1986–87 Boston Celtics season

NBA season
team = Boston Celtics
misc = Eastern Conference Champions
end_year = 1987
wins = 59
losses = 23
division = Atlantic
division_place = 1
conf_place = 1
coach = K. C. Jones
arena = Boston Garden
owners = Don Gaston, Alan Cohen, Paul Dupee
television = Sportschannel New England, WLVI
radio = WRKO
playoffs = NBA Finals (eliminated 4–2)
bbr_team = BOS

Offseason

NBA Draft

Thanks to the 1984 trade of Gerald Henderson and the subsequent fall of the Seattle Supersonics, at the end of the 1985-86 the Celtics owned not only the best team in the NBA but also the second pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. The Celtics drafted Len Bias with the pick and had high hopes for the young University of Maryland star. Fans believed Bias had superstar potential, and that he would be the perfect complement to the aging, but still strong, Celtics. The hope was that his presence would ensure that the franchise would remain a powerhouse after Bird, McHale and Parish retired. Unfortunately, Bias died 48 hours after he was drafted, after using cocaine at a party and overdosing. It would be the first in a long string of bad luck for the Celtics.

Regular season

eason standings

Player stats

"Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average"

Playoffs

1st Round

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Chicago Bulls:"Celtics win series 3-0"
*Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 108, Chicago 104
*Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 105, Chicago 96
*Game 3 @ Chicago: Boston 105, Chicago 94

Conference Semifinals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (4) Milwaukee Bucks"Celtics win series 4-3"
*Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 111, Milwaukee 98
*Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 126, Milwaukee 124
*Game 3 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 126, Boston 121
*Game 4 @ Milwaukee: Boston 138, Milwaukee 137
*Game 5 @ Boston: Milwaukee 129, Boston 124
*Game 6 @ Milwaukee: Milwaukee 121, Boston 111
*Game 7 @ Boston: Boston 119, Milwaukee 113

Conference Finals

(1) Boston Celtics vs. (3) Detroit Pistons"Celtics win series 4-3"
*Game 1 @ Boston: Boston 104, Detroit 91
*Game 2 @ Boston: Boston 110, Detroit 101
*Game 3 @ Detroit: Detroit 122, Boston 104
*Game 4 @ Detroit: Detroit 145, Boston 119
*Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 108, Detroit 107
*Game 6 @ Detroit: Detroit 113, Boston 105
*Game 7 @ Boston: Boston 117, Detroit 114

NBA Finals

Despite the loss of Bias, the Celtics remained competitive in 1986-87, going 59-23 and again winning the Eastern Conference Championship. Unfortunately, in the Finals the tired, aging, and injured Celtics ran into perhaps the best Los Angeles Lakers team of the decade. The biggest injury was yet another foot injury for Bill Walton, who only played 10 regular season games in 1986-87 after playing 80 games the year before. Walton fought through the injury, playing 12 games (out of 23) in the playoffs, but was not the same player as he was the year before. McHale, Parish and Ainge were also fighting injuries, forcing reserves Darren Daye and Fred Roberts to play larger roles in the series, which the Celtics would lose 4 games to 2. (1) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (1) Boston Celtics"Lakers win series 4-2"
*Game 1 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 126, Boston 113
*Game 2 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 141, Boston 122
*Game 3 @ Boston: Boston 109, Los Angeles 103
*Game 4 @ Boston: Los Angeles 107, Boston 106
*Game 5 @ Boston: Boston 123, Los Angeles 108
*Game 6 @ Los Angeles: Los Angeles 106, Boston 93

Award Winners

* Larry Bird, All-NBA First Team
* Kevin McHale, All-NBA First Team
* Kevin McHale, All-NBA Defensive First Team

References

* [http://www.databasebasketball.com/teams/teamyear.htm?yr=1986&tm=Bos&lg=N Celtics on Database Basketball]
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1987.html Celtics on Basketball Reference]