1986–87 Los Angeles Lakers season - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The highlight of the Los Angeles Lakers season was winning the NBA title over the defending champions, the Boston Celtics.

NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Nationality	School/Club Team
1	23	Ken Barlow Ken Barlow (basketball) Kenneth Barlow is an American former professional basketball player.Barlow graduated from University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana.- Basketball career :...		Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I...
3	69	Andre Turner Andre Turner Andre Devalle Turner is an American professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA. A 5'11", . point guard, he played collegiately at Memphis State University...		Memphis State Memphis Tigers basketball The Memphis Tigers men's basketball team represents the University of Memphis in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The Tigers compete in Conference USA, in which they have won six regular season and four conference tournament championships. As of 2011, the Tigers have the 29th highest...

Depth chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Reserve
C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...	Mychal Thompson	Mike Smrek Mike Smrek Michael Frank Smrek is a retired Canadian professional basketball player. He played in the NBA.- College career :...
PF Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...	A. C. Green A. C. Green A.C. Green, Jr., is a retired American NBA basketball player who played in more consecutive games than any other player in NBA and ABA history. With 1,192 straight games played, he earned the nickname "Iron Man". He played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat...	Kurt Rambis Kurt Rambis Darrell Kurt Rambis is a retired American professional basketball player and former head coach for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.-Biography:...
SF Small forward The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...	James Worthy James Worthy James Ager Worthy is a retired Hall of Fame American college and professional basketball player. Named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion...	Billy Thompson Billy Thompson (basketball) William Stansbury Thompson is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA...	Adrian Branch Adrian Branch Adrian Francis Branch is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'7" guard/forward out of DeMatha high school, Branch starred at the University of Maryland from 1981 to 1985. He was an All-ACC second team selection twice. In 1984 Branch led the Terrapins to the ACC Championship...
SG Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...	Byron Scott Byron Scott (basketball) Byron Antom Scott is a retired American National Basketball Association player and current head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. He was formerly the head coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets. He attended Arizona State University, but left school in his junior year to...	Michael Cooper
PG Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...	Magic Johnson Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...	Wes Matthews Wes Matthews Wesley Joel Matthews is a retired American basketball player.-Basketball career:A 6'1" point guard from the University of Wisconsin–Madison - after graduating from Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1977 - Matthews was selected by the Washington Bullets with the 14th pick of...

Player stats

Note: GP= Games played; MPG= Minutes per Game; REB = Rebounds; AST = Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; PPG = Points per Game

Player	GP	MPG	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	PPG
Magic Johnson Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...	80	36.3	504	977	138	36	1909	23.9
James Worthy James Worthy James Ager Worthy is a retired Hall of Fame American college and professional basketball player. Named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion...	82	34.4	466	226	108	83	1594	19.4
Byron Scott Byron Scott (basketball) Byron Antom Scott is a retired American National Basketball Association player and current head coach of the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. He was formerly the head coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets. He attended Arizona State University, but left school in his junior year to...	82	33.3	286	281	125	18	1397	17.0
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...	78	31.3	523	203	49	97	1366	17.5
Michael Cooper	82	27.5	254	373	78	43	859	10.5
A.C. Green	79	28.4	615	84	70	80	852	10.8
Kurt Rambis Kurt Rambis Darrell Kurt Rambis is a retired American professional basketball player and former head coach for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.-Biography:...	78	19.4	453	63	74	41	446	5.7
Mychal Thompson	33	20.6	136	28	14	30	333	10.1
Billy Thompson Billy Thompson (basketball) William Stansbury Thompson is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA...	59	12.9	171	60	15	30	332	5.6
Wes Matthews Wes Matthews Wesley Joel Matthews is a retired American basketball player.-Basketball career:A 6'1" point guard from the University of Wisconsin–Madison - after graduating from Warren Harding High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1977 - Matthews was selected by the Washington Bullets with the 14th pick of...	50	10.6	47	100	23	4	208	4.2
Frank Brickowski Frank Brickowski Francis Anthony Brickowski is a retired American professional basketball player, formerly in the National Basketball Association.-College and overseas career:...	37	10.9	97	12	14	4	146	3.9
Adrian Branch Adrian Branch Adrian Francis Branch is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'7" guard/forward out of DeMatha high school, Branch starred at the University of Maryland from 1981 to 1985. He was an All-ACC second team selection twice. In 1984 Branch led the Terrapins to the ACC Championship...	32	6.8	53	16	16	3	138	4.3
Mike Smrek Mike Smrek Michael Frank Smrek is a retired Canadian professional basketball player. He played in the NBA.- College career :...	35	6.7	37	5	4	13	76	2.2

1st Round

(1) Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

vs. (8) Denver Nuggets

Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

:
Lakers win series 3-0

Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 128, Denver 95
Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 139, Denver 127
Game 3 @ Denver: Los Angeles 140, Denver 103

Conference Semifinals

Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

:
Lakers win series 4-1

Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 125, Golden State 116
Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 116, Golden State 101
Game 3 @ Golden State: Los Angeles 133, Golden State 108
Game 4 @ Golden State: Golden State 129, Los Angeles 121
Game 5 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 118, Golden State 106

Conference finals

Seattle SuperSonics

The Seattle SuperSonics were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington that played in the Pacific and Northwest Divisions of the National Basketball Association from 1967 until 2008. Following the 2007–08 season, the team relocated to Oklahoma City, and now plays as...

:
Lakers win series 4-0

Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 92, Seattle 87
Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 112, Seattle 104
Game 3 @ Seattle: Los Angeles 122, Seattle 121
Game 4 @ Seattle: Los Angeles 133, Seattle 102

NBA finals

Despite the loss of Bias, the Celtics remained competitive in 1986-87

1986-87 NBA season

-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:* Most Valuable Player: Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers* Rookie of the Year: Chuck Person, Indiana Pacers* Defensive Player of the Year: Michael Cooper, Los Angeles Lakers...

, going 59-23 and again winning the Eastern Conference Championship. Unfortunately, in the Finals the tired, aging, and injured Celtics ran into perhaps the best Los Angeles Lakers

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

team of the decade. The biggest injury was yet another foot injury for Bill Walton

Bill Walton

William Theodore "Bill" Walton III is a retired American basketball player and television sportscaster. The "Big Red-Head", as he was called, achieved superstardom playing for John Wooden's powerhouse UCLA Bruins in the early '70s, winning three straight College Player of the Year Awards, while...

, who only played 10 regular season games in 1986-87 after playing 80 games the year before. Walton fought through the injury, playing 12 games (out of 23) in the playoffs, but was not the same player as he was the year before. McHale, Parish and Ainge were also fighting injuries, forcing reserves Darren Daye

Darren Daye

Darren Keefe Daye is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'8", 220 lb guard-forward played high-school basketball for Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, CA, and attended UCLA...

and Fred Roberts

Fred Roberts

Frederick Clark Roberts is a retired American basketball player who played power forward in the National Basketball Association for 13 seasons, a career spanning from 1983 to 1997, becoming one of the more successful journeymen to play in the league...

to play larger roles in the series, which the Celtics would lose 4 games to 2.

(1) Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...

vs. (1) Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

Lakers win series 4-2

Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 126, Boston 113
Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 141, Boston 122
Game 3 @ Boston: Boston 109, Los Angeles 103
Game 4 @ Boston: Los Angeles 107, Boston 106
Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 123, Los Angeles 108
Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 106, Boston 93

Award winners

Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...

, NBA Most Valuable Player
Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...

, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player

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