When the game was war: revisiting the NBA’s ‘greatest ever season’

A new book argues that basketball was at its peak when the Lakers, Pistons, Bulls and Celtics fought it out during the 1987-88 season

Fourteen seconds. That's how close the Detroit Pistons were to a championship in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA finals. Leading by one point over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit had possession. Then momentum shifted: A referee made a much-discussed foul call on the Pistons' controversial center, Bill Laimbeer. The decision put Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the line; he made both free throws. LA went on to win, then prevailed in a similarly dramatic Game 7 for the title.

This is a pivotal moment from a new book by Rich Cohen called When the Game Was War: The NBA's Greatest Season. The book argues that the excitement, excellence and revolutionary star play of the 1987-88 season set an unparalleled standard.