1986-87 Boston Celtics season

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1986-87 Boston Celtics
Eastern Conference Champions
NBA Affiliations
Location
1986-87 Information
Owner(s) Don Gaston, Alan Cohen, Paul Dupee
Coach K. C. Jones
Local television
Local radio

Contents

[edit] Offseason

[edit] 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, and many fans believe the Celtics have never recovered from the loss of Bias.

The tragic death of Len Bias is often considered a turning point in Celtics history.
The tragic death of Len Bias is often considered a turning point in Celtics history.
Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 2 Len Bias Forward Flag of the United States United States Maryland
4 93 Tony Bedford N/A Flag of the United States United States Texas Tech
5 116 Dave Colbert N/A Flag of the United States United States Dayton
6 139 Greg Wendt N/A Flag of the United States United States Detroit
7 162 Tom Ivey N/A Flag of the United States United States Boston

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Season standings

Atlantic Division
Team W L PCT. GB
Boston Celtics 59 23 .720 -
Philadelphia 76ers 45 37 .549 14
Washington Bullets 42 40 .512 17
New Jersey Nets 24 58 .293 35
New York Knicks 24 58 .293 35

[edit] Player stats

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

Player GP REB AST STL BLK PTS AVG
Larry Bird 74 682 566 135 70 2076 28.1
Kevin McHale
Robert Parrish
Bill Walton 10 31 9 1 10 28 2.8

[edit] Playoffs

[edit] 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

[edit] 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

[edit] 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

[edit] NBA Finals

Main article: 1987 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

[edit] Award Winners

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

[edit] References

v • d • e
1986–87 NBA season by team
1986 NBA Draft • All-Star Game • Playoffs • Finals • Transactions
East
Boston • New Jersey • New York • Philadelphia • Washington
Atlanta • Chicago • Cleveland • Detroit • Indiana • Milwaukee
West
Dallas • Denver • Houston • Sacramento • San Antonio • Utah
Golden State • L.A. Clippers • L.A. Lakers • Phoenix • Portland • Seattle
v • d • e
Boston Celtics
The Franchise
Arenas
Head Coaches
J. Russell • Julian • Auerbach • B. Russell • Heinsohn • Sanders • Cowens • Fitch • Jones • Rodgers • Ford • Carr • Pitino • O'Brien • Carroll • Rivers
Retired numbers
00 • 1 • 2 • 3 • 6 • 10 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • LOSCY • 19 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 35 • MIC
NBDL Affiliates
Rivals
Culture
NBA Championships
1957 • 1959 • 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1968 • 1969 • 1974 • 1976 • 1981 • 1984 • 1986
v • d • e
Boston Celtics seasons
Franchise • History • Seasons
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