Lakers News: Writer Believes This Finals Team Was LA's Best To Not Win It All

The Los Angeles Lakers have seen plenty of great teams over their history in the NBA. The franchise is tied for the lead in titles, so the on-court success has been there.

But what about the Lakers teams that were good, but couldn’t cross the finish line of winning a title? There has been a ton of those as well.

Robert Marvi of USA Today decided to rank the top-10 Laker teams that never won the NBA championship. Coming in at the top of the list is the 1988-1989 Los Angeles Lakers.

“As a whole, the Lakers were starting to show early signs of wear and tear after going deep into the playoffs almost every year of the decade. They looked inconsistent and even uninspired at times during the regular season. They finished 57-25, making it the first time in five years they didn’t reach 60 wins.”

Per Robert Marvi of USA Today (LeBron Wire"

This is a solid answer as the top team since this version of the Lakers did reach the NBA Finals. They were going for the historic three-peat but ultimately fell just short of that quest. It was also the final season of the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career.

The Detroit Pistons got their revenge on the Lakers in the finals that season, and the rest was history. The “Bad Boy” Pistons were too much for a Lakers team that had been playing heavy minutes for years, and a team that was down some key players.

Guard Byron Scott tore his hamstring right before the finals and was forced to miss the series. And adding insult to injury, Magic Johnson injured a hamstring in game two of the series. It was too much for them to overcome, and they fell to Detroit.

“With their forces severely depleted, the Lakers were swept by Isiah Thomas and company in four games. There would be no glorious ending for Abdul-Jabbar, no “threepeat” for the team of the 1980s.”

Per Robert Marvi of USA Today

This team ended the showtime era for Los Angeles, but even getting to the NBA Finals was a reminder of how great they were. This era really started the dynasty of the Los Angeles Lakers, and that legacy still lives on to this day.

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