Lakers Flashback: Worthy Drops 23 & LA Beats Warriors 4-1
By Alex Torres
These NBA Playoffs have been quite a treat so far, but it’s obviously not the same without the Los Angeles Lakers in the mix. The Lakers have spoiled this fan base, which is why it’s difficult to enjoy the postseason knowing the Lakers are watching from home as well.
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All we can do is remember the good times. On this day in Laker history, they faced off against the Golden State Warriors in 1987. It was Game 5 and the Lakers had a 3-1 series lead. The Lakers had the better team, but Sleepy Floyd had scored 51 points in the previous game to avoid the sweep.
The Lakers had championship aspirations and wanted to put away the Warriors quickly, but they found themselves having to play an extra game. At least the Lakers knew their home crowd would cheer them on, but those pesky Warriors wanted to take this series back to the Bay Area.
James Worthy had other plans. Big Game James would put on a show in front of the Laker fans. He finished with 23 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Current Lakers’ head coach Byron Scott chipped in with 10 points, but the real surprise was A.C. Green who ended the game with 20 points and 7 rebounds.
Sleepy Floyd could not replicate his performance from Game 4, so the Lakers would go on to beat the Warriors 118-106 and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
It was a magical season for the Lakers. They would advance to the NBA Finals after sweeping the Seattle Super Sonics in the Western Conference Finals. Who would they meet in the Finals? Their arch rival Boston Celtics.
The Lakers would win the NBA championship by beating the Celtics in the Finals 4-2. Their fourth championship in the 1980’s.