The “Showtime” era of the 1980s was the one that once and forever defined the image and mystique of the Los Angeles Lakers. During that time, they won five NBA championships and helped turn the league from somewhat of a fringe operation into must-see television.
As the era went along, they evolved from a great team that was able to start the decade with a couple of rings into a dynastic one that is still considered one of the greatest in basketball history.
Shooting guard Byron Scott was one of their lynchpins in the mid-to-late 1980s, and he told former NFL star wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson that his 1987-88 Lakers were the greatest team in NBA history (h/t The Cold Wire).
.@official_bscott says the @Lakers 1987-1988 team was the BEST team of All-Time 👀 pic.twitter.com/f4ymK8cNyW
— All Facts No Brakes (@AllFactsPod) May 22, 2024
That team was led by Magic Johnson and James Worthy, both of whom were in their primes. Although Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar turned 41 years of age that year in his next-to-last season, he still gave Los Angeles production inside when it needed it.
The 1987-88 season was Scott’s best as a pro. He averaged a career-high 21.7 points a game, which led the team, and it would need every bit of his production in the playoffs.
In 1988, the Lakers had to endure three straight seven-game series against the Utah Jazz, Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons in order to win their fifth world title of the decade. Against Detroit in the NBA Finals, they trailed the series 3-2 and won Game 6 by the skin of their teeth, 103-102, before withstanding a desperate rally in Game 7 to achieve a 108-105 victory.
That victory made the Lakers the first NBA team to win back-to-back titles in 19 years while firmly establishing them as the team of the 1980s.
