1987–88 NBA season

The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning their second straight Championship, beating the Detroit Pistons in seven hard-fought games in the NBA Finals, becoming the NBA's first repeat champions since the Boston Celtics did it in the 1968–69 NBA season.

Notes Teams in bold advanced to the next round.

The division champions are marked by an asterisk.

Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.

The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.

A ticket for Game 1 of the 1988 NBA Finals at The Forum.
A ticket for Game 1 of the 1988 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks.