Sure, nobody had done it in 19 years, but Pat Riley knew his team was different.
During the parade for the Lakers’ 1987 championship, the head coach delivered a promise: His team would be the first in nearly two decades to win back-to-back titles.
To do so, the Lakers would have to earn what Magic Johnson called “the hardest championship we’ve ever won.”
In a clash between the “Bad Boys” and “Showtime,” the Detroit Pistons had pushed the defending champs to the NBA’s most pressurized setting: Game 7 of the Finals.
That’s where James Ager Worthy became forever known as “Big Game James.