1987–88 Dallas Mavericks season

The 1987–88 NBA season was the eighth season for the Dallas Mavericks in the National Basketball Association. After the resignation of Dick Motta, the Mavericks hired John MacLeod as their new head coach.^[1][2][3]

1987–88 Dallas Mavericks season
Head coach	John MacLeod
General manager	Norm Sonju
Owner(s)	Don Carter
Arena	Reunion Arena
Results
Record	53–29 (.646)
Place	Division: 2nd (Midwest) Conference: 3rd (Western)
Playoff finish	Western Conference finals (lost to Lakers 3–4)
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	KTVT (Allen Stone, Dave Barnett) Home Sports Entertainment (Allen Stone, Norm Hitzges)
Radio	WBAP (Allen Stone, Dave Barnett)
< 1986–87 1988–89 >

Under MacLeod, the Mavericks got off to an 18–8 start to the regular season, then posted a 7-game winning streak in January, and held a 28–15 record at the All-Star break.^[4] The team then posted an 11-game winning streak between February and March, and finished in second place in the Midwest Division with a 53–29 record, earning the third seed in the Western Conference.^[5]

Mark Aguirre averaged 25.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, while Rolando Blackman averaged 18.7 points and 3.7 assists per game, and Derek Harper provided the team with 17.0 points, 7.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game. In addition, Sam Perkins contributed 14.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while second-year forward Roy Tarpley provided with 13.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game off the bench, and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year,^[6][7][8] and James Donaldson averaged 7.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Off the bench, Detlef Schrempf contributed 8.5 points per game, and Brad Davis provided with 7.2 points and 4.0 assists per game.^[9]

Aguirre and Donaldson were both selected for the 1988 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago, Illinois; it was Donaldson's only All-Star appearance.^[10][11][12] Aguirre finished tied in fourteenth place in Most Valuable Player voting, while Perkins finished tied in eighth place in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and Tarpley finished tied in eighth place in Most Improved Player voting.^[13]

In the Western Conference First Round of the 1988 NBA playoffs, the Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets in four games,^[14] and then defeated the 2nd-seeded Denver Nuggets in six games in the Western Conference Semi-finals.^[15] The Mavericks made their first appearance in the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in a hard-fought seven-game series.^[16] The Lakers would defeat the Detroit Pistons in seven games in the 1988 NBA Finals, winning their second consecutive NBA championship.^[17][18][19]

NBA draft

Main article: 1987 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	20	Jim Farmer	Guard	United States	Alabama
2	26	Steve Alford	Guard	United States	Indiana
3	66	Mike Richmond	Forward	United States	UTEP
4	89	David Johnson	Forward	United States	Oklahoma
5	112	Sam Hill	Center	United States	Iowa State
6	135	Quintan Gates	Forward	United States	UTEP
7	158	Gerald White	Guard	United States	Auburn

^[20]

Roster

1987–88 Dallas Mavericks roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From F 24 Mark Aguirre 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 232 lb (105 kg) 1959–12–10 DePaul G 2 Steve Alford 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1964–11–23 Indiana C 33 Uwe Blab 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 252 lb (114 kg) 1962–03–26 Indiana G/F 22 Rolando Blackman 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1959–02–26 Kansas State G 15 Brad Davis 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1955–12–17 Maryland C 40 James Donaldson 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1957–08–16 Washington State G 21 Jim Farmer 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1964–09–23 Alabama G 12 Derek Harper 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1961–10–13 Illinois F/C 44 Sam Perkins 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1961–06–14 North Carolina F 32 Detlef Schrempf 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 214 lb (97 kg) 1963–01–21 Washington F/C 42 Roy Tarpley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1964–11–28 Michigan C 23 Bill Wennington 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1963–04–26 St. John's

Head coach John MacLeod Assistant(s) Richie Adubato Garfield Heard Clifford Ray Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Regular season

Standings

Midwest Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Denver Nuggets	54	28	.659	–	35–6	19–22	18–12
x-Dallas Mavericks	53	29	.646	1	33–8	20–21	20–10
x-Utah Jazz	47	35	.573	7	33–8	14–27	18–12
x-Houston Rockets	46	36	.561	8	31–10	15–26	13–17
x-San Antonio Spurs	31	51	.378	23	23–18	8–33	12–18
Sacramento Kings	24	58	.293	30	19–22	5–36	9–21

#	Western Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Los Angeles Lakers	62	20	.756	–
2	y-Denver Nuggets	54	28	.659	8
3	x-Dallas Mavericks	53	29	.646	9
4	x-Portland Trail Blazers	53	29	.646	9
5	x-Utah Jazz	47	35	.573	15
6	x-Houston Rockets	46	36	.561	16
7	x-Seattle SuperSonics	44	38	.537	18
8	x-San Antonio Spurs	31	51	.378	31
9	Phoenix Suns	28	54	.341	34
10	Sacramento Kings	24	58	.293	38
11	Golden State Warriors	20	62	.244	42
12	Los Angeles Clippers	17	65	.207	45

Record vs. opponents

1987-88 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–4	2–3	5–1	2–0	1–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	4–2	2–0	0–2	3–3	5–0	3–3	6–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–3
Boston	4–2	—	3–3	2–3	2–0	0–2	3–3	2–0	1–1	5–0	2–0	0–2	3–3	5–1	5–1	4–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	5–1
Chicago	3–2	3–3	—	3–3	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–0	2–0	3–3	2–0	1–1	5–1	5–1	3–2	4–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–3
Cleveland	1–5	3–2	3–3	—	1–1	1–1	1–5	0–2	1–1	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	5–1	2–4	3–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	6–0
Dallas	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	—	3–3	1–1	4–1	4–2	2–0	5–0	1–4	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	5–0	3–2	5–1	5–1	3–2	3–3	1–1
Denver	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–3	—	1–1	4–1	4–2	1–1	5–0	3–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–2	2–3	4–2	5–1	4–1	2–4	2–0
Detroit	4–2	3–3	4–2	5–1	1–1	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	3–3	1–1	0–2	4–2	5–1	4–2	4–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–2
Golden State	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–4	1–4	0–2	—	0–5	0–2	3–3	0–6	0–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–4	1–5	2–3	3–2	1–5	1–4	0–2
Houston	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–4	1–1	5–0	—	2–0	3–2	1–4	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1	4–1	4–2	2–4	3–2	3–3	2–0
Indiana	2–4	0–5	3–3	2–4	0–2	1–1	3–3	2–0	0–2	—	1–1	1–1	3–3	6–0	2–3	2–4	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–4
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	0–5	1–1	3–3	2–3	1–1	—	1–5	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4	0–6	3–2	0–5	1–5	1–4	0–2
L.A. Lakers	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–1	2–3	2–0	6–0	4–1	1–1	5–1	—	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–1	3–3	4–1	5–0	4–2	4–1	1–1
Milwaukee	3–3	3–3	1–5	4–2	0–2	1–1	2–4	2–0	0–2	3–3	2–0	2–0	—	3–2	3–3	2–4	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	4–1
New Jersey	0–5	1–5	1–5	1–5	1–1	0–2	1–5	0–2	1–1	0–6	2–0	0–2	2–3	—	3–3	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–6
New York	3–3	1–5	2–3	4–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	3–2	2–0	0–2	3–3	3–3	—	3–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–3
Philadelphia	0–6	2–4	2–4	2–3	1–1	0–2	1–4	1–1	1–1	4–2	1–1	0–2	4–2	4–2	3–3	—	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–3
Phoenix	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	2–3	0–2	4–2	1–4	0–2	4–2	1–5	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	—	0–6	3–2	2–3	2–4	2–3	0–2
Portland	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	3–2	1–1	5–1	1–4	2–0	6–0	3–3	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	6–0	—	4–1	5–0	3–3	1–4	2–0
Sacramento	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–5	2–4	0–2	3–2	2–4	0–2	2–3	1–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–3	1–4	—	3–3	1–4	1–5	0–2
San Antonio	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–5	1–5	1–1	2–3	4–2	0–2	5–0	0–5	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–2	0–5	3–3	—	3–2	3–3	0–2
Seattle	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–3	1–4	1–1	5–1	2–3	1–1	5–1	2–4	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–2	3–3	4–1	2–3	—	1–4	2–0
Utah	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–0	3–3	4–2	0–2	4–1	3–3	1–1	4–1	1–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–2	4–1	5–1	3–3	4–1	—	2–0
Washington	3–3	1–5	3–3	0–6	1–1	0–2	2–3	2–0	0–2	4–2	2–0	1–1	1–4	6–0	3–3	3–3	2–0	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	0–2	—

Game log

1987–88 game log Total: 53–29 (home: 33–8; road: 20–21)
November: 7–5 (home: 5–1; road: 2–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 1 November 6, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST Utah W 95–93 Aguirre (31) Donaldson (13) Alford Blackman (5) Reunion Arena 17,007 1–0 2 November 7, 1987 @ San Antonio L 106–130 HemisFair Arena 1–1 3 November 10, 1987 9:30 p.m. CST @ Seattle W 117–101 Aguirre (25) Aguirre (8) Harper (16) Seattle Center Coliseum 10,447 2–1 4 November 11, 1987 8:30 p.m. CST @ Utah L 92–121 Aguirre (21) Tarpley (14) Schrempf (4) Salt Palace 12,212 2–2 5 November 13, 1987 7:00 p.m. CST Seattle L 95–103 Blackman, Perkins (19) Donaldson (9) Harper (7) Reunion Arena 17,007 2–3 6 November 14, 1987 Portland W 127–116 Reunion Arena 3–3 7 November 18, 1987 L.A. Clippers W 97–87 Reunion Arena 4–3 8 November 20, 1987 9:30 p.m. CST @ L.A. Lakers L 116–119 Aguirre (35) Blackman (7) Davis (8) The Forum 17,505 4–4 9 November 21, 1987 @ Sacramento W 103–96 ARCO Arena 5–4 10 November 25, 1987 7:30 p.m. CST Detroit W 113–107 Blackman (30) Perkins (12) Harper (10) Reunion Arena 17,007 6–4 11 November 27, 1987 7:00 p.m. CST Chicago W 94–93 Aguirre (26) Tarpley (10) Harper (11) Reunion Arena 17,007 7–4 12 November 28, 1987 8:30 p.m. CST @ Denver L 98–106 Blackman (28) Tarpley (18) Harper (7) McNichols Sports Arena 13,400 7–5
December: 10–3 (home: 6–0; road: 4–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 13 December 4, 1987 Golden State W 116–95 Reunion Arena 8–5 14 December 5, 1987 7:30 p.m. CST Denver W 109–96 Aguirre (35) Aguirre (11) Blackman (9) Reunion Arena 17,007 9–5 15 December 9, 1987 Sacramento W 125–98 Reunion Arena 10–5 16 December 11, 1987 Phoenix W 108–104 Reunion Arena 11–5 17 December 13, 1987 7:30 p.m. CST @ Milwaukee W 113–99 Perkins (21) Donaldson (9) Harper (11) MECCA Arena 11,052 12–5 18 December 15, 1987 6:30 p.m. CST @ Cleveland L 93–106 Harper (21) Donaldson (12) Aguirre, Blackman, Harper (4) Richfield Coliseum 6,852 12–6 19 December 16, 1987 @ New Jersey W 109–105 (OT) Brendan Byrne Arena 13–6 20 December 18, 1987 6:30 p.m. CST @ Detroit L 112–117 Aguirre (35) Donaldson (12) Harper (7) Pontiac Silverdome 19,426 13–7 21 December 19, 1987 @ Philadelphia L 90–95 The Spectrum 13–8 22 December 22, 1987 7:00 p.m. CST @ Chicago W 111–100 Aguirre (32) Donaldson (18) Blackman, Harper (9) Chicago Stadium 18,103 14–8 23 December 23, 1987 @ Indiana W 110–109 Market Square Arena 15–8 24 December 26, 1987 Houston W 105–100 Reunion Arena 16–8 25 December 29, 1987 Sacramento W 126–117 Reunion Arena 17–8
January: 11–4 (home: 5–2; road: 6–2) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 26 January 2, 1988 @ San Antonio W 116–109 HemisFair Arena 18–8 27 January 4, 1988 @ Houston L 107–117 The Summit 18–9 28 January 6, 1988 9:30 p.m. CST @ L.A. Lakers L 89–103 Aguirre (29) Donaldson (12) Harper (11) The Forum 17,505 18–10 29 January 7, 1988 @ Phoenix W 105–91 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 19–10 30 January 9, 1988 @ Golden State W 115–99 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 20–10 31 January 13, 1988 Indiana W 110–108 Reunion Arena 21–10 32 January 16, 1988 12:30 p.m. CST Atlanta L 98–101 Aguirre (32) Tarpley (8) Harper (11) Reunion Arena 17,007 21–11 33 January 18, 1988 9:30 p.m. CST @ L.A. Clippers W 99–87 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 22–11 34 January 19, 1988 @ Portland W 120–116 Memorial Coliseum 23–11 35 January 22, 1988 L.A. Clippers W 110–87 Reunion Arena 24–11 36 January 23, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST Milwaukee W 113–97 Aguirre (35) Donaldson, Tarpley (14) Harper (12) Reunion Arena 17,007 25–11 37 January 26, 1988 San Antonio W 128–111 Reunion Arena 26–11 38 January 27, 1988 @ Phoenix W 121–102 Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum 27–11 39 January 29, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST Seattle W 117–109 Aguirre (29) Donaldson (10) Harper (5) Reunion Arena 17,007 28–11 40 January 30, 1988 Houston L 92–108 Reunion Arena 28–12
February: 10–5 (home: 7–2; road: 3–3) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 41 February 1, 1988 New Jersey L 103–108 Reunion Arena 28–13 42 February 3, 1988 8:30 p.m. CST @ Denver L 105–115 Aguirre (27) Donaldson (15) Harper (7) McNichols Sports Arena 10,667 28–14 43 February 4, 1988 @ Sacramento L 101–118 ARCO Arena 28–15 All-Star Break 44 February 9, 1988 7:00 p.m. CST Utah W 124–93 Harper (21) Tarpley (13) Aguirre (8) Reunion Arena 17,007 29–15 45 February 10, 1988 8:30 p.m. CST @ Utah L 80–93 Blackman (18) Tarpley (17) Harper (6) Salt Palace 12,444 29–16 46 February 12, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST Boston L 104–105 Aguirre (38) Tarpley (14) Harper (10) Reunion Arena 17,007 29–17 47 February 14, 1988 @ L.A. Clippers W 110–100 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 30–17 48 February 15, 1988 8:00 p.m. CST @ Seattle W 128–122 (2OT) Blackman (28) Donaldson (13) Blackman (7) Seattle Center Coliseum 13,492 31–17 49 February 17, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST Washington W 123–108 Aguirre (35) Tarpley (19) Harper (11) Reunion Arena 17,007 32–17 50 February 19, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST Golden State W 113–100 Reunion Arena 33–17 51 February 22, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST Phoenix W 114–107 Reunion Arena 34–17 52 February 24, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST Cleveland W 93–89 Blackman (26) Tarpley (9) Davis, Harper (5) Reunion Arena 17,007 35–17 53 February 25, 1988 @ Houston W 108–106 The Summit 36–17 54 February 27, 1988 Philadelphia W 100–91 Reunion Arena 37–17 55 February 29, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST Denver W 123–96 Aguirre, Perkins (22) Tarpley (21) Aguirre (9) Reunion Arena 17,007 38–17
March: 8–6 (home: 6–2; road: 2–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 56 March 2, 1988 Sacramento W 115–90 Reunion Arena 39–17 57 March 4, 1988 7:00 p.m. CST Houston W 118–110 Reunion Arena 40–17 58 March 6, 1988 1:00 p.m. CST L.A. Lakers L 97–108 Aguirre (27) Donaldson (12) Davis, Harper (6) Reunion Arena 17,007 40–18 59 March 8, 1988 Portland L 110–112 Reunion Arena 41–19 60 March 12, 1988 10:00 p.m. CST @ L.A. Lakers W 110–101 Aguirre (21) Tarpley (21) Aguirre, Davis (5) The Forum 17,505 41–19 61 March 14, 1988 Golden State W 121–101 Reunion Arena 42–19 62 March 16, 1988 8:30 p.m. CST @ Utah L 105–120 Aguirre (29) Perkins (10) Harper (7) Salt Palace 12,444 42–20 63 March 18, 1988 @ L.A. Clippers W 106–98 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena 43–20 64 March 20, 1988 @ Portland L 99–105 Memorial Coliseum 43–21 65 March 22, 1988 7:30 p.m. CST New York W 124–105 Reunion Arena 44–21 66 March 25, 1988 Portland W 106–101 Reunion Arena 45–21 67 March 26, 1988 San Antonio W 131–112 Reunion Arena 46–21 68 March 28, 1988 6:30 p.m. CST @ New York L 106–114 Madison Square Garden 46–22 69 March 29, 1988 7:00 p.m. CST @ Atlanta L 106–120 Harper (25) Tarpley (19) Harper (9) The Omni 14,583 46–23
April: 7–5 (home: 4–1; road: 3–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Record 70 April 1, 1988 7:00 p.m. CST @ Washington L 113–128 Aguirre (38) Donaldson (11) Aguirre (6) Capital Centre 13,783 46–24 71 April 3, 1988 12 Noon CDT @ Boston L 101–110 Tarpley (22) Tarpley (16) Blackman (6) Boston Garden 14,890 46–25 72 April 6, 1988 Phoenix W 119–93 Reunion Arena 47–25 73 April 8, 1988 7:30 p.m. CDT Utah W 118–95 Blackman (21) Tarpley (15) Harper (6) Reunion Arena 17,007 48–25 74 April 9, 1988 7:30 p.m. CDT Denver W 135–109 Harper (35) Donaldson (13) Harper (11) Reunion Arena 17,007 49–25 75 April 12, 1988 @ Sacramento W 104–96 ARCO Arena 50–25 76 April 13, 1988 @ Golden State L 110–112 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena 50–26 77 April 15, 1988 9:30 p.m. CDT @ Seattle L 88–115 Aguirre (24) Donaldson (13) Harper (5) Seattle Center Coliseum 12,576 50–27 78 April 17, 1988 3:00 p.m. CDT @ Denver L 122–133 Blackman (31) Donaldson Tarpley (11) Davis (6) McNichols Sports Arena 17,022 50–28 79 April 19, 1988 7:30 p.m. CDT @ Houston W 104–96 The Summit 51–28 80 April 20, 1988 7:30 p.m. CDT L.A. Lakers L 107–114 Tarpley (24) Tarpley (13) Blackman (7) Reunion Arena 17,007 51–29 81 April 22, 1988 San Antonio W 127–96 Reunion Arena 52–29 82 April 24, 1988 @ San Antonio W 119–109 HemisFair Arena 53–29
1987–88 schedule

Playoffs

Game log

1988 playoff game log
Western Conference First Round: 3–1 (home: 1–1; road: 2–0) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 April 28, 1988 7:30 p.m. CDT Houston W 120–110 Roy Tarpley (24) Roy Tarpley (9) Derek Harper (8) Reunion Arena 17,007 1–0 2 April 30, 1988 2:30 p.m. CDT Houston L 108–119 Roy Tarpley (23) Roy Tarpley (13) Derek Harper (8) Reunion Arena 17,007 1–1 3 May 3, 1988 7:30 p.m. CDT @ Houston W 93–92 Roy Tarpley (17) Roy Tarpley (13) Rolando Blackman (7) The Summit 16,611 2–1 4 May 5, 1988 7:00 p.m. CDT @ Houston W 107–97 Mark Aguirre (38) James Donaldson (10) Rolando Blackman (10) The Summit 16,611 3–1
Western Conference Semifinals: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 10, 1988 8:30 p.m. CDT @ Denver L 115–126 Aguirre (26) Donaldson (13) Harper (5) McNichols Sports Arena 17,022 0–1 2 May 12, 1988 9:00 p.m. CDT @ Denver W 112–108 Blackman (31) Donaldson (13) Harper (8) McNichols Sports Arena 17,022 1–1 3 May 14, 1988 2:30 p.m. CDT Denver L 105–107 Perkins (17) Tarpley (15) Aguirre (6) Reunion Arena 17,007 1–2 4 May 15, 1988 7:00 p.m. CDT Denver W 124–103 Aguirre (34) Tarpley (13) Harper (10) Reunion Arena 17,007 2–2 5 May 17, 1988 9:00 p.m. CDT @ Denver W 110–106 Aguirre (25) Tarpley (16) Harper (6) McNichols Sports Arena 17,022 3–2 6 May 19, 1988 7:00 p.m. CDT Denver W 108–95 Blackman, Perkins (23) Tarpley (19) Harper (9) Reunion Arena 17,007 4–2
Western Conference Finals: 3–4 (home: 3–0; road: 0–4) Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location Attendance Series 1 May 23, 1988 9:30 p.m. CDT @ L.A. Lakers L 98–113 Aguirre, Blackman, Tarpley (18) Tarpley (20) Harper (7) The Forum 17,505 0–1 2 May 25, 1988 9:30 p.m. CDT @ L.A. Lakers L 101–123 Aguirre (28) Tarpley (13) Harper (8) The Forum 17,505 0–2 3 May 27, 1988 7:00 p.m. CDT L.A. Lakers W 106–94 Aguirre (23) Tarpley (20) Davis (6) Reunion Arena 17,007 1–2 4 May 29, 1988 2:30 p.m. CDT L.A. Lakers W 118–104 Harper (35) Tarpley (13) Blackman (11) Reunion Arena 17,007 2–2 5 May 31, 1988 10:30 p.m. CDT @ L.A. Lakers L 102–119 Aguirre (31) Tarpley (11) Harper (6) The Forum 17,505 2–3 6 June 2, 1988 8:00 p.m. CDT L.A. Lakers W 105–103 Aguirre (23) Aguirre (13) Harper (10) Reunion Arena 17,007 3–3 7 June 4, 1988 2:30 p.m. CDT @ L.A. Lakers L 102–117 Aguirre (24) Donaldson (14) Harper (11) The Forum 17,505 3–4
1988 schedule

Awards and honors

Week/Month

• Roy Tarpley was named Player of the Week for games played February 22 through February 28.^[21]

All-Star

• Mark Aguirre was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his third All-Star selection. Aguirre finished seventh in voting among Western Conference forwards with 347,357 votes.^[12]
• James Donaldson was selected as a reserve for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his first and only All-Star selection. Donaldson finished fourth in voting among Western Conference centers with 310,100 votes.^[22]
• Detlef Schrempf was selected to compete in the Three-Point Shootout. Schrempf was eliminated in the second round.^[23]

Season

• Roy Tarpley received the Sixth Man of the Year Award.^[24]
• Mark Aguirre finished 14th in MVP voting.^[13]

Player statistics

Ragular season

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Derek Harper	PG	82	82	3,032	246	634	168	35	1,393	37.0	3.0	7.7	2.0	.4	17.0
Detlef Schrempf	SF	82	4	1,587	279	159	42	32	698	19.4	3.4	1.9	.5	.4	8.5
James Donaldson	C	81	81	2,523	755	66	40	104	571	31.1	9.3	.8	.5	1.3	7.0
Roy Tarpley	PF	81	9	2,307	959	86	103	86	1,093	28.5	11.8	1.1	1.3	1.1	13.5
Mark Aguirre	SF	77	77	2,610	434	278	70	57	1,932	33.9	5.6	3.6	.9	.7	25.1
Sam Perkins	PF	75	75	2,499	601	118	74	54	1,066	33.3	8.0	1.6	1.0	.7	14.2
Brad Davis	PG	75	12	1,480	102	303	51	18	537	19.7	1.4	4.0	.7	.2	7.2
Uwe Blab	C	73	1	658	134	35	8	29	162	9.0	1.8	.5	.1	.4	2.2
Rolando Blackman	SG	71	69	2,580	246	262	64	18	1,325	36.3	3.5	3.7	.9	.3	18.7
Jim Farmer	SG	30	0	157	18	16	3	1	61	5.2	.6	.5	.1	.0	2.0
Bill Wennington	C	30	0	125	39	4	5	9	63	4.2	1.3	.1	.2	.3	2.1
Steve Alford	PG	28	0	197	23	23	17	3	59	7.0	.8	.8	.6	.1	2.1

Playoffs

Player	POS	GP	GS	MP	REB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS	MPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Rolando Blackman	SG	17	17	672	55	77	15	3	307	39.5	3.2	4.5	.9	.2	18.1
Derek Harper	PG	17	17	602	43	121	32	5	230	35.4	2.5	7.1	1.9	.3	13.5
Sam Perkins	PF	17	17	572	112	31	25	17	230	33.6	6.6	1.8	1.5	1.0	13.5
Mark Aguirre	SF	17	17	558	100	56	14	9	367	32.8	5.9	3.3	.8	.5	21.6
James Donaldson	C	17	17	499	146	12	7	15	158	29.4	8.6	.7	.4	.9	9.3
Roy Tarpley	PF	17	0	563	219	30	21	26	304	33.1	12.9	1.8	1.2	1.5	17.9
Brad Davis	PG	17	0	295	20	55	3	5	109	17.4	1.2	3.2	.2	.3	6.4
Detlef Schrempf	SF	15	0	274	55	24	8	7	117	18.3	3.7	1.6	.5	.5	7.8
Bill Wennington	C	6	0	14	4	1	1	0	0	2.3	.7	.2	.2	.0	.0
Steve Alford	PG	4	0	12	2	2	0	0	6	3.0	.5	.5	.0	.0	1.5
Jim Farmer	SG	3	0	11	4	1	0	0	4	3.7	1.3	.3	.0	.0	1.3
Uwe Blab	C	3	0	8	1	1	0	0	2	2.7	.3	.3	.0	.0	.7

Transactions

Free agents

Subtractions

Date	Player	Reason Left	New Team
October 30, 1987	Dennis Nutt	Waived	Real Madrid (Spain)
November 17, 1987	Al Wood	Waived	Basket Mestre (Italy)

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