On this date: Lakers sweep into NBA Finals seeking three-peat
During the 1988-89 season, the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers looked a bit complacent and even a bit old at times.
But once the playoffs started, they flipped the switch and looked like their old selves.
They swept through the first two rounds, then faced the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals.
The Suns had won 55 games in the regular season, just two less than the Lakers, but L.A. took the first three games without much trouble.
In Game 4 in Arizona, it was clear that Showtime was still going strong.
James Worthy scored 20 points, Byron Scott got hot and poured in 35 points while Magic Johnson controlled everything with 21 points and 20 assists.
With a 122-117 victory over a young and dangerous Suns team, the Lakers had advanced to the NBA Finals for the eighth time in the last 10 years, this time without a loss.
There, they would face the Detroit Pistons in a rematch of the previous year’s championship series.
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