In Game 4 of the 1987 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers overcame a large second-half deficit to defeat the Boston Celtics, thanks to Magic Johnson’s famous “junior skyhook” with two seconds left.
On Dec. 11, 1987, the two teams met for the first time in the 1987-88 season, and history repeated itself.
Los Angeles fell behind by double-digits again in the third quarter. Although it chipped away at the deficit, the team appeared likely to come up short.
But Michael Cooper hit a big 3-pointer, just as he did in Game 4 of the championship series the previous June, and with three seconds left, the Lakers had the ball down by one point.
Johnson was forced to take an off-balance bank shot while drifting to his left, but it went in cleanly to give them a 115-114 win. Once again, they had broken the hearts of Celtics fans in Boston.
The Lakers had been in a slump leading up to that contest, but it propelled them to a 15-game winning streak, and they ultimately went on to capture their second straight NBA championship.
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