1988–89 NBA season

The season ended with the Detroit Pistons winning the NBA Championship, sweeping the Los Angeles Lakers.

Notes The League expands from twenty-three to twenty-five franchises, with new expansion teams in Charlotte and Miami.

The Heat began its season as a member of the Western Conference despite its geographical position, enduring its longest road trips when playing Western Conference teams.

It also began the season 0–17, at the time the worst start in NBA history.

[4] The Sacramento Kings were belatedly moved to the Pacific Division in their fourth season after leaving Kansas City.

Los Angeles Lakers facing the Boston Celtics in Dec. 1988. This would be Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 's last jump ball at Boston Garden.
A ticket for a November 1988 game between the Dallas Mavericks and the season's eventual champions Detroit Pistons.
A ticket for a game between the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets during their inaugural season.
A ticket for Game 1 of the 1989 Eastern Conference Semifinals between the New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls.