The 1985-1986 Celtics went 67-15 in the regular season and lost only three games on their way to their 16th NBA Championship. Larry Bird was again regular season and NBA Finals MVP, throwing down a triple-double in the clincher. From the start of the season to the end of the playoffs, the Celtics went a jaw-dropping 50-1 at home.
Bird won his third consecutive MVP award after having arguably his finest season, and Walton won the Sixth Man of the Year Award. They would win their 16th championship and last for 22 years, defeating the Houston Rockets in 6 games in the NBA Finals.
Award winners:
Larry Bird, Associated Press Athlete of the Year
Larry Bird, NBA Most Valuable Player Award
Larry Bird, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
Larry Bird, All-NBA First Team
Kevin McHale, All-NBA Defensive First Team
Dennis Johnson, All-NBA Defensive Second Team
Bill Walton, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Team Photo of 1985/86 Boston Celtics with Head Coach K.C Jones:
Key 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 82 805 557 166 51 2115 25.8
Kevin McHale 68 551 181 29 164 1448 21.3
Robert Parish 81 770 145 65 116 1305 16.1
Dennis Johnson 78 268 456 110 35 1213 15.6
Danny Ainge 80 235 405 94 7 855 10.7
Scott Wedman 79 192 82 38 22 634 8.0
Bill Walton 80 544 165 38 106 606 7.6
Jerry Sichting 82 104 188 50 0 537 6.5
Playoffs
The Celtics steamrolled through the Eastern Conference Playoffs, sweeping the Chicago Bulls 3-0 in the first round. The highlight of the first round was the second game which went into double-overtime. Matched up against a superior Celtics team, Michael Jordan exploded for 63 points at the Boston Garden and nearly lead his team to a stunning upset. The Celtics won the game 135-131, and won the series two days later in Chicago.
Boston proceeded by besting the young Atlanta Hawks four games to one in the semifinals. The series was highlighted by a game 5 blow-out. The final score was 132-99, and featured the Celtics hammering the Hawks in the third quarter by a score of 36-6.
The Eastern Conference Finals matched the Celtics up against the Milwaukee Bucks and head coach Don Nelson. Nelson was a former Celtic player who enraged the Celtics in the 1983 NBA Playoffs by accusing Celtic guard Danny Ainge of "dirty" play. The Celtics ended up sweeping the Bucks.
NBA finals
Game Date Home Team Result Road Team
Game 1 May 26 Boston 112-100 Houston
Game 2 May 29 Boston 117-95 Houston
Game 3 June 1 Houston 106-104 Boston
Game 4 June 3 Houston 103-106 Boston
Game 5 June 5 Houston 111-96 Boston
Game 6 June 8 Boston 114-97 Houston
Boston beats Houston 4-2 to win their 16th and last until the 2007/2008 season NBA Title.
The Finals
The Larry Bird led Celtics would defeat the Rockets again 4 games to 2 in the 1986 NBA Finals. The Celtics dominated the first two games at the Boston Garden, where they had gone 40-1 during the regular season. The Rockets had been almost as good at home during the season, and they defeated the Celtics 106-104 in game three. Game 4 would be a tense battle at the Summit and the Celtics prevailed 106-103, with Bill Walton coming off the bench to spell a tired Robert Parish to score a crucial basket.
The infamous fifth game featured the signature moment of the series, when 7'4" Ralph Sampson ignited a brawl with Jerry Sichting, a player 15 inches (380 mm) shorter than he, ultimately leading to Sampson's ejection. While Jim Petersen would lead the Rockets to a decisive victory, Sampson's actions would motivate the Celtics to end the series in six. Bird would dismantle the Rockets in game 6, as the Garden crowd booed every time Sampson touched the ball. The Celtics blew out the Rockets 114-97 in a game that wasn't as close as the score would indicate.
Bird was named the Finals' MVP for that year, averaging 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game for the series. It was the Celtics' 16th championship in 40 years and it was their last championship before winning their 17th NBA championship in 2008.
What a team that was...wil..
Bird won his third consecutive MVP award after having arguably his finest season, and Walton won the Sixth Man of the Year Award. They would win their 16th championship and last for 22 years, defeating the Houston Rockets in 6 games in the NBA Finals.
Award winners:
Larry Bird, Associated Press Athlete of the Year
Larry Bird, NBA Most Valuable Player Award
Larry Bird, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award
Larry Bird, All-NBA First Team
Kevin McHale, All-NBA Defensive First Team
Dennis Johnson, All-NBA Defensive Second Team
Bill Walton, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Team Photo of 1985/86 Boston Celtics with Head Coach K.C Jones:
Key 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 82 805 557 166 51 2115 25.8
Kevin McHale 68 551 181 29 164 1448 21.3
Robert Parish 81 770 145 65 116 1305 16.1
Dennis Johnson 78 268 456 110 35 1213 15.6
Danny Ainge 80 235 405 94 7 855 10.7
Scott Wedman 79 192 82 38 22 634 8.0
Bill Walton 80 544 165 38 106 606 7.6
Jerry Sichting 82 104 188 50 0 537 6.5
Playoffs
The Celtics steamrolled through the Eastern Conference Playoffs, sweeping the Chicago Bulls 3-0 in the first round. The highlight of the first round was the second game which went into double-overtime. Matched up against a superior Celtics team, Michael Jordan exploded for 63 points at the Boston Garden and nearly lead his team to a stunning upset. The Celtics won the game 135-131, and won the series two days later in Chicago.
Boston proceeded by besting the young Atlanta Hawks four games to one in the semifinals. The series was highlighted by a game 5 blow-out. The final score was 132-99, and featured the Celtics hammering the Hawks in the third quarter by a score of 36-6.
The Eastern Conference Finals matched the Celtics up against the Milwaukee Bucks and head coach Don Nelson. Nelson was a former Celtic player who enraged the Celtics in the 1983 NBA Playoffs by accusing Celtic guard Danny Ainge of "dirty" play. The Celtics ended up sweeping the Bucks.
NBA finals
Game Date Home Team Result Road Team
Game 1 May 26 Boston 112-100 Houston
Game 2 May 29 Boston 117-95 Houston
Game 3 June 1 Houston 106-104 Boston
Game 4 June 3 Houston 103-106 Boston
Game 5 June 5 Houston 111-96 Boston
Game 6 June 8 Boston 114-97 Houston
Boston beats Houston 4-2 to win their 16th and last until the 2007/2008 season NBA Title.
The Finals
The Larry Bird led Celtics would defeat the Rockets again 4 games to 2 in the 1986 NBA Finals. The Celtics dominated the first two games at the Boston Garden, where they had gone 40-1 during the regular season. The Rockets had been almost as good at home during the season, and they defeated the Celtics 106-104 in game three. Game 4 would be a tense battle at the Summit and the Celtics prevailed 106-103, with Bill Walton coming off the bench to spell a tired Robert Parish to score a crucial basket.
The infamous fifth game featured the signature moment of the series, when 7'4" Ralph Sampson ignited a brawl with Jerry Sichting, a player 15 inches (380 mm) shorter than he, ultimately leading to Sampson's ejection. While Jim Petersen would lead the Rockets to a decisive victory, Sampson's actions would motivate the Celtics to end the series in six. Bird would dismantle the Rockets in game 6, as the Garden crowd booed every time Sampson touched the ball. The Celtics blew out the Rockets 114-97 in a game that wasn't as close as the score would indicate.
Bird was named the Finals' MVP for that year, averaging 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game for the series. It was the Celtics' 16th championship in 40 years and it was their last championship before winning their 17th NBA championship in 2008.
What a team that was...wil..
