“Magic, Big Game James, & Kareem vs Isaiah Thomas & The Bad Boy Pistons” Finals G1 6.7.88
the finals and keep in mind that 70% of the winners of game one have gone on to win the championship let’s meet the starting lineups let’s go down to Lawrence Tanner good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Forum in Englewood California for game one of the 1988 NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and the defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers and now for for the starting lineups first for the Eastern Conference Champion Detroit [Music] Pistons head forward in his 12th year out of Notre Dame at 65 number 45 Adrien Dantley at four in his eighth campaign out of Hampton Institute at 610 number 44 Rick Mahorn at Center in his eighth season out of Notre day at 611 number 40 Bill lame beard Edgard in his third year out of mcne state at 63 number four Joe Dumar that guard and his seventh year out of Indiana University number six number 11 and 61 Isaiah Thomas the head coach for the Detroit Pistons Chuck Dy second and fourth and if you need it we just and now for the Western Conference Champion Los Angeles loans Adar in his ninth year out of Michigan State at six9 number 32 Irvin Magic Johnson Ard and his fifth year out of Arizona State at 64 number four Byron Scot at Ford in his Third campaign out of Oregon State at 69 number 45 AC Green at four and his six year out of North Carolina at 69 number 42 James Worthy and at Center it his 19th year out of UCLA at 72 number 33 Karim Abul tbar and the head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers pad Ry so here’s the scene at the Forum getting ready for game one of this 1988 NBA Finals the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Lakers who try to repeat for the first time in 19 years the officials working tonight’s first game darl garrson his partner will be Joe Crawford and the alternate is Jess kiry Pistons have been a good road team Billy Cunningham they have won four of their last five including those two wins I refer to at Boston Garden and two wins in Chicago and their first win they won the first game against the Celtics in the Boston Garden but they’ll really be in be in for a lot here against the Lakers the interesting point is will their transition game be as effective as Chuck Daily hopes I’m anxious to see what the opening matchups are and of course with the benches being a big factor as well the Pistons were impressive going for deep against the Celtics but the Lakers have been here they know what it takes to win and they had to to survive two ruling seven game series beating Utah and Dallas they’ve endured the hardship to get to this point and an imposing home record in the playoffs Lan beer and Kareem jumping Center controlled by La d will be on Magic Johnson no surprise there and Isaiah is on stock Mahorn is on worthy dley will be on AC Green in the two centers match up as well illegal defense called against the Pistons that’s the warning the next time that’ll be a technical foul against Chu Dy and his crew well starting the ball game we’re seeing Detroit playing straight up against Kareem Abdul Jabar not looking for the double team Lakers like to get Jabar going early he’s the table setter according to Magic Johnson magic becomes the table setter rebound Mahorn Pistons running it up as you anticipated Billy and Thomas goes in and draws the foul so Detroit not playing half court at least in this opening moment Isaiah Thomas has more responsibility on him for this series than anyone before because here they’re going to change their Tempo in the first three series they did not run much now he’s going to have to make a lot of tough decisions on the breaks making sure they get that good opportunity shot foul was on Byron and of course the Pistons don’t have their best running team out there right now when they bring in Sally and Rodman they do they might they are quicker when they bring Rodman and Sally then the Lakers in the fast breing situations that says a lot Pistons have fewer playoff losses than the Lakers which is interesting Detroit has the lead and there’s a three4 trap by the Pistons we seeing them come out putting a lot of full court pressure they’re going right after the Lakers Scott has the ball knocked away and it’s still La ball how tough Detroit has been defensively in 16 playoff games they’ve held their opponents to under 112 times that’s phenomenal Kareem thises the hook box out by Dumars dley picked up by Green there’s one matchup Worthy is guarding Joe Dumar there’s another surprise yeah we’ll see a lot of moving around in by these coaches during during the course of this series Dumar outside hits and the Pistons are up four to nothing just about a minute going by Worthy with quick rebound is Lay beer and here comes Detroit [Applause] running Thomas against worthy here green Is On LAN beer the reason we’re seeing Detroit run so much chuck Deli feels this is when they are most effective as a ball Club four on the shot clock Thomas goes up dley with 1 second hits at the 24 second buzzer he thought Detroit would never get it off in time and they’ve started out six to nothing to startle this for him crowd you have to think that Magic Johnson’s going to look to take it over a little bit more and be more offensive minded seeing that they’re struggling early green setting a pick outside and losing it out of bounds is James Worthy so the Lakers are jittery and Detroit surprisingly looks to be the Poise team in the opening minute Chuck da coming into the game beforehand felt that he was concerned his team was very hyper in the lock room well so far they’ve come out showing a great deal of poise Thomas finds Lane beer goes inside lays it in and it’s 8 to nothing and Pat Riley wants a 20 second timeout and you can literally hear a pin drop here at this place well a lot of people out there wondering how would Detroit perform against the Lakers I think they’re sending a message right now that they’re here for a purpose to win a world championship 9 minutes and 52 seconds and you don’t have to fiddle with your dial on the TV set there is no crowd reaction coming out of this place right now well just being around La the last couple days you could feel the people little disappointment not having the Celtics here and thinking that the Lakers would just walk over this piston team and when you try to tell them hey this piston team they beat a good Celtic team a good Chicago team and they they’re worthy of being here now I think they understand why Lakers have missed their first three shots plus a turnover they haven’t scored 945 remaining in the first period worthy turn around and the Lakers get on the board that’s going to be a tough match up for Rick Mahorn he’s going to have to be very physical with worthy because he does not have the quickness Thomas finds dley now they isolate the Pistons D Dantley against AC Green doubled with magic good Rotation by the Lakers defensively dley though hits the shot and the Pistons are four for four in the early going and lead 10 to2 what they’ve been doing is making the extra pass at the offensive end of the Court finding the open man nearly 3 minutes gone by opening period and they call Danley with the foul on AC Green and that’s the first Pistons foul each team has one so far Detroit is more aggressive defensively than I’ve seen them in any of the previous series they have been a tremendous defensive team in the playoffs worthy will inbound again for the Lakers no accident it wasn’t just Boston’s bad shooting under 50% six straight times defense had a lot to do with it good move in the lane and gets the basket he didn’t show any indications that the tendonitis in the knee bothered him on that switch move no but he did jump off the wrong foot there that might be a sign that he is hurting with that leg all right 10 to four Pistons Lan beer gets rid of it in a hurry and hits and the Pistons have yet a Miss they’re five for five leading by eight points first two games here in La the next three at the Silverdome worthy Lane beer tips it out recovered by Magic three-point attempt fire and Scot long rebound and that could be a break situation for the pistol way BS it in I thought that was way off the Mark William he didn’t call that did he off the board 6 for six for the Pistons and it’s 14 to4 so being OD here at the Forum in the finals I think is a thing of the past for the Pistons if that was the case Kareem with the sky hook Lan beer the rebound it’s one shot and here come the Pistons running ler with a fake on worthy dley wants to be isolated against AC Green Scott won’t let it happen with a double Lan beer and the first Miss of the game by the Pistons with 738 remaining 14 to4 Detroit Scott has it blocked by Mahorn basket bounce and a foul and this crowd reacts positively for the Lakers for the first time and that’s where Byron Scott is most effective when he can get that ball in the open court and that’s the first Miss in the first chance for the Lakers to get out and run foul is on Mahorn second team foul and you’re looking at Scott who was the leading scorer for the Lakers during the regular season in the year in which he became a complete player now this is a different team for the Lakers to be facing in the playoffs the past teams they faced are postup teams looking to get the ball inside we’re seeing a team out on the floor right now that is a perimeter jump shooting team you may see Edwards with some post up play the backup center coming in a little later on basically that’s what they are live and die by the outside shot on the shot clock Thomas with worthy all over him fires away and that was the the first forced shot by the Pistons tonight you got to credit to the defense by the Lakers they did an excellent job in their game plan against Isaiah Thomas is to force him to shoot the perimeter jump shot not allow him to penetrate under seven minutes to go first period Vick Stockton and Billy Cunningham his have led all the way they’re up by seven now five as kareim gets on the scoreboard 14 to9 in favor of the Lakers that’s one reason right there seeing Magic Johnson posting up that I believe we’ll see Dennis Rodman matched up against him trying to take take Dennis taking magic out of the post position Thomas inside Banks it again he must like the glass here at the Forum it’s 16 to9 Detroit 6 and a half to go and Isaiah leads all scores with [Music] six Dumar has did a tremendous defensive job against Michael Jordan in the Chicago series Magic Johnson who doesn’t have the moves of Michael hits from outside for his first point well we see Magic Johnson how he reads the game and he realizes they need his offense at this point and he’s looking for it ding inside was Thomas ball away now the Lakers starting to come back they have a four on two break worthy against Lan beer gets the basket and now the Piston want the time out they still lead but the Lakers after trailing eight to nothing have come back in this one now here’s why Detroit is so fearful of the Fast Break Bill lambar who does not have the quickness against worthy picks up the foul and the [Applause] basket course of the Year about the Bad Boys from Detroit well I want you to take a look right here at James Worthy what he does when Dantley shoots the basketball [Music] number2 he just pushes him right out of underneath the basket and the the Lakers were off and running and they got the basket right there Al Davis who course people talk about the Pistons of being the Raiders of basketball even sent some Raiders sweaters to the Detroit club during the season managing General partner of the Raiders wory makes the free throw and it’s 16 to 14 John Sally is coming to the ball game for the Detroit Pistons so that could help the running game Rick Mahorn goes out Mahorn by the way has been bothered by a bad back may require surgery after the [Applause] season 540 remaining in the first dley and now the Lakers are called for an illegal defense each Club cited one time so we’ll have technicals the next time we have it and I guess after seeing Pat Riley and Chuck Daly let’s see the play yeah right in the middle of your picture you see Byron Scott standing at the foul line if he’s in that position he’s got to go double team the ball double dley Thomas in a crowd worthy Thomas gives up a lot of inches but the on Thomas’s side missed the layup green the rebound and the Lakers can tie it up they’re not in bad shape considering they were down eight to nothing worthy with a lot of time Sally is guarding him worthy faces a taller man there with a Skyhook Lane beer with the board both teams doing a great job on their own defensive boards we haven’t seen any offensive rebounds Lakers are on a 10 to two run right now they were trailing by 10 Sally didn’t have control and turns it over so the Pistons had the better of the Lakers early and now the Lakers have turned the tables on them with just under 5 minutes to go in the first game one best of seven for the NBA Championship Lakers looking to repeat Pistons hoping for the miracle and a foul away from the ball against Detroit will be their fourth team foul one more in their penalty this is against [Music] [Applause] thas horn was the only piston not to score Sally has replaced him in AC Green yet to counter for the Lakers magic working low post against Dumar take to double and Scott drives in and good Hustle by dley and he’s tied up by AC green kind of quick whistle there on the tie up very quick the shooting so far Lakers only 43% Detroit shooting well and it’s a two-point game so the Lakers have held and steady from the early Onslaught kareim Skyhook rebound Sally smed in that’s a style Pistons cling to the lead and Detroit with a slight rebounding as well what we’re seeing is the Lakers now are getting back better defensively as a team I guess they’re aware now that Pistons a been run Detroit missing after hitting their early shots they hit their first six shots of the game wory is called for the offensive foul and he’s shaking up James Worthy who has had problems with his knee it doesn’t seem to be that but it’s taking him a while to get up I think he falls on his hip here we see John Sally stepping right in the middle good call by the official right there Joe Joey Crawford he fell right on the hip or his elbow worthy stays in the game so the Pistons go to work with a two-point lead they started the game six for six but lately they’ve hit only one of their last six shots they’ve G cold Michael Thompson in the game and he picks up Isaiah Thomas on the switch Thomas left-handed shot and ball fouled called against the Pistons right now what’s happened is Isaiah Thomas has penetrated the last two times to the basket but he’s gotten himself too deep to the basket he’s got to pull up and shoot the jump shot Michael Cooper three-point whiz and defensive stalwart has replaced James Worthy what does that mean in the Laker lineup with that move Billy oh the flexibility that Pat Riley has Cooper could end up playing Isaiah Thomas Joe Dumars or he could be on Adrien Dantley and I would think he’d end up either on Adrien Dantley or Joe Dumars this time fifth team foul put the Pistons to the Penalty Sally committed the foul and green misses the [Applause] first green so far has contributed three rebounds even though he has not scored and he had a chance to tie it but it’s still a one-point game dick Stockton and Bill Cunningham here at the foreman Englewood first period the Pistons LED eight to nothing and their lead has been cut to one with 335 to go first game best of seven for the championship doubling dley that’s what the Celtics did dley gets free of green and gets an easy layup on kind of a pick and roll well you just went back door right away we saw the overplay by Green L and dley just were right on the same page in a nice play dley and Thomas each with six they’ve been the leading scores for the Pistons all year Cooper they leave open for the three it’s wild and missed Scot The Rebound in the lane another rebound Scott control nothing unusual the Celtics really dominated the offensive glass against the Pistons and the Lakers are starting to do a little bit of a here yeah and it’s the guards doing it Byron Scott getting to the boards you can’t allow that to happen 18- 15 in favor of Detroit seven on the shot clock Cooper inside three points he’s 0 for two and has missed badly twice Dumars Cooper picks him up so there’s the defensive assignment for Michael go go go go last Touch by dley into the hands of the Lakers trying to cut it to one 225 to go in the first Dumar is giving up a lot of inches magic to Cooper and Michael Cooper is way off the mark way off and we’re seeing now adjustments defensively now Detroit is looking to double the people in the post position Michael Thompson is the center defensively kareim went out after hitting one of his first five plenty of time on the shot clock Dumars in the corner and Joe Dumar hits he scored 35 points in one game against the [Applause] Lakers Detroit was red hot they’ve cooled off in the street for nine lately and a foul called against Dumars and it’ll be a shooting situation as they treat Worthy’s hip after that spill and Chuck Dy finds his underdogs up by five well our distinguished crew tonight also includes the distinguished Pat O’Brien who is over there checking on Pat Riley or or I should say James Worthy’s problems Patrick well James just turned to me and said he’s going back to the locker room there you can see him going what he has is a hip pointer if to feel that hard part on your hip right there he fell on his right hip he’s in a lot of pain that doesn’t stop you from doing anything if you can handle the pain you can handle it this is the playoffs and the finals I guess they can handle but we’ll check on in the lock room and we’ll get back to you later all right Pat thank you very much this is the type type of defense that we’re going to see next uh that Adrien Dantley is going to face all during this series the double team now he tries to step out and receive the outlet pass we see AC Green over playing and he’s going to have to work very hard to score and right there is just a fine play the Pistons going deeper into their bench Vinnie Johnson and James Edwards have checked in Vinnie Johnson the scoring whiz Off the Bench and James Edwards there’s Vinnie Johnson whose nickname is the microwave and James Edwards who was a big factor in four of the six games against the Celtics for Detroit 7-1 11-year veteran was picked up by Phoenix and proved to be a tremendous boost Detroit could not put more of an offensive team on the court than they have right now with Thomas Dantley Vinny Johnson and Edwards the offensive PRS Lakers made the free throw dley picked up by AC Green playing him tough Lakers defense has improved since the 6 for six to start nearly a turnover vny Johnson Control they’re not going to get it off though the 24 second clock expires but credit Magic Johnson for defensive hustle oh the defense by the Lakers was outstanding on that play the way they came over and helped and that’s a good sign for the Laker fans because when they’re getting to the loose balls that’s when they’re playing at their best 115 to go in the first period Pistons 20 Lakers 17 Vinnie Johnson is now guarding Magic Johnson swing it to Scott B he fakes Vinnie off of his shoes and Magics it in Vinnie Johnson went flying and Magic banked it in and he has six points I think that the Lakers will go to that as long as Vinnie Johnson or D Mars is going to are going to play Magic Johnson Chuck DA’s going to have to make an adjustment defensively under a minute to go dley going to the hoop and the foul outside it is only the second team foul against the Lakers first against AC Green the strange shooting when you look at the score of 2019 Detroit and look at the numbers up there well some offensive rebounds and there’s been some turnovers by the Pistons the Lakers have made you know been able to get the shots and not turn the ball over Hooper is on Isaiah Thomas Sally setting a screen switch magic picks him up Michael Thompson on James Edwards Long Range shot rebound by Magic and a chance to give the Lakers their first lead of the ball game with 22 seconds to go in the period 16 now on the shot clock dley now on magic magic fires away and the Lakers have their first lead well magic is just taking this game over for the Lakers he is just doing it the offensive end and the defensive end of the Court ultimately he’ll be the key to the Lakers fate no matter what happens final seconds of the first period and the basket counts by John Sally so the Pistons have the edge as Sally hits the bo hoop and that ends a very close first period and that is the end of one here in game one and we’ll return to the Forum after this word from your local station CBS Sports coverage of the 1988 NBA Finals is sponsored by the heartbeat of America today Chevrolet Polaroid Spectra system the camera that makes time stand still and by Honda Power Equipment it’s Honda engineering that makes the difference the first 12 minutes of the 1988 NBA finals are history and the Detroit Pistons lead the LA Lakers 22 to 21 as you enjoy hopefully cbs’s exclusive coverage of these finals the shooting Detroit 59% the Lakers 36 the Lakers hit only two of their last nine Magic Johnson however has eight points in the game and he brought the Lakers back he is the leading scorer worthy has seven Thomas and Dantley each have six for the Pistons Billy how do you sum up this in your words your first period of this final well if I’m Chuck da I’m a little concerned that my team’s able to hold the Lakers to 36% from the field and really do a great job with their set defense the only person really hurting them Magic Johnson posting up and you know that that’s got to be a big concern and Pat Riley’s got to feel very good at this point by the way the report on James Worthy he’ll be back they put a cushion on his hip knocked Away by Michael Thompson out of bounds and now a pushing foul called against Detroit Vinnie Johnson the guilty party but that was the defense of the Lakers as soon as Vinnie Johnson came off that screen he was looking for the shot and there was a hand right in his face Byron Scott and Magic Johnson at guard AC Green Michael Thompson and Michael Cooper Cooper in essence playing a forward position he can play magic finds Michael Thompson all Al in the corner green fighting for the rebound and it’s last off of Sally’s knee great Hustle by AC Green Kareem has come back in he was only one for five when he started the game and green goes out with three rebounds first appearance of the game for Dennis Rodman what kind of an effect will he have he could be a busy man in the series oh he can see Chuck Dale even said you might see him playing against Kareem in the post I said you got to be kidding me he said yeah we think he’s quick enough and he’s strong enough right now it’s Edwards against Kareem and he misses the sky hook still Laker ball Joe Dumar is also checking in for the Pistons so that group has Vinnie Johnson and Dumar as a guard and it’s Sally Edwards and Rodman up front Scot buries it you just can’t give a team like the Lakers that many opportunities to score two points and it’s been the turnovers by Detroit and the aggressive play on the offensive boards by the Lakers to ke them to stay in this ball game La regained the lead until Vinnie Johnson came back and hit and his nickname of the microwave is well earned no exaggeration there first two minutes of the second period Magic Johnson working against Dumars Rodman doubles Cooper wide open a lot of time the three Cooper’s cold starting this one Cooper’s cold and Vinnie Johnson hit his first jump shot and if he hits another one the Lakers might have to make some adjustments defensively Lakers decide to put Cooper on Dumars and Scott on Vinnie Johnson Vinnie Johnson gets the basket in the foul and that is not good news for Pat Riley with the way Vinnie Johnson starts off well Vinnie Johnson has the ability to carry a team for long stretches now we’ll see how he works off the screen coming off to the Baseline Scott tries to go up with him and you see how Vinnie Johnson leans in on that jump shot and is able to draw the foul he missed the free throw foul was on Byron Scott his second and he’s the first player on either side to pick up two personal fouls Pistons by three Lakers want to get Kareem on track edw and the rebound by Dumar James Edwards doing a good defensive job on kareim Edwards was not a factor was not with the club in their two games during the regular season robman gets fre of Scott inside and Dennis Rodman is on the board well that was some pass by John Sally and Rodman moving without the basketball Detroit has its running team in there Magic Johnson changes hands and draws the foul as AC Green checks back in Scott’s going to go out for the Lakers and a timeout 942 to go second period Pistons by five Pistons by five and right now let’s take a closer look on how this aggregation was built Jack MOSI and Chuck Dy these were the draft choices Dennis Rodman in the second round but Thomas Dumars and Sally drafted in the first round but of course any team worth it salt will make the right trades and here they are Vinnie Johnson has been around a while he came from Seattle air from Cleveland where he played for Chuck Dy Mahorn from Washington Danley well traveled from Utah and the big one this year seems James Edwards from Phoenixville an excellent job by this team and you look at James Edwards you have to remember Jack mcclusky tried two other centers to bring into the Detroit Pistons Daryl Dawkins was one and and William Bedford was the other and uh that didn’t work out and now Edwards we see on the court magic starting out his Club I asked him yesterday during a breather about M I said you know a lot of people think you may not be in 100% shape we had your groin in says I am now Bob Hansen of the Utah Jazz got me into shape I wasn’t until I had to go against him he worked me made me tired and now I feel good so of course I asked him if he was going to give him any part of his winning share if he won title he said the important thing was the ring and I’m sure Chuck Dale is very happy that Hansen got him in good shape magic hits two free throws crediting Bob Hansen what a job he did in that Utah series seven game Affair and the lead is cut to three nearly n and a half to go in the first half Edwards against Kareem short he’s been short twice on his favorite shot which is kind of a fallway jumper one thing the Pistons have done the Lakers hav’t any of their Showtime fast breaks yet no it it seems that Detroit’s doing a better job as well getting back defensively Michael Cooper still struggles he’s missed five shots he’s guarding Vinnie Johnson not that time rebound by AC Green Green has score rebounds to lead the Lakers another reason the Lakers are having trouble running is James Worthy is not here we know how he can fill that lane magic goes right around Joe Dumar Dennis Rodman Dennis Rodman was left flat footed just shock because you know you think of magic 69 and in there posting up inside he’s supposed to be outside lead guards are supposed to be running the team hey Magic’s been MVP of the finals three times so his great play has been well Chronicles he’s got 10 of the last 12 points for the Lakers and illegal defense called against the Lakers that’s a technical foul and the Pistons will shoot it’s Michael Thompson the guilty party one thing you’ve known by looking at Pat Riley and Chuck Dy they we’re looking at perhaps the two best dressed coaches ever to meet up in the NBA Finals I think those two suits they’re wearing cost more than my whole wardrobe I thought you were going to say they’re rented but we know better Kumar’s on the line makes good on the techical and a two-point piston lead and they’ve got the ball well right now you look at the Pistons and this is showing the depth of this ball Club because there’s only one starter on the court right now Joe Dumars the rest other four players of the bench of Chuck deles James Worthy coming out of the dressing room heading back in and I’m sure you’ll hear some of the cheers out here at the Forum when he appears pass inside knocked away Sally recovers plenty of time on the shot clock Rodman Edwards good inside passing by the Pistons who up their lead to four once again but we’re seeing a different James Edwards over the last two series he’s becoming more aggressive his teammates are looking for him when he’s posting up and the tears are for James Worthy Scott misses outside as he comes back on the floor rebound robod and Byron Scott has not hit anything from the perimeter everything he been going to the basket 7 minutes and 40 seconds to go in the first half 31-27 lon’s lead Edwards finds the Mark James Edwards with his second straight field goal you know these two guys aren’t strangers Kareem Abdul Jabar and James Edwards they played against each other a few years ago when Edwards was at Phoenix 84 and it was a tough six game series and Edwards more than held his own against green so timeout called by the Lakers 726 to go as Detroit keeps the lead in this game one back at the Forum by the Laker bench after we saw three doctors and Worthy’s wife go to the locker we followed they took a little time because they put a fiberglass cover over his hip he now has the best protected hip on the floor he’s going to be okay back to you dick all right Pat thank you very much I guess there’s been a great personality change in this Detroit Piston team bill yeah it’s just it’s unbelievable as you see in 1986 they were giving up 122 points a game and now it’s 94 and I think a lot of people said well it was the style of play and it was the team they played in the Boston Celtics that they were able to keep under control but right now you look at the clock and with 726 left in the second period the Lakers only have 27 points you expect them to do that in the first 10 minutes of the game and 33% shooting Edwards committing the foul on Kareem that is the third team foul on the Pistons and the second foul on James Edwards with 720 to go the Lakers shooting 33% they set a record for the best seven game shooting against Dallas at 53% so Detroit’s defense has to mean something kareim one for eight from the field after missing that sky hook nearly 7 minutes to go in the first half 33 to 27 in favor of the Pistons they just don’t let teams get a 100 that doesn’t mean that’ll happen tonight but so far they’re on the mark That Way Lane beer who’s coming the game misses outside loose ball Edwards and a new clock for a pising Edwards setting a screen Cooper trying to fight sort of a slide and roll in James Edwards now the Lakers can run Cooper and an easy basket falls off the rim La very rarely misses that kind of a Michael Cooper just has no feeling out there right now offensively he’s just smiling out there he just can’t believe it smiling on the outside hurting on the inside he’s 0 for six Vinnie Johnson with his Line Drive shot buries it and he has three field goals this VAR and we see what Chuck Dell’s theory is offensively if someone like Vinnie Johnson gets it going he’s looking to get him the ball every opportunity Scott working against D Mar’s Dum Mar’s foul and the fourth team foul on the Pistons and James Worthy went to the in room after injuring his hip comes back in replacing Michael Thompson Cooper also comes out now Pat Riley has got to find a button to press to find someone offensively to get his team going magic comes in the game green lost it out of bounds to Detroit a lot of people thought that was an ugly series the Celtics and the Pistons it depends on whether you win or lose I guess and this one is not starting out artistically beautiful huh no but this is the style of Detroit they’re going to run when they get chance but they’re also an excellent defensive team rot and this is a jumper Pistons have scored seven in a row leading by eight green offensive foul against AC Green of the Lakers his second person you got to tip your hat to Bill ambir back there he had to stand in there and take that charge by AC Green who was going strong to the basket Adrien dley will come back in for the Pistons and Rodman goes out Danley has scored six that was all in the first period Rodman two now A different kind of personality for the pist yeah but they’re going to be looking to go to Vinnie Johnson Worthy on [Applause] him Isaiah Thomas hasn’t taken a shot in the second period Vinnie Johnson you’re right he was the man came up short Scot goes up without the ball and the foul against the Pistons it’ll be Thomas and that’ll put Detroit in the penalty Isaiah Thomas’s second foul he has six points but nothing so far in the [Applause] second now when you’re playing against Byron Scott on the break that’s the spot in the court he likes to get to and then take it strong to the middle so far Scott has five points and also four rebounds he has definitely improved his inside game on both ends this season lot more aggressive in the last three years and you can tell by how many times he goes to the line well when he came into the league he was a jump shooter now he’s playing with a lot more confidence he led this Laker team in scoring for the regular season and we see he’s going out there playing very confidently one out of two for Byron Scott 3528 getting down to 5 minutes to go in the first half this crowd has had not have that much to really scream about so far tonight Lan be lost the pick and roll Thomas with eight on the shot clock Thomas fires the three and it’s perfect and the first three-point shot for the Detroit Pistons Isaiah Thomas but we’re seeing an adjustment the Lakers have to make offensively and defensively magic finds an openings him and that’s the only thing that’s been effective for the Lakers in their set offense because playing against Dallas that was a team that really tried to run a lot more and now we’re seeing a very patient when they don’t have anything Detroit team and it’s uh not what the Lakers want magic 14 leaves them Edwards hits the shot inside Detroit is able to get some inside baskets they’re not as much a perimeter team it seems and it all comes off the penetration in finding the open man Kareem inside hit he has struggled from the field so far tonight that’s only his second basket 40 to 32 the lead is eight they had matched their biggest lead of 10 Edward hand spin it in inside is Adrien dley and that’s where he’s made a living for 12 years it’s a 10-point lead matching the biggest lead that the Pistons have enjoyed with just under four minutes to go first half and Magic goes flying and the Pistons commit the foul now here’s Adrien Dantley getting this missed shot by Edwards who probably should have gone up and dunked it watch how big He makes himself when he Powers it up to the basket he’s not even 65 Sally at 611 has come back in replacing Bill Lan beer the foul was on Vinnie Johnson is second Rodman also comes in after a brief rest and Magic on the line shooting two so Rodman and Sally are in there along with Edwards Thomas and dley it’s a big team and a fast team you realize with 350 left in this half if Magic Johnson wasn’t out there scoring this Laker team wouldn’t have 20 points in this half he has 16 of their 34 points Magic Johnson Dantley going in try to pass it and it was picked off by AC Green three and a half to go first half Sally against worthy worthy try to go Baseline cut off nicely by Sally and here’s Isaiah Thomas a four on two break and gley lays it in and the Pistons are up by and he got away with a few steps on that play at least three or four huh one two three nearly 3 minutes to go again the Pistons up by 10 Rodman is on Magic Johnson Rodman guarded Larry Bird in the last series a good deal of the time magic couldn’t get away Rodman to dley and the Pistons have opened up their biggest lead of the game a 12-point Advantage timeout Lakers [Applause] Bo they look cool and comfortable out there but we’ve got a long way to go all right halftime coming up let’s send it over to my man Brent musberger Brent hi right dick and Billy thank you very much we’re going to talk live now with the king of the air Michael Jordan he’ll be with us at halftime got another award today the NBA millerite player of the year also we’re going to check in on the astrologers and see what they say about the outcome of the series that and all the sports news that send you back across the way now to dick and Billy take it away dick all right Bren the Detroit Pistons on The Fast Break have opened up a 4634 lead on this play and here’s the good defense by Rodman magic trying to force the issue to draw the foul and here come the Pistons out running dley has 12 to lead Detroit rout trying to get behind the Lakers when they need it the most imagine only 34 points by the Lakers and little more than or just under three minutes to go in the first half Thomas tightening up against Scott Lakers are shooting 33% in this game worthy good position inside gets the followup James Worthy now so far in this half the reason we’re seeing the Lakers struggle and they’re going to go to a trap that looks like now straight man but they’ve only scored four points on their fast break Edwards against Kareem doubled with Scott Sally gets in the low post momentarily Edwards with a fer magic the rebound two minutes to go in the first half Scott green the offensive rebound rebound Edwards Edwards already has been a big factor in this game at both ends of the Court Rodman short off the glass not a good shot by Rodman and he was only about 7et away worthy basket this crowd’s getting into it now this is where we talk when we talk about the home court advantage this team needed a lift and the fans here in LA are giving it to Magic leads with 16 wory 11 but dy’s the leading score for the piston with 12 Kareem picking up Isa on a switch Edwards James Edwards scores again and he has eight points after not scoring in the first period winding down to a minute to go the lead is 10 for Detroit Scott long range Edwards knocks it away Lakers Ball but we see the Lakers have no perimeter game so far tonight we saw Cooper he didn’t hit anything Byron Scot can shoot the ball well tonight Magic’s hit one or two from the perimeter but I know Chucky would live with that an offensive defensive substitution maybe here for James Edwards here how do you read that well might be a little fatigue on James Edwards part and Chuck has that availability because he has two big physical centers Kim didn’t have quite the control on his hook and with 50 seconds to go the Pistons can open up their 12-point leading margin again you know this is something different for most teams playing the the the Lakers not double teaming Kareem Thomas basket counts and a foul and now Isaiah Thomas can open up the Detroit lead to 13 the foul is against Magic Johnson his second now here’s Isaiah Thomas penetrating to the basket now Byron Scott cannot allow that Magic Johnson had no choice but to stand there you know the story of magic and Isaiah Thomas they are very close friends off the court and Magic looking forward to going back to Michigan and is he said I don’t want to think about it until I have to and it’ll be a celebration right now he’s got his mind occupied I don’t think the way things are going right now he doesn’t want to be back in Michigan lead for Detroit still Laker ball Isaiah Thomas has played under control so far in this game that has been one of the criticisms of the Pistons at times Well I you’ve seen such a change in this young man and his true leadership qualities now are coming out with this piston ball Club he can play a great game without scoring a point double kareim Scott iron Scott with 25 seconds to go the lead is 11 this is a stunning first half of basketball if for nothing else than the Lakers are not even going to get close to 50 points they have averaged 108 in the [Music] [Applause] playoff six on the shot clock there’s a 1se second differential Lane be long range hits a three-point basket Bill L beer hits a three Thomas goes for three and Isaiah hits a three and the Pistons dance off the court at halftime having stun the Lakers leading by 17 and those last 5 Seconds were dramatic six points in seven seconds I think that Chuck da is even stunned here’s lamb beer hitting and here’s Isaiah Thomas just reading the Play Picking off Kareem’s pass pulling up that’s his that’s the third three-pointer of this second period by Detroit a shocking first half of basketball that is the end of the first half the Pistons 57 the Lakers 40 Brent musberger will be back with the presential at the half after this message amazing the full line of import cars and trucks available at your Chrysler plmouth and Dodge dealers Seagram’s coolers and by the US Army where you get an edge on life be all you can be a stunning first half the Pistons lead the champion Lakers 57 to 40 and if you walk around this crowd most of the people say well it’s the Lakers not hitting the shots we don’t think it’s Detroit’s defense that’s the way it was in the last series with the Boston Celtics well Pat O’Brien had a chance to Corral Pat Ro to get his thoughts on the view of the first half what did you tell your team what do you have to do to get back on track here coach well you know we got to shoot the ball better I thought we had a lot of good shots but I also think that we didn’t show much patience but uh still 24 minutes there’s a lot of basketball to be played and we have to play our game that’s it with were they gone for that few minutes did that take you out of sink a little bit no I don’t think so I think Detroit played extremely well they did the things they wanted to do on offense and uh you know we just got to play harder and uh we got to attack and we’re not doing that you wored no no well but you know you’re down 17 points and and having them score six points in the last 3 seconds uh it’s a little bit of a Crusher but we’ll come back strong thanks for stopping think Pat’s worried a little absolutely he is and I think that he says they’re offense but I believe that they have to pick it up defensively because they were not able to run against this piston ball Club Detroit shot 61% in the first half a 34% for the Lakers Lane beer who hit a three [Music] eight on the shot clock Isaiah Thomas a long rebound to Magic Johnson Pistons ended up the first half with an 11-2 run to open up the 17-point advantage worthy a horn in his face rebound by Scott he’s got it big story of the first half was the scoring Off the Bench he knew Detroit was deep they outscored the Lakers 18 to nothing Off the Bench so Michael Thompson and Cooper were not factors for the Lakers D Mars inside Thomas air ball on the Baseline magic he’s got Scott green Kareem and worthy Lakers starting the Pistons starting the same five as started the game for them including Rick Mahorn is guarding worthy Kim lays it in now one thing Detroit has to do is they must be aggressive out here that’s the way they started this ball game so far we haven’t seen that aggressiveness with the Pistons every time the Lakers have needed a win in any series aggressiveness is what ke out of bounds still piston ball with nine seconds remaining on the clock now here’s James Worthy being able to penetrate much too quick for Mahorn on the outside finding Kareem for the layup Thomas threw the ball away and now the Lakers he scored four straight points and Scott lost it that was a Laker break and Byron Scott couldn’t hold on well Byron Scott was shooting the basketball before he received the pass what did Pat Riley just tell Pat O’Brien patience and that’s what they didn’t have there Dumars to Thomas Kareem is guarding Mahorn Mahorn has not been a threat only played 6 minutes in the first half he’s got the back problems dley against Green lays it in went right by him as Z he weren’t there well AC Green if you remember the last series had a tough time with Mark Maguire when he was posted up it looks look like they’re going to try and post up Dantley a little bit now they’re doing the same worthy against Mahorn the basket counts and worthy will go to the line to try to complete a three-point play now one of two things Chuck I think is going to have to do against worthy he’s either going to have to come back and double team worthy when he catches the basketball or he’s going to have to bring someone off the bench because right now Worthy is a little too quick I think for Rick Mahorn worthy was out of while with a hip injury in the first half came back and James Worthy now has 14 points Magic Johnson leads the Lakers with 16 and Isaiah Thomas very quiet 15 leads the [Applause] Pistons the lead is 12 for [Applause] [Music] Detroit good job by by the Lakers defensively rotating well and finding the Open men 5 seconds on the shot clock lame beer in the lane Flames a foul and there will be not against Lan beer I don’t think but away from the ball well what happened no he was fou exactly right and the reason the crowd and the Lakers were a little upset they thought he walked on that play before he shot the basketball Magic Johnson has picked up his third personal [Applause] foul and Bill L beer is on the free throw line he went to high school here in Southern California at Palos [Applause] bdes considering his style and temperament he’s a villain to opposing players and fans but they love him in Detroit one of the best outside shooting centers in the game you know Chuck Dy said that all the teams that think he’s a Villain at the end of the season they’re always making those calls to Detroit see to see if he’s available for a trade 61- 47 Detroit 925 to go third period game one best of seven and stepping on the line it’ll still be Lakers ball Danley had his foot on there well that was just excellent defense that time by Rick mAh just fighting through the screen and denying that pass to to worthy AC Green off the screen Magic Johnson saves it what a yman work he has performed Scott scores but magic was the guy that made it all happen oh he’s had to do it all so far in this ball game for his ball Club to keep him in the ball game p call a timeout Lakers have cut the lead to 12 La is led by only one point twice in this game just for a few seconds but they can explode the second half here at the Forum in Englewood California dick Stockton and Bill Cunningham Detroit leads but before the game Chuck Dy the Pistons coach expressed some doubts as to how his team would come out having not been here as a head coach players not having been here uh I don’t know about the hysteria dealing with the media and the Press uh even the the um 232 setup is something that none of our guys have been through and we have to learn about so I think there’s a lot of questions to be answered about us I think uh physically emotionally I think our guys want to win and want to win badly I think we’re capable but we’re going to have to play our best basketball he arrived 5 years ago and the Pistons have been in the playoffs every year this was the best season in their franchise history game two by the way will be Thursday night at 900 Eastern here at the Forum before the scene shifts to the silver D what a throng we expect there under N9 minutes to go in the third period 61 to 49 and Adrien dley with a fallway most of his early baskets against Boston were of that variety bill that and there’s no way you can defend that shot because AC Green was all all over him but when he falls away you notice he doesn’t shoot the jump shot it’s a one-hander he’s eight for n dley plenty of time on the clock for the Lakers they look for Kareem and he’s got to get going green is fouled AC Green is doing a great musle job getting the position inside now here’s what happens when the the they go for that offensive glass you see The AC Green just fighting to get that position and get control of that rebound and Danley committed the foul his second and will Pistons commit another foul Rick Mahorn his third personal foul Mahorn by the way coming off by far his best season in the league and that’s just a memory considering his back injuries and he goes out for Sally but and I think he’s not playing with confidence right now you notice last time down he was open for the post up but his teammates didn’t look for him Scott drives the basine there’s Green in the way Dantley goes flying and they’ll call the foul against AC Green but that’s not a bad foul by AC Green they need someone to get something going for this Laker ball Club get a rebound get to the offensive class because Scott’s been struggling Kareem Abdul jabbar’s been struggling the only two players doing anything worthy in Johnson so now green and Magic each with three for the Lakers that’s not foul trouble four would be quick shot by Dumars Pistons passed the ball well Dumars had an open jumper and that’s all you can ask for against the defense when they double team magic again spins inside and another fine move by Urban Johson who has 18 points this is his time of year remember those days when he had the lay up against Houston that didn’t go anywhere let the clock run out against Boston long long time ago and he’s come back and won so many times since Thomas misses a jumper and the Lakers can cut it to 10 they were down by as many as 17 that was our halftime Mark Pistons must show more patience at the offensive end of the [Applause] court umar’s on Magic 8 seconds quick double this is what Scott does best and byon Scott now 14 points it’s 10-point game now whenever you play Byron Scott you must either Force the jump shot or force him to the left L beer tippy toes the jumper that’s his famous shot doesn’t take long to release that one he’s got 11 including a rousing three-pointer just before Thomas hit his in the waning seconds of the first half well lamb be creates so many problems you don’t see any centers in the lead having the ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter the way he does Scott wide open L beer coming out to greet him well that that’s just an open shot now the Lakers are just shooting the ball poly I can’t say that right now in this period it’s been the defense of the Pistons you’re right Stanley missing a reverse layup and Sally loses it out of bounds NBA Commissioner David Stern who has done a brilliant job with this sport in every phase you name it he’s done it and includes the latest player agreement yep and he has to be ecstatic the way the playoffs have gone for the NBA it’s just been a battle for everyone Vinnie Johnson has checked in for Isaiah Thomas who goes out with 15 Isaiah missed two shots here in the [Applause] [Music] third turn around green AC AC Green Thomas getting a breather that was Green’s first field goal of the game 10-point lead Detroit 6555 555 to go in the third and an offensive foul against John Sally two on Sally right now the team fouls Pistons three Lakers two big possession for the Lakers they need a good shot probably go inside to either one of three people either Kareem magic or to go to worthy they keep scotting Worthy on the perimeter dley committing his foul that is his third foul so the Pistons have dley Mahorn with three fouls not a big factor because they have a deep bench at the forward position Lakers have 17 seconds to attempt a shot they won 60 games or more for the fourth straight year 62 and 20 their record no one’s done that till now worthy block by Sally green on the turnaround and it drops for AC Green and it’s an eight-point ball game nine rebounds for AC Green Five Points and right now AC Green is the spark that the Lakers are looking for dley going up and is fou talking about Green you know the proof of his acceptance to the Lakers before when he passed up passed up an open shot no one got mad at him but this year when he did the players started to get on him which means that the Lakers expect more of him and he’s part of that club now well if he’s going to be an important factor of this ball Club they realize that he’s got to hit the open shot and be a [Applause] threat Jabar committing his first foul Gary Shandling on the left and you know John mackenro Billy [Applause] Crystal 66 to 57 506 to go Dantley makes both free throws and the lead again is 10 well you can see going into even game two looking ahead the Lakers have got to find a way to get themselves running because Detroit has forced them to play their style of [Applause] play illegal defense against Detroit that’ll be a technical foul John Sally and Scott will shoot it 451 remaining in the third period in the two previous games this year between the teams the Lakers outscore the Pistons by 17 points in each game they right now have out scored him by seven M horn that’s the pain that he has in his back and he can’t really sit on the bench he has to lie down there and he said he’s just going to have to play through that pain if he wants to playing the playoffs still Lakers [Music] ball you just get the feeling that the Lakers are going to explode out here at some point Scott gets around L picks him up and a block by Sally I believe and here comes vny Johnson behind to Dumars big jumper for the Detroit Pistons very big shot and also a big momentum play for the the Pistons a great block by John Sally at the other end at an easy two points Sally leads the Pistons and block shots Kareem oh God over Lane beer that was an easy shot eight points for the 41-year-old Abdul Jabar who virtually has all the records in this game playoff or otherwise it it take the two hours 2 and 1/2 hours of this game to go over all his records winding down a four minutes to go in the third 69- 60 dley with a familiar spin move and he’s going to school on AC Green oh he sure is and they’re going to have to make an adjustment and double team him a lot quicker because AC cannot handle him and three-point basket no two Byron Scott Joey Crawford said he had a foot on the line so Scott now with the basket magic still leads the Lakers with 18 Scott with 17 so their back court has done well dley with 22 now for the Piston he’s just toying with AC Green he just they’re not even making the pass they giving it to Dantley he dribbles it down and goes oneon-one dley has scored 10 points here in the third period and the Pistons are up by 11 worthy finger roll and a foul late Michael Thompson checks back in for the Lakers and Kareem Abdul Jabar goes out John Sally’s foul and that is his third Thomas in Dum Mar’s out now a couple things that that Pat Riley can do I wouldn’t be surprised to see him right now go to go to some kind of a trap try to create a different tempo for his Laker ball Club you saw Dennis Rodman come in and Pat Riley has to decide how he wants to defense that group which will include James Edwards Edwards comes in so right now the Piston cast includes Edwards Rodman dandley in the back court and up front in the back court I should say it’s Vinnie Johnson and Isaiah Thomas and one of the things Chuck da will bring Edwards in against Michael Thompson I think he has a feels he has a little advantage in that low post area because of the height of advantage that Edwards has over Michael Townson Detroit Smith just one free throw they eight out of nine Lakers have gone to the line a lot more and that’s not a surprise now the Lakers call for an illegal defense and they’ll shoot the techical 303 to go in the third period and the Pistons lead the Lakers 73- 64 game two Comes Your Way Thursday night 9:00 Eastern here at the Forum and you remember in the last series in the Eastern Conference the Pistons stunned the Celtics in game one at Boston G dley on the line looking for his 23rd point in this game if Detroit was able to win a game here in the Forum one of these first two with a new format well they’ve had in the last few years with a 232 the Lakers might never get back here to The Forum for game six and seven it’s conceivable dley missed the technical Pistons of course still with the ball up by nine under three minutes to play Third magic has to help AC Green dley working against Green knocked Away by Worthy it’s still Pistons ball because of the deflection six on the shot clock Vinnie Johnson misses a three rebound by Vinnie Johnson scores again sometimes he gets out of control but when he goes in I don’t think Chuck Dy Minds well you H he’s a player that you have to let him go loose and take some bad shots at times because once he gets in that zone it doesn’t matter if he’s off bounds leaning to his left or right the lead is 11 Worthy trying to get close Thompson punches it in that was a punch in followup by Michael Thompson and that’s all created by penetration where the defense has to go help and that left the lane open for Michael Thompson that basket by Michael Thompson with the first points by the Lakers Off the Bench in this game Edwards and Thompson going at it and a Laker foul now here’s Vinnie Johnson going to the offensive glass getting that rebound look at this shot he hits right over here Michael Thompson commits the foul for the Lakers in a Timeout 2011 to go here with a keen interest in this game for sure here’s Pat O’Brien Pat all right dick thank you very much Magic’s mom Christine Johnson and you’re staying up at the house what’s Magic’s mood today uh he was in a very good mood today very good what about Isaiah he he usually stays at the house has he been over to the house this week no he haven’t I think this is this time is business for him are you feeding him okay taking care of him yes we’re taking very good care of him worried no not really I always believe in the Lakers she’s a little worried let’s go back to deck well you know there’s going to be a feast because Christine Johnson makes a mean sweet potato pie according to Magic and all the Lakers enjoy it in fact in fact the magic said that the rest of the team said hey just because it’s the finals we expect that your mom’s going to be cooking that stuff in Lancing and Detroit Detroit we get there they will they’ll enjoy it under two minutes to go in the third nine point Detroit lead 7566 there’s one interesting matchup out here right now James Worthy is playing Vinnie Johnson I would think they’d look for Vinnie seven on the shot clock dley way out there lost control 4 seconds pistons in trouble he fired three Vinnie Johnson fired a desperation three it was like a shot put do do you know how frustrating that is to the Lakers though they just played Flawless defense and they end up giving up three points Bill burka just went back in his chair as in resignation Michael Thompson draws the foul going in with 121 to go pons by 12 we’ll see it this one again well you had just mentioned about Vinnie Johnson and sometimes he takes some bad shots well right here he was forced into a bad shot and the results were beautiful for the Pistons James Edwards picks up his third third and Vinnie Johnson who did not have a good regular season then the playoffs happened and he happened well it right time for the for the Pistons for him to get it going Thompson makes the free throw 7868 120 to go they would lead with 17 at the half Detroit Lakers have come back to cut it to 10 haven’t been able to break the sound barrier it seems in the deficit here yeah I’m a little surprised that we haven’t seen the Lakers go to some traps to try and get something going maybe a turnover and get them to the open court five on the shot clock Vinnie Johnson way out there with 3 seconds to go James Edwards gets the basket at the buzzer no basket darl garon says no basket Chuck Dy is Off the Bench he doesn’t agree Michael Cooper will enter the game for the Lakers now here’s the penetration you’ll be able to see that clock right on the left hand side let’s see if the ball leaves his hands before the clock good call by Daryl Garrison Acy green goes out replaced by cooper cooper has yet to hit a shot 0 for six today Scott on the fake Michael Thompson gets the loose ball the effort plays according to Pat Riley the pay off ultimately and big factors in this third period have been the offensive boards the Lakers have just been able to get so many opportunities Thompson pick and roll blocked by Dennis Rodman we set it together we make Rodman on the block 16 seconds to go 7868 Detroit no play for the last [Music] shot Lakers with 68 points after three Vinnie Johnson off the glass with two seconds remaining 13 for Vinnie Johnson Thomas on the steel and nearly a repeat of the dramatics at the end of the first half but that is the end of the third period the Pistons 80 the Lakers 68 and we’ll return to the Forum after this message and a word from your local [Music] station welcome back to CBS Sports exclusive coverage of the 1988 NBA finals from The Forum in [Music] Englewood now when you’re playing good team defense you have to have confidence that one of your teammates is to be there to give help and we see Dennis Rodman coming from the weak side helping out James Edwards and we’ll take another look at this play as Michael Thompson has Edwards beat but the great team defense by Dennis Rodman blocking the shot another Factor here is that going into this series the Lakers had connected on 35 more three-point baskets than the Pistons the scoreboard right now Detroit has four of them the Lakers none well you get to the playoffs especially at this time of the year you can throw all the statistics out the window Magic Johnson into worthy start of the fourth period Pistons Le the Lakers 80 to 68 Rodman is on worthy turn around Edwards the rebound and it’s off his foot Lakers ball leading scores in the game dley has 22 to top Detroit and Magic’s 18 leads the lers by the way that 17-point halftime deficit by the Lakers was their largest all all year pick and roll Michael Thompson goes in blocked by Rodman and Edwards again we see that weak side help inner defense by the Pistons who can open up now a 14-point Advantage start of the fourth period long range Isaiah Thomas rman gets the offensive rebound he may be the best small forward at offensive rebounding in the lead he is okay that’s it that settles it Thomas top of the key misses again this time Michael Thompson controls and a piston foul it’ll be Rob now here we see the same play being run on the other side of the court and you’ll see two Pistons coming over to block this shot look at Dennis Rodman Patrick Johnson out of bounds still Lakers ball as the Pistons got another piece of it Lakers have three men in double figures and Detroit has four Scott foul Edwards so quickly two fouls against Detroit here early in this fourth period and that’s the fourth foul against James Edwards now yeah you see Isaiah trying to fight through that screen and Michael Thompson was holding him there Isaiah didn’t uh didn’t appreciate that can’t say that I blame him you know another interesting thing we know that the big bad guys from Detroit being physical what we’re seeing is the Lakers being the more physical team going to the offensive Glass bill ler comes in for James Edwards Edwards has scored eight points and has four rebounds and Byron Scott outstanding free throw shooter you know you don’t feel any emotion or see any emotion on this Laker ball Club right now I don’t see any fire in their eyes there you know was that last series so draining or the last two series that they’ve had with Dallas and Utah well you wonder whether there’s that fire in their eyes only when they need to have it out of bounds it’ll be Laker ball Dennis Rodman is in the fourth row here he comes now here’s that open jump shot against that Trap by the by the Lakers and I expect to see a lot more of that the remainder of this game points are brought up about fire in their eyes I think the Lakers have to be nudged a bit before that happens and we’ll have an offensive foul Danley and Cooper no no hard feelings you know they had a two- nothing lead over Dallas and then Dallas scared him with two wins Utah had a win game two here at the Forum so maybe the Lakers need a little nudge before they get their blood pressure up yeah what did maybe the Pistons what they have to do is let these guys know hey we’re here to play for the world championship our season wasn’t over when we beat the Celtics 10-point lead [Music] [Applause] Pistons Vinnie Johnson there is it Vinnie Johnson with 15 points all you could do is laugh when he hits shots like that Danley the rebound and the Lakers Rush that shot rushed it and you know it looks like Byron Scott is trying to force things a little bit not comfortable not squaring up to shoot the ball interesting that Isaiah Thomas is 0 for five in the second half after 15 in the first he’s not even going to factor offensively now four on the clock Rodman and it’s a 14-point piston lead with 935 remaining in a 22 time out for bat Ry it’s the Vinnie Johnson show now we saw that last play there four Lakers around him that’s why Rodman was so wide open now here’s what he’s created the problems and how the Lakers are react overreacting to him because there’s four Lakers right there in your picture and an easy layup for Dennis Rodman meanwhile the Lakers are 0 for four in the last four minutes with only two free throws they’ve now made this a full timeout Pat has a lot to talk about with his team [Music] on the well thank you very much Dan and right here the the Michigan primary is winning you might say the Detroit Pistons they have the votes 84 to 70 Donald Carter the owner of the Dallas Mavericks now he can enjoy it but his Mavericks put on quite a show and they uh should be congratulated in getting to the Western Finals how tough is to have to go and endure two seven game series well no team has ever won the NBA title that had to endure two seven game series on the way they are the three previous teams who ended up losing in the finals and the Lakers trying to change history here but they Trail in game one by 14 with nine and a half to play Vinnie Johnson’s on Cooper Isaiah is on Scott Rodman on worthy no no no and the Piston foul is against Dennis Rodman Magic Johnson getting a breather he’ll be back soon and sure for the rest most of the rest of his time three team fouls against the Pistons Lakers have yet to pick up a team foul and a very quiet crowd for the most part they’ve tried their best really that when the team was down to get him back in and they came back in they cut a 17-point lead to eight and the Pistons seem in control of this one and and they’re really picking up their defensive of intensity the Pistons really pressuring the passers and the shooters Scott wory goes right by laner the basket counts in a foul on Bill laner that’ll be his second foul and well the whole key here is that extra pass that the Lakers made at the offensive end and Bill lambir is not a shot blocker and we see he picked up a little piece of James Worthy’s arm 18 points for James Worthy he and Magic Johnson lead the Lakers or actually Scott leads with 19 we’re at the foreman Englewood California game one and it’s been a shocker frankly not that the Pistons weren’t capable of doing this kind of a thing so far but the Lakers at home game one defending champ they’ve been known to blowout teams but they’re on the short end 8473 fourth period dick Stockon and Bill Cunningham and Vinnie Johnson draws the foul yeah what you have to realize is Vinnie Johnson is doing this against probably the best defensive player at the guard position in the NBA and that’s Michael Cooper dick forace and Ron Rothstein the lieutenants for Chuck Dy and here is Vinnie [Applause] johnsoning on the rim nothing doing and he missed them both but Isaiah Thomas is there to lay it in and the Lakers didn’t box out they were nowhere to be found but we’ve seen Isaiah picking off passes at the end of the periods and here he is stepping in just a big heads up play it’s 86 to 73 the Pistons by 13 still plenty of time 825 remaining and Rodman with a defensive play well we see what Rodman’s doing defensively James Worthy cannot beat him off the dribble and that’s Worthy’s game that’s right his quickness 12 on the shot block and Danley might have been pushed away from the ball Laker foul well we see beating James Worthy to the spot can’t go to the middle comes back tries to draw the foul you know he said that he could play a lot of people so far we’ve seen him play Magic Johnson and worthy tonight AC Green picks up his fourth foul he has had nine rebounds to lead the Lakers they help him on the double against dley under 8 minutes to [Applause] go hand on the shot [Music] clock dley with a fake gets worthy in the air and Adrien dley hits the shot he’s got 24 that was beautiful basketb ball how many passes did they make to find that open shot and great patience dley has hit 11 of 13 so the former LA Laker that’s been one of his teams has come out rousing and they tie up Scott and they’ll jump it up and with 731 to go the Lakers have given no indication right now as Magic Johnson comes back in that they’re going to have one of their spurts they just don’t look like they have it in them right now no and it’s going to be I think they’re going to need a let down by the Pistons if the Pistons start shooting the ball quickly or they lose that intensity defensively they’ve got to help the Lakers at this point of the game Scott will be jumping up against Isaiah [Music] Thomas and we might have they going to jump it again darl garrson Eagle Eye right there on the jump yeah and we see there’s a little pushing and grabbing over here with Dantley and Cooper I think that was the reason for the blowing of the whistle dley control last time the Lakers lost an opening game of a series here at the Forum was seven years ago they’re down by 15 Bas margin was 17 that was our halftime score Detroit up dle to the hoop and foul and he has made his living at the line well we see what they’re doing offensively now the pist they’re opening the court up looking for Dantley or they look for Vinnie Johnson down the court they open up the lane there’s no one down in the post area so this really puts a lot of pressure on the defense to really rotate and come from greater distances than they’re used to to help out fou was onw worthy and dley on the free throw line he made more free throws than field goals this [Applause] year thoughts going to the mind of Pat Riley who said this club can leave Footprints and it seems that he’s had to have a tougher climb in all of the series that he’s played other than San Antonio in the first round it’s been a draining series for him as well as the players but they’re the defending champs he’ll be heard from matching their biggest lead of the game the Pistons are up by 17 90- [Applause] [Music] 73 in a very quiet La [Applause] form Scott Byron Scott with 21 points to lead the [Applause] Lakers Detroit cannot stop playing basketball at this point we’re going to see the Trap but if they think this game is over they’re crazy next few minutes will tell whether they feel that way they came out poised from the Geto here Thomas with a left-handed Runner TI in and no basket offensive interference by Rodman Chuck Dy infuriated over that ruling and the Lakers will call a timeout now here’s the shot by by Isaiah now is that off the rim it looks like it’s off the rim I’d agree Dy had a [Music] beat trauka he played here in LA in the pre-ic Johnson [Applause] days as a matter of fact he played at Indiana while he was with the the Lakers and well IND and was traded for James Edwards who now is a teammate small world is y 9886 250 to go 34 for dley magic feeding inside loose ball and we’re going to jump it up line 44 remaining the bench of Detroit has been such a factor out here tonight Michael Cooper has really struggled out here offensively and Michael Thompson has not really contributed a great deal in this ball game Isaiah Thomas has only two points in the second half for 17 in the game but they’ve gotten a lot of help from a lot of different people Lakers with the ball Scott L beer the rebound on the miss two and a half to play it’s 9886 but I’d like to add to what you said about Isaiah Thomas he does not have to score in this second half vny Johnson Adrien Dantley is doing that he just has to make sure he gets them the basketball he didn’t always feel that way that’s why he’s the leader of this team now the true leader he’s raised his game to a new level at the 24 second buzzer he fired it up but traveled first used up time and the Lakers down by 12 208 to go Chuck Dy just said how many timeouts do he have magic hits another three Magic Johnson with another three-point basket you know he has more in seven games of the playoffs this year than he had in his first eight years in the playoffs in three-point range well Vinnie Johnson fell asleep on that play you got to be up on a guy defensively 9889 come on h a n-point lead for Detroit 140 to go that’s plenty of time Lane beer misses off Rodman green has it and the Lakers can cut it to seven or less this is the Lakers last stand and the crowd on its feet magic fouled by Vinnie Johnson and he’ll shoot a [Applause] pair here’s Pat Riley telling AC Green on a play come up and double team the [Applause] ball Magic Johnson with 24 points he has hit two three-pointers in a row row timeouts remaining Detroit 3 and one the Lakers two and one the one is the [Applause] 20 magic hits the free throws and timeout Detroit 9891 this is the closest the Lakers have come since they were down by 17 at the hand [Applause] [Music] interestingly enough with Dumars and Thomas and Vinnie Johnson it’s the Laker backourt has really done the great job in this fourth period Byron Scott and Magic Johnson have done it but what is the mindset now of the Detroit Pistons all of a sudden are saying hey wait it’s a seven-point game and they can win this thing yeah now they’re I think they they’re thinking a little bit over there the Piston players right this possession is so important they need something either to get to the foul line or score two points otherwise the Lakers are going to really just feel that momentum and if they can score at the other end you got a heck of a bow game that’s the great thing about three-point baskets Magic’s hit a couple and of course we’ll be with you game two Thursday night 9:00 Eastern here at the Forum 123 to go Pistons inbounding leading by seven Thomas is double team they have 16 on the shot clock they double all over the floor Vinnie Johnson and they call a Laker foul and they’ll shoot it Chuck Dy and Pat Riley it’s old hat for Riley to be here but for Chuck Daly it’s a whole new ball game new experience Vinnie Johnson on the free throw line he’s missed his last two free throws go for three for the [Applause] game and he missed this and when you short Rim it he makes the second and Vinnie Johnson gives the Pistons an eight-point lead 9991 110 remaining so if the Pistons have been an outstanding defensive team they’ll have to show it here Scott fires away Dantley and Rodman crash the boards and it’s a jump B dley had the rebound and Rodman swoop in and they’ll jump this there’s the timeout story under a minute to go now a big thing I would think the Lakers if they score and and Dennis Rodman touches the basketball they have to look to foul him immediately because he’s such a poor foul shooter Dumars comes in for Vinnie Johnson and Dumar is of course the better defensive guard better defensive little better ball handler as well than Vinnie Johnson Vinnie’s more of the scorer Rodman and worthy will jump 57 seconds to go now Joey Crawford after checking something over went to tell Daryl garrettson something he was checking to make sure if the proper people were in there jumping for this jump ball Rodman and Cooper jumping and Thomas controls it wasn’t worthy it was Cooper now the Pistons have it 20 on the shot clock and a foul and Thomas will go to the line Byron got commits the foul so zaah Thomas has two at the line to try to stretch the lead 10 a year ago Isaiah Thomas was frustrated and embarrassed Rodman’s comments about Larry Bird negative comments about Larry Thomas theoretically backed him up Nightmare and now a year later he’s playing for the NBA Championship [Applause] and playing rather well I have to say pulie hits both free throws and it’s 10191 52 seconds left and this will be another game where the Pistons hold the team under 100 points air ball by Worthy attempting the three-pointer and 46 seconds to go Pistons all they’re looking to do is to protect the [Music] ball and Dumars gets fouled and he’ll go to the line foul is on Magic Johnson eight make it Byron Scott five on Scott well we said this was going to be an unusual Series in the respect that these people don’t know each other and I think that Chuck Dy and Pat Riley know the other team a little bit better now well a couple things we’ll see and I think that we’ll see adjustments from La number one how do you defend Adrien Dantley when they isolate him what are you going to do about Vinnie Johnson coming off those screens and the defense how are we going to get team the Lakers out running playing our style of basketball LA’s timeout trailing by 10 time running [Music] out the Detroit Pistons are 40 seconds away from upsetting the LA Lakers in game one of the finals and history says that the winner of game one has gone on six out of eight times in this decade to win the Pistons have dropped eight out of the last nine at The Forum since the 7879 season but as we’ve seen in both series I think particularly in the East maybe that home court has not really been the standard huh and especially when we look out here at these guys in in purple and gold the world champions you know that they can win in any building on any given night so it’s not as much of a factor as you said in this series Joe Dumars will be on the free throw line the wide youngster from Louisiana good free throw shooter he has scored seven points but the role from the back court went to Vinnie Johnson with 16 tonight Adrien dley with 34 points and a lot of these fans left oh about eight or nine minutes ago the Lakers have led by only one point on two occasions for just a few seconds it’s been Detroit and they opened up with a 8 to nothing lead you think the Pistons have gained a little respect from this Laker ball Club I think so and maybe some confidence as well 10391 worthy this is the layup and the Pistons have it so for the 13th time in 17 playoff games Detroit will hold the opposition to under 100 [Applause] points loose ball foul against Dennis Rodman with 22 seconds to go all that matters is the final score of this one and the Detroit Pistons will have won five of their last six on the road which is tremendously impressive in playoff Vinnie Johnson a hero tonight Off the Bench in fact the bench for Detroit as a group The Factor this game the Lakers are going to have to go up a couple notches with intensity and emotion for the next ball game because this piston team is going to come out even more aggressive than they did tonight feeling so good about themselves that hey we really can WI deat the world champions and get ourselves a rank magic with 28 top man for the Lakers Kareem last played with 3 minutes to go in the third quarter only eight points for Abdul Jabar three seconds to go Rodman gets the layup and the game is over the Detroit piskin have done to the Lakers what they did to the Boston Celtics they were underdogs in both series and they sto the two great teams on the road the final score Detroit 105 the LA Lakers 93 three and if the Lakers are to repeat they really have their work cut out for him because this piston team believe came out poised from the very beginning weathered a couple of Storms and played tremendous defensive basketball and got some easy shots and seemed to be all over the place and they were all over the place and now it’s time for Pat Riley to make the adjustments all right final score 10593 right now let’s send you to Pat O’Brien who is Adrien Dantley 34 points for ad all right dick thank you welcome to the 98 1988 NBA Finals thank you we very uh happy to get this first one and uh we for real we’re going to play hard um Everybody expecting us to lose in five four and five we going to give him a fight I think you’re right I think a lot of people thought you may have let down after Friday’s win you that you you’re telling another story obviously by the play tonight Lakers might win but I tell you something we got some guys who very hungry we got some character and uh we going to give them a fight we know they favorite but we going to be ready every game waited 12 years for this yeah I hope I get it this year all right thank you Adrian see you so the Detroit Pistons are another team who is on a mission and we’ll be back with more from the for after this
The 1988 NBA Finals Game 1 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Detroit Pistons on June 7, 1988, was an unforgettable showdown that delivered key moments and highlights worth remembering:
Game Overview
The Pistons upset the Lakers 105-93 in a dominant road victory, establishing their presence in the series. It was a clash of styles: the Lakers’ Showtime offense against the Pistons’ gritty “Bad Boys” defense.
Key Highlights
1. Pistons’ Strong Start
Detroit opened with an 8-0 run, setting the tone early. Their energy and physicality kept the Lakers on the back foot.
2. Adrian Dantley’s Scoring Clinic
Adrian Dantley dominated, scoring 34 points on an efficient 14-for-16 shooting. His offensive precision was unmatched and played a key role in the Pistons’ win.
3. Game-Changing Halftime Moments
A critical sequence before halftime saw Bill Laimbeer sink a three-pointer with four seconds left, followed by Isiah Thomas stealing the inbound pass and hitting another buzzer-beating three. These back-to-back plays pushed Detroit’s lead to 57-40, giving them full momentum.
4. The Bench Advantage
Detroit’s depth shone, with Vinnie Johnson contributing 16 points off the bench and James Edwards adding 14 points and 5 rebounds. Their efforts relieved pressure from the starters and helped maintain the lead.
5. Defensive Mastery
The Pistons’ defense was suffocating, forcing turnovers and neutralizing key Lakers players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Their trademark physicality disrupted the flow of the Lakers’ offense.
6. Magic Johnson’s Struggles
While Magic Johnson had moments of brilliance, Detroit’s defense kept him from taking over the game. His inability to fully break through highlighted the Pistons’ defensive prowess.
Final Score and Impact
The Pistons’ 105-93 win set the tone for a competitive series and proved they could challenge the defending champions on their home court. This victory not only stunned the Forum crowd but also made a statement that the Pistons were ready to battle for the championship.
This game remains a classic example of Detroit’s “Bad Boys” era, showcasing their balance of gritty defense and explosive offense.
#NBA #Basketball #LosAngelesLakers #DetroitPistons #KareemAbdulJabar #MagicJohnson #IsaiahThomas #JoeDumars #BillLambeer #AdrianDantley #JamesWorthy #DennisRodman #VinnieJohnson #JamesEdwards