“What made it even harder was that I tried not to be friends with Isiah” – Magic Johnson on mental toll of 1988 Finals originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The Los Angeles Lakers fulfilled their mission of becoming back-to-back NBA champions in 1988, a hard-earned win that left Earvin “Magic” Johnson torn. The reason is that while LA had completed its mission of repeating as champions, it was at the expense of Isiah Thomas and the upstart Detroit Pistons.
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It was no secret at the time that Johnson and Thomas were close friends. However, having to face each other for the 1988 championship, both stars had to set aside their friendship temporarily. Magic admitted that it was not an easy thing to do.
“This was the toughest playoff I’ve ever been through. What made it even harder was that it was a series in which I tried not to be friends with Isiah and that was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do. I love the man,” Johnson said back then via the New York Times.
Bitter as it may have felt, it was part of Johnson and Thomas’ job. Besides, it was not as if things would be different once the series was over. For both players, winning was important and both could revert to their old ways afterward.
“Winning takes precedence over everything. Friendship, you can always be friends after the series is over,” Johnson quipped.
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Zeke needed a drink to soak his sorrows
For accomplishing their mission, the Lakers partied it up as champion teams traditionally do. Zeke and the Pistons were licking their wounds, although Thomas revealed doing something sneaky at the time.
“I remember going over to the Lakers’ locker room, and I stole two bottles of champagne – one for me and one for Bill Laimbeer,” Thomas said via NYT. “I came back, sat at my locker, and popped the cork. I figured we deserved a drink just as much as they did.”
The fact that they took the Lakers to the distance says a lot about the effort that the Bad Boys Pistons put in that final. No one gave Detroit much of a chance, especially considering the Lakers were oozing with championship experience.
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However, that setback was also a warning sign of things to come. The Pistons realized they could stand toe-to-toe with the Lakers and other powerhouse teams at the time, a motivation that would come in handy for the 1988-89 season.
“If we’re in the finals next year, and there’s a seventh game, then it’s going to be at our place. We’re going to finish with the best record in the league and get the home-court advantage,” Thomas vowed.
Pistons romp to first franchise title in 1989
Detroit was bent on redeeming itself and proving that its 1988 Finals appearance was no fluke. They were on a tear in the 1988-89 season and ended up with the best record in the league with a 63-19 card. This allowed them to enjoy home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
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The Pistons were on a tear when the postseason started, sweeping the Boston Celtics in the first round and the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. They encountered some resistance in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls, but eventually won it in six games and advanced to the finals once more.
The Pistons faced the Lakers once more and were determined to even the score. With Johnson and Byron Scott unable to play, the Motor City squad ran roughshod over the Purple and Gold, winning via sweep.
While some argue that the absence of Johnson and Scott gave the Pistons a huge advantage, Joe Dumars begged to differ. He emphasized that Detroit was too good of a team that year and not even a fully healthy Lakers team would prevent them from delivering the first title to the franchise.
“If they (Johnson and Scott) would have been on the floor, we still would have come out and thought we were the best team. We played like it,” the 1989 Finals MVP stressed.
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That win ignited a whole new era of basketball with Detroit rising as the new power in the NBA. They repeated as champions in 1990, becoming the third team to win back-to-back titles.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.