Boston Celtics

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Lore & Background

The 1986–87 Boston Celtics season was the 41st season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics entered the season as the defending NBA Champions, having defeated the Houston Rockets in the 1986 NBA Finals in six games, winning their sixteenth NBA championship. In the playoffs, the Celtics swept the Chicago Bulls in the First Round in three games, defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in the Semi-finals in seven games, and the Detroit Pistons in the conference finals in seven games to reach the NBA Finals for the fifth time in the 1980s. In the Finals, the Celtics faced off against their long time rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, in their third and final matchup in the NBA Finals in the 1980s. The Celtics would lose in six games to the Lakers, and it marked the last time the Celtics made it to the NBA Finals until 2008. Remarkably, the 1987 NBA Finals was the first playoff series for the Celtics in the Bird era in which they did not have the home court advantage, as they had played 24 consecutive series with the home court advantage starting in 1980.

In Their Own Story

The 1986–87 season began with tragedy. Thanks to the 1984 trade of Gerald Henderson and the subsequent fall of the Seattle SuperSonics, at the end of the 1985–86 season the Celtics owned not only the best team in the NBA but also the second pick in the 1986 NBA draft. The Celtics drafted small forward Len Bias with the pick and had high hopes for the young Maryland Terrapins star. 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. Unlike the prior year, the Celtics were forced to endure major injuries to several key players including Bill Walton, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. With a road record of 20–21, the Celtics were a sub-.500 road team for the first time in the Larry Bird era and the first time since the 1978–79 season. However, they continued with the previous season's historic dominance at home with a record of 39–2 at Boston Garden.

Reader's Guide

The 1987 playoffs saw the Celtics defeat the Milwaukee Bucks in the Semi-finals in seven games. This was part of a longer run where the Celtics swept the Chicago Bulls in the First Round in three games, then beat the Bucks, then beat the Detroit Pistons in seven games in the conference finals. They reached the NBA Finals for the fifth time in the 1980s, facing the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics lost in six games to the Lakers. Larry Bird was named to the All-NBA First Team, and Kevin McHale was named to both the All-NBA First Team and the All-NBA Defensive First Team.

Did You Know?

• The Celtics drafted Len Bias with the second pick in the 1986 NBA draft, but he died 48 hours later after using cocaine at a party and overdosing.
• The Celtics had a home record of 39–2 at Boston Garden during the 1986–87 season.
• The 1987 NBA Finals was the first playoff series for the Celtics in the Bird era in which they did not have home court advantage, after 24 consecutive series with it starting in 1980.
• Kevin McHale was named to both the All-NBA First Team and the All-NBA Defensive First Team in 1987.
• The Celtics' 1987 playoff run included a seven-game Semi-finals victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.