1986 NBA Finals Game 6 vs Houston Rockets
The Celtics' 16th championship, their last until 2008.
The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship series of the NBA's 1985–86 season, pitting the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. The heavily favored Celtics defeated the Rockets four games to two to win their then-record 16th NBA championship. Larry Bird was named the Finals MVP.
Quick Facts
- Date
- June 8, 1986
- Location
- The Astrodome, Houston, Texas
- Series result
- Celtics win 4-2
- Larry bird points
- 29
- Kevin mchale points
- 30
Lore & Background
The series marked the first time the 'NBA Finals' branding was officially used, dropping the 'NBA World Championship Series' branding. Until the 2011 series, this was the last time the NBA Finals had started before June. It was also the last NBA Finals series to schedule a game on a Monday until 1999 and also the last NBA Finals game to be played on Memorial Day. Until the 2018 series, it was the last to conclude before June 10.
Reader's Guide
The Celtics won the first two games at the Boston Garden. The Rockets won game three 106–104. The Celtics won game four 106–103. The Rockets won game five. The Celtics won game six 114–97. Larry Bird averaged 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.7 assists, and 2.7 steals per game for the series.
Did You Know?
- This was the second and last NBA Championship Series of the 1980s not to feature the Los Angeles Lakers.
- CBS Sports used Dick Stockton and Tom Heinsohn as the play-by-play man and color commentator respectively.
More in Iconic Games & Moments
Elsewhere in Boston Celtics
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced