA awards
### Yearly awards

* Most Valuable Player: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
* Rookie of the Year: Mark Jackson, New York Knicks
* Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
* Sixth Man of the Year: Roy Tarpley, Dallas Mavericks
* Most Improved Player: Kevin Duckworth, Portland Trail Blazers
* Coach of the Year: Doug Moe, Denver Nuggets

### Player of the week

The following players were named NBA Player of the Week.
| Week | Player |
| Nov. 6 – Nov. 15 | Larry Bird (Boston Celtics) |
| Nov. 16 – Nov. 22 | Xavier McDaniel (Seattle SuperSonics) |
| Nov. 23 – Nov. 29 | Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers) |
| Nov. 30 – Dec. 6 | Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers) |
| Dec. 7 – Dec. 13 | Magic Johnson (Los Angeles Lakers) |
| Dec. 14 – Dec. 20 | Larry Nance (Phoenix Suns) |
| Dec. 21 – Dec. 27 | Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks) |
| Dec. 28 – Jan. 3 | Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) |
| Jan. 4 – Jan. 10 | Byron Scott (Los Angeles Lakers) |
| Jan. 11 – Jan. 17 | Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks) |
| Jan. 18 – Jan. 24 | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
| Jan. 25 – Jan. 31 | Bernard King (Washington Bullets) |
| Feb. 1 – Feb. 14 | Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta Hawks) |
| Feb. 15 – Feb. 21 | John Stockton (Utah Jazz) |
| Feb. 22 – Feb. 28 | Roy Tarpley (Dallas Mavericks) |
| Feb. 29 – Mar. 6 | Bobby Hansen (Utah Jazz) |
| Feb. 7 – Mar. 13 | Clyde Drexler (Portland Trail Blazers) |
| Mar. 14 – Mar. 20 | Charles Barkley (Philadelphia 76ers) |
| Mar. 21 – Mar. 27 | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
| Mar. 28 – Apr. 3 | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
| Apr. 4 – Apr. 10 | Harold Pressley (Sacramento Kings) |
| Apr. 11 – Apr. 17 | Lafayette Lever (Denver Nuggets) |
| Apr. 18 – Apr. 24 | Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) |

### Player of the month

The following players were named NBA Player of the Month.
| Month | Player |
| November | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
| December | Larry Nance (Phoenix Suns) |
| January | Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls) |
| February | John Stockton (Utah Jazz) |
| March | Karl Malone (Utah Jazz) |
| April | Lafayette Lever (Denver Nuggets) |

### Rookie of the month

The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.
| Month | Rookie |
| November | Mark Jackson (New York Knicks) |
| December | Mark Jackson (New York Knicks) |
| January | Armon Gilliam (Phoenix Suns) |
| February | Mark Jackson (New York Knicks) |
| March | Greg Anderson (San Antonio Spurs) |
| April | Kevin Johnson (Phoenix Suns) |

### Coach of the month

The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month.
| Month | Coach |
| November | Doug Collins (Chicago Bulls) |
| December | Chuck Daly (Detroit Pistons) |
| January | Wes Unseld (Washington Bullets) |
| February | Pat Riley (Los Angeles Lakers) |
| March | Doug Moe (Denver Nuggets) |
| April | Lenny Wilkens (Cleveland Cavaliers) |