The 1989 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1988–89

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA) season, and the conclusion of the 1989 NBA Playoffs. The series was a rematch of the previous year's championship round between the Eastern Conference playoff champion

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

and the defending NBA champion and Western Conference playoff champion Los Angeles Lakers. This, along with the

1983 NBA Finals The 1983 NBA World Championship Series, also known as Showdown '83, was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 1982–83 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It was the last NBA Championship Serie ...

, were the only two NBA championships of the 1980s not to be won by either the Lakers or the Boston Celtics; every NBA Finals of that decade featured either the Lakers or Celtics, and sometimes both (

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

). Coincidentally, the Lakers were also swept in the 1983 NBA Finals, that time by the Philadelphia 76ers. During the season, the Lakers had won their division, with Magic Johnson collecting his second MVP award. The team swept the first three playoff series (Pacific Division foes: Portland,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, and

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

), resulting in a rematch with the Detroit Pistons in the Finals. The Pistons had dominated the Eastern Conference, winning 63 games during the regular season. After sweeping the Boston Celtics and

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

, the Pistons beat the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

in six games, earning a second straight trip to the NBA Finals. In the season before, the Lakers had beaten them in a tough, seven-game series. The Pistons won the series in a four-game sweep of the injury-riddled Lakers, marking the first time a team (Lakers) had swept the first three rounds of the playoffs, only to be swept in the finals. As of today, the Pistons are the most recent Eastern Conference team to sweep an NBA Finals. The Pistons teams clinched all four series on the road, which were later followed by the 1999 San Antonio Spurs and the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. For their rough physical play, and sometimes arrogant demeanor, Pistons' center Bill Laimbeer nicknamed the team 'The Bad Boys'. The name became an unofficial 'slogan' for the Pistons throughout the next season as well. Following the series,

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

announced his retirement at 42, after 20 years with the NBA. Pistons' guard Joe Dumars was named

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

for the series. Prior to the

2014 NBA Finals The 2014 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2013–14 season and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs defeated the two-time defending NBA ...

, the Pistons were the last Finals champion to have been runner-up to the same opponent the previous season as they did in the

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

Finals.

Background

Detroit Pistons

Before the season began, the Pistons moved from the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to the brand-new

The Palace ''The Palace'' is a British drama television series that aired on ITV in 2008. Produced by Company Pictures for the ITV network, it was created by Tom Grieves and follows a fictional British Royal Family in the aftermath of the death of King ...

of Auburn Hills, Michigan. The new arena was envisioned by Pistons owner

William Davidson William or Bill Davidson may refer to: Businessmen * Bill Davidson (businessman) (1922–2009), Michigan businessman and sports team owner ** William Davidson Institute, University of Michigan, named in honor of Bill Davidson * William Davidson ...

. The arena consisted of

luxury boxes The luxury box (or skybox) and club seating constitute the most exclusive class of seating in arenas and stadiums, and generate much higher revenues than regular seating. Club ticketholders often receive exclusive access to an indoor part of th ...

and

club seating Club-level seating is a special section of seating in modern sports stadiums and arenas. Background The club level is usually located towards the middle of the stage of seating sections, above the lower deck but below the upper deck. They are usuall ...

, which added profits compared to older arenas. The Pistons sold out all 41 games at The Palace. The team itself was also an improvement, highlighted by a mid-season trade that sent Adrian Dantley to the Dallas Mavericks for

Mark Aguirre Mark Anthony Aguirre (born December 10, 1959) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the first overall pick of the 1981 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks after playing thre ...

. With Aguirre taking over the starting small forward spot, the Pistons went on a tear, winning 31 of its final 37 games to finish with a league-best 63–19 record. Their second-half momentum carried over to the playoffs, sweeping both the Boston Celtics and the

in the first two rounds. However, they lost two of the first three games to their archrival

in the conference finals, but after devising the Jordan Rules scheme to contain Michael Jordan, the Pistons won the final three games to earn another Finals berth.

Los Angeles Lakers

Prior to the season,

announced that the 1988–89 season was to be his last. Therefore, his 'retirement tour' consisted of pregame tributes in every arena to pay homage to the retiring Lakers captain. Seeking to become the first team since the Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1960s to win three consecutive championships, the Lakers managed to put up a conference-best 57–25 record. The team's core remained mostly intact, save for veteran forward

Kurt Rambis Darrell Kurt Rambis (born February 25, 1958) is a Greek-American former professional basketball player and coach who is a senior basketball adviser for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, he won fou ...

, who was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the

expansion draft An expansion draft, in professional sports, occurs when a sports league decides to create one or more new expansion teams or franchises. This occurs mainly in North American sports. One of the ways of stocking the new team or teams is an expansio ...

. Their most notable addition was former

forward

Orlando Woolridge Orlando Vernada Woolridge (December 16, 1959 – May 31, 2012) was an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 1994. He was known for his scoring ability, especially on slam dunks ...

. In the playoffs, the Lakers turned it up a notch. They became the first team to win their first 11 playoff games, as they swept the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

and Phoenix Suns in each of the first three rounds. Magic Johnson won the

award that year.

Road to the Finals

Regular season series

The

won both games in the regular season series:

Series summary

Game Summaries

Game 1

Just before Game 1, Lakers guard

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their ...

suffered a severe hamstring injury in practice; he would miss the series. His absence would especially be felt on the defensive end. Magic Johnson had a size advantage, but was too slow to defend against the Pistons' three-headed backcourt monster of Joe Dumars, Isiah Thomas, and

Vinnie Johnson Vincent Johnson (born September 1, 1956), is an American former professional basketball player and a key player as sixth man for the Detroit Pistons during the team's National Basketball Association (NBA) championships of 1989 and 1990. He was n ...

. Super-sub

Michael Cooper Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the boys varsity coach at Culver City High School. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning ...

would have to log more minutes than he was accustomed to, and rookie David Rivers was inexperienced. Another option was

Tony Campbell Anthony Campbell (born May 7, 1962) is an American former professional National Basketball Association (NBA) player. Campbell played prep basketball at Teaneck High School in Teaneck, New Jersey, graduating in 1980. A 6'7" small forward out of ...

, but he played very little during the season. Without Scott's quick switches and help defense, the Piston guards smoked the Lakers in Game 1. Thomas had 24 points, Dumars 22, and Johnson 19. With six minutes left, Detroit led 97-79, and the final score was 109–97.

Game 2

The short-handed Lakers snapped right back in Game 2, pounding the boards and taking a strong first-quarter lead. Joe Dumars had a hot first half with 24 points (he would finish with 33) to keep Detroit close. Los Angeles held a 62–56 lead at halftime. With about four minutes left in the third period, a major misfortune would befall the Lakers, leading 75–73.

John Salley John Thomas Salley (born May 16, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player, talk show host, and actor. He was the first player in NBA history to win championships with three franchises (since joined by Robert Horry, Danny Gree ...

blocked a

Mychal Thompson Mychal George Thompson (born January 30, 1955) is a Bahamian-American former basketball player. The top overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft, Thompson played the center position for the University of Minnesota and center and forward for the Na ...

shot, which started a Detroit fast break. Magic Johnson dropped back to play defense, and in so doing, pulled his hamstring. Magic was visibly hurt and frustrated, and had to be coaxed into leaving the floor. Dick Stockton, commentating for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

, said, "I've never seen him (Magic) look like that", referring to Magic's look of intense pain combined with resignation. The Pistons had made the bucket on the break to tie the game at 75–75, but the Lakers, minus Johnson, charged to a 90–81 lead late in the period. In the fourth, however, the Lakers missed three easy baskets and committed an offensive foul as Detroit first tied the game, then went up 102–95. The gritty Lakers charged back and cut the lead to 106–104. The Pistons committed a 24-second violation, giving the Lakers the ball with eight seconds left.

James Worthy James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers ...

drove to the basket and was fouled, giving him an opportunity to tie the game. But the 1988 Finals MVP missed the first free throw. He made the second, bringing the Lakers within one, 106–105. Isiah Thomas then hit two free throws with one second remaining to give the Pistons a three-point lead and the Lakers, who called timeout to advance the ball to midcourt, one last chance to force overtime, but

Jeff Lamp Jeffrey Alan Lamp (born March 9, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lamp played college basketball for the University of Virginia, where he was an All-Am ...

lost the ball on the inbound pass, and the horn sounded, ending Game 2 with the Pistons winning, 108–105, to take a 2–0 series lead.

Game 3

The Pistons had a 2–0 series lead, but knew it would be tough going in L.A. Magic Johnson tried to play, but the pain of his hamstring injury was just too great. He left Game 3 after just five minutes with the Lakers leading, 11–8. Without Magic, the Lakers made a heroic effort.

scored 26 points, and the 42-year-old

found the fountain of youth, contributing 24 points and 13 rebounds.

, the last remaining backcourt veteran, had 13 assists and 15 points. But it wasn't enough.

Dennis Rodman Dennis Keith Rodman (born May 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is "arguably the best reboundin ...

, despite suffering from painful back spasms, pulled down 19 rebounds between trips to the sideline for rubdowns. But the main effort came from the guards. Joe Dumars scored 31, including a remarkable third quarter in which he scored 17 consecutive points (21 in all for the period).

added 17, including 13 points in the fourth. Isiah Thomas pitched in with 26 points and eight assists, including six and three in the final period. The Pistons led 113–108 with 15 seconds left when Thomas allowed A. C. Green to tie him up and steal the ball. Thomas then fouled Lakers rookie point guard David Rivers, who made both free throws, pulling Los Angeles to within three at 113–110 with 13 seconds left. Dumars then lost the ball out of bounds with nine seconds left, giving the Lakers a shot at the tie. The Lakers then ran a play where Rivers got free for an open three-pointer in the corner. Dumars lunged and blocked the shot, and saved the ball from going out of bounds. The Pistons then ran out the clock after Bill Laimbeer's free throw to close the game with a 114–110 win, putting them on the verge of an unexpected sweep.

Game 4

With the Lakers' backs to the wall, coach

Pat Riley Patrick James Riley (born March 20, 1945) is an American professional basketball executive, former coach, and former player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995, and he also se ...

admonished key offensive player

to step up his game. Worthy responded with a championship effort of 40 points on 17-of-26 field-goal shooting with Rick Mahorn in his face every step of the way. The Forum crowd was also anticipating

's possible curtain call. During the pregame warmups and introductions, Kareem received several ovations. With Worthy playing out of his mind, the Lakers took a 35–23 lead at the end of the first period. Despite trouble at the free-throw line (11 missed), the Pistons began to claw back as Los Angeles led 55–49 at intermission. The Pistons started fast in the third quarter, beginning with a three-point basket by Bill Laimbeer. Mahorn then scored four quick points, and the Pistons took a 59–58 lead moments later. Dumars hit a driving bank shot, drew the foul and made the free throw, giving him 19 points on the evening. Mahorn followed that with another bucket and the Lakers called timeout. Worthy led the Lakers back into a 78–76 lead at the end of the third, but they knew the Pistons were coming on. The Pistons took control of the game in the fourth, with James Edwards scoring particularly well. With 3:23 left and the Pistons leading 100–94, the crowd rose to a standing ovation as

left the game. For the next two minutes, it seemed nobody wanted to hit a shot. Abdul-Jabbar reentered the game and spun and hit a bank shot with 1:37 left, his last two NBA points, cutting the Pistons' margin to 100–96. Kareem went out of the game with 47 seconds remaining amid thunderous applause. Laimbeer hit a jumper at the 28-second mark, and the Pistons began celebrating. Riley sent Abdul-Jabbar back in after the timeout, but

missed a three-pointer and Isiah Thomas was fouled. Riley then sent

in for Abdul-Jabbar, this time for good, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd and acknowledgment from the players on both the Lakers and, in a rare show of sportsmanship, the Pistons. Thomas then hit the foul shots, closing out the 105–97 win and the championship. Dumars was named Finals MVP. This was the first NBA Finals that ended in a four-game sweep since the Finals went to the 2–3–2 format in 1985.

Team rosters

Detroit Pistons

Los Angeles Lakers

Player statistics

;Detroit Pistons , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 4 , , 26.8 , , .364 , , .000 , , .750 , , 6.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , -! style="background:#FDE910;" , align="left" , , , 4 , , 4 , , 36.8 , , .576 , , .000 , , .868 , , 1.8 , , 6.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 27.3 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 24.3 , , .444 , , 0.0 , , .750 , , 3.5 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.8 , , 9.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 23.8 , , .600 , , .200 , , .636 , , 3.3 , , 2.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 17.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 4 , , 23.5 , , .545 , , .667 , , .857 , , 5.3 , , 2.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 8.0 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 4 , , 24.5 , , .556 , , .000 , , .667 , , 5.3 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.8 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 23.5 , , .467 , , .000 , , .857 , , 10.0 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 5.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 20.3 , , .684 , , .000 , , .571 , , 2.5 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 2.8 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 4 , , 35.3 , , .485 , , .333 , , .760 , , 2.5 , , 7.3 , , 1.5 , , 0.3 , , 21.3 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 ;Los Angeles Lakers , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 4 , , 26.0 , , .435 , , .000 , , .833 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.8 , , 12.5 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 1 , , 20.8 , , .625 , , .333 , , .765 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 4 , , 40.8 , , .378 , , .333 , , .833 , , 1.5 , , 6.8 , , 1.8 , , 0.5 , , 12.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 4 , , 33.5 , , .440 , , .000 , , .684 , , 9.3 , , 0.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 8.8 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 3 , , 25.0 , , .462 , , .200 , , .909 , , 3.7 , , 8.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 11.7 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 2.8 , , .667 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.3 , - , align="left" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .333 , , .000 , , .800 , , 1.0 , , 1.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 25.8 , , .433 , , .000 , , .636 , , 4.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 10.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 21.8 , , .611 , , .000 , , .842 , , 5.3 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 9.5 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 4 , , 42.5 , , .481 , , .667 , , .710 , , 4.3 , , 3.5 , , 0.5 , , 1.5 , , 25.5

Television coverage

This series was aired on

. Dick Stockton and

Hubie Brown Hubert Jude Brown (born September 25, 1933) is an American retired basketball coach and player and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naism ...

called the action. Stockton also narrated the season-ending documentary "Motor City Madness" for NBA Entertainment. That year,

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

filled in for Brent Musburger for Game 2 as pre-game, half-time and post-game host as Musburger was on assignment for CBS Sports, the same thing that happened in 1988. CBS used three sideline reporters which were O'Brien (the Pistons' sideline), Lesley Visser (the Lakers' sideline) and James Brown (both teams). This was Musburger's last NBA Finals assignment for CBS, as he was fired on April 1, 1990, months before NBA's television contract with CBS expired. Musburger moved to ABC and

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

, and later called nine NBA Finals series for ESPN Radio between and . For the start of 1989 NBA Finals

completely revamped their opening montage for their NBA broadcasts. The computer-generated imagery (once again set in and around a virtual arena) was made to look more realistic (live-action footage was incorporated in the backdrops). Also, the familiar theme music (an uptempo series of four notes and three bars composed by Allyson Bellink since the

) each was rearranged to sound more intricate and to have a more emotional impact, along the lines of the network's later

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...

coverage. Between the 1989 NBA Finals and the

1990 NBA Finals The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989–90 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The series pitted the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference playoff champion De ...

' intros, the theme music was slightly revised; the 1989 Finals intro incorporated more of a guitar riff, while the 1990 Finals intro featured a little more usage of trumpets.

Aftermath

With the Michigan Wolverines winning the 1989 NCAA Basketball championship two months prior, the

Metro Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the a ...

area was home to a National Champion and NBA champion in the same season or calendar year, a similar distinction would occur once more in 1997, when the Detroit Red Wings and Michigan Wolverines won the Stanley Cup and the College Football National Championship respectively. The Pistons would repeat as champions in

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

. The Pistons won 59 games that season, then defeated the Indiana Pacers (3-0), New York Knicks (4-1) and

(4-3) in the first three rounds, before overcoming the

4–1 in the Finals. The Lakers earned the league's best record with a 63–19 record in the 1989–90 NBA season, despite losing

to retirement. However the Lakers fell to the Phoenix Suns 4–1 in the Western Conference Semifinals, after which head coach

resigned. The Lakers did make it back to the finals in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

but fell to the Bulls in five games. The Pistons and Lakers met again in the

2004 NBA Finals The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003–04 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. This season's NBA Finals was contested between the Western Conference playoff champion ...

. Much had changed since they last met, but they still took on the personalities of their respective teams: the more physical, defensive Pistons against the finesse, offensively-minded Lakers. In the rematch, the underdog Pistons, led by Ben Wallace,

Chauncey Billups Chauncey Ray Billups (born September 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 17 seasons in the NBA. Afte ...

, Richard Hamilton,

Rasheed Wallace Rasheed Abdul Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before declaring for the draft in 199 ...

and

Tayshaun Prince Tayshaun Durell Prince (born February 28, 1980) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. The small forward graduated from Dominguez High School before playing college basketball for the University of Kentucky. He was ...

, and coached by Larry Brown, upset the star-studded future Hall-of-Fame Lakers team of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal,

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone sp ...

and Gary Payton, and coached by

Phil Jackson Philip Douglas Jackson (born September 17, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive. A power forward, Jackson played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning NBA championships with the New York Knicks in 1970 and ...

, in five games. Two-time NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas was named after Isiah Thomas as a consequence of this series. The former Thomas' father, a lifelong Lakers fan, bet his son's name on his team winning the series.

References

External links

NBA History
{{DEFAULTSORT:1989 Nba Finals National Basketball Association Finals

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

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