Magic Johnson didn't just play basketball; he choreographed it. If you’re asking who won nba finals 1987, the short answer is the Los Angeles Lakers. But that’s like saying the Beatles were just a band. This wasn’t a routine championship. It was the "Showtime" Lakers finally getting their revenge on a Boston Celtics team that had haunted their dreams for years.
The Lakers took the series four games to two.
It felt personal.
By the time the 1986-87 season rolled around, the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird had reached a fever pitch. The Celtics were the defending champs, but they were battered. Bill Walton’s feet were basically held together by tape and hope. Kevin McHale was playing on a broken foot. Meanwhile, the Lakers were a track team in purple and gold. They won 65 games in the regular season. They were angry about losing to Houston in the '86 playoffs. Pat Riley was pushing them harder than ever, famously promising a repeat before the next season even started.
The Junior Skyhook Heard 'Round the World
Game 4 is where the series actually ended, even if the trophy wasn't handed out yet. Forget the stats for a second. Picture the Boston Garden. It’s hot, the parquet floor is legendary, and the crowd is screaming. The Celtics are up by one. There are only a few seconds left.
Magic gets the ball on the left wing.
He’s guarded by Kevin McHale. He drives toward the middle, those massive strides eating up the floor. Suddenly, he’s met by Robert Parish and Larry Bird. Three legends are draped all over him. Instead of passing, Magic lofts a running hook shot. It’s a shot he learned from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but he added his own flair to it. He called it his "junior, junior, junior skyhook."
It splashed.
Boston had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Bird’s shot rimmed out. That 107-106 victory gave the Lakers a 3-1 lead. It broke the Celtics' spirit. You could see it in their faces. Even Bird, arguably the most confident player to ever lace up sneakers, admitted after the game that Magic was the greatest he'd ever seen.
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Why the Lakers Dominated the 1987 Finals
While the skyhook is the highlight everyone plays on loop, the reality is that the Lakers were just deeper. Byron Scott was hitting jumpers. James Worthy—"Big Game James"—was a nightmare on the fast break. He finished the series averaging 23.6 points per game. He was too fast for McHale and too big for Danny Ainge.
Then there’s Kareem.
People forget he was 40 years old during the nba finals 1987. 40! He wasn't the focal point anymore, but he was still a mountain in the paint. He dropped 32 points in Game 6 to seal the deal. It’s wild to think about a 40-year-old center outrunning guys half his age in a fast-break system, but that was the genius of Kareem’s longevity.
The Statistical Breakdown
Let’s look at how the series actually flowed.
The Lakers came out like a house on fire. They won Game 1 and Game 2 in Los Angeles by double digits. It looked like a sweep was coming. In Game 2, the Lakers put up 141 points. 141! In a Finals game! Magic had 20 assists. Think about that for a second. Twenty assists in one game against the defending champions.
Boston fought back in Game 3. Greg Kite—yes, Greg Kite—had a massive rebounding game that gave the Celtics some life. They won 109-103. For a moment, it felt like the old Boston magic was returning. But then Game 4 happened, and the momentum shifted back to the West Coast for good.
Game 5 was a blowout for Boston, strangely enough. They won by 15. The Lakers looked like they were already celebrating. Pat Riley was furious. He didn't want the series going back to a potential Game 7 where anything could happen.
Game 6 back in the Forum was a massacre in the second half. The Lakers outscored the Celtics 30-12 in the third quarter. It was a track meet. The Celtics simply ran out of gas. Their starters were playing 40+ minutes because their bench was nonexistent. By the fourth quarter, you could see McHale limping and Bird’s shoulders slumped. The final score was 106-103, but it didn't feel that close at the end.
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Magic Johnson: The MVP of Everything
Magic averaged 26.2 points, 13.0 assists, and 8.0 rebounds over the six games. He was the undisputed best player on the planet. This series was the official passing of the torch. Before '87, Bird had more MVPs. After '87, it was Magic’s league.
He transformed the point guard position. Most guys that size were shoved into the post, but Magic insisted on handling the rock. He saw passing lanes that didn't exist yet. In the 1987 Finals, he manipulated the Celtics' defense like a puppeteer. If they doubled him, he found Scott or Worthy. If they played him straight up, he used his size to bully smaller guards into the post.
Honestly, the Celtics' defense was decent. It just didn't matter. You can't defend a fast break that starts with a rebound and ends with a dunk three seconds later.
What Most People Forget About This Series
Everyone remembers the Lakers' offense, but their defense was actually elite. Michael Cooper, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, was a human blanket. He spent the entire series chasing Larry Bird, fighting over screens, and poking balls away. Bird still got his—he averaged 24 points—but he had to work incredibly hard for every single bucket.
The psychological warfare was real, too.
The Lakers had lost to the Celtics in seven games in 1984. That loss burned them. They felt they were the better team but got out-toughed. In 1987, they decided they weren't going to let that happen again. They were more physical. They were meaner. Kurt Rambis was throwing elbows. A.C. Green was crashing the boards like his life depended on it.
The Celtics were also dealing with the tragedy of Len Bias, who had died a year earlier. Bias was supposed to be the infusion of young talent that kept the dynasty going. Without him, the aging core of Bird, McHale, and Parish had to carry the entire load. By the 1987 Finals, the wheels were finally starting to wobble.
The Lasting Legacy of the 1987 Finals
This series basically ended the "Celtics-Lakers" era of the 80s. While they’d meet again decades later, this was the final stand for the Bird-Magic championship rivalry. It solidified the Lakers as the team of the decade. They won five titles in the 80s compared to Boston’s three.
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It also changed how teams were built.
General Managers realized they needed versatility. They saw how the Lakers used "positionless" basketball before that was even a term. Magic was a center in the 1980 Finals and a point guard in 1987. James Worthy could play either forward spot. The Lakers were the blueprint for the modern NBA.
Actionable Insights for Basketball Fans
If you want to truly appreciate the 1987 Finals beyond just knowing who won, do these three things:
- Watch the Game 4 Final Minutes: It’s available on YouTube. Pay attention not just to Magic’s hook, but to the Lakers' spacing. It was decades ahead of its time.
- Look at the Minutes Played: Check the box scores for the Celtics starters. It explains why they collapsed in the third quarters of almost every game. They were exhausted.
- Read "When the Game Was Ours": This book by Magic and Bird gives the internal perspective of what they were thinking during that specific June. Magic admits he was terrified of Bird’s "clutch gene" until the final buzzer of Game 6.
The 1987 Lakers are often cited as one of the three greatest teams in NBA history, right alongside the '96 Bulls and the 2017 Warriors. They had everything: a legendary coach, the best point guard ever, the all-time leading scorer, and a supporting cast that would be stars on any other team.
They didn't just win a trophy. They won the decade.
To understand the 1987 Finals is to understand the peak of the NBA's golden age. It was the moment the league went global. The star power was blinding, the quality of play was immaculate, and the drama was better than anything a scriptwriter could dream up. Magic's smile at the end of Game 6 said it all. He finally had the upper hand on Bird, and he wasn't going to let it go.
Next time you watch a modern NBA game with high-scoring offenses and versatile forwards, remember the 1987 Lakers. They were the ones who proved you could play fast, play flashy, and still win it all.
Next Steps for Deep Diving into NBA History
- Review the 1987 Playoff Bracket: Notice how the Lakers swept their way through the West, losing only one game before the Finals. It highlights just how lopsided the league was that year.
- Study the "Laker Girls" and "Showtime" Culture: Understand how Jerry Buss turned the Lakers into a Hollywood attraction, which peaked during this specific championship run.
- Analyze the 1988 "Repeat" Promise: Look into how Pat Riley’s guarantee immediately after the 1987 win changed the locker room dynamic for the following season.