1985–86 Boston Celtics season

NBA basketball team season (won NBA championship)

NBA professional basketball team season
1985–86 Boston Celtics season
NBA champions
Conference champions
Division champions
Head coachK. C. Jones
OwnersDon Gaston
Alan N. Cohen
Paul Dupee
ArenaBoston Garden
Hartford Civic Center
Results
Record67–15 (.817)
PlaceDivision: 1st (Atlantic)
Conference: 1st (Eastern)
Playoff finishNBA Champions
(Defeated Rockets 4–2)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
TelevisionWLVI
(Gil Santos, Bob Cousy)
SportsChannel New England
(Mike Gorman, Tom Heinsohn)
RadioWRKO
(Johnny Most, Glenn Ordway)
< 1984–85 1986–87 >

The 1985–86 Boston Celtics season was the 40th season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association (NBA). They finished with the best record in the league at 67–15, including a 40–1 record at home (37–1 at the Boston Garden, 3–0 at the Hartford Civic Center). Those 40 home wins set an NBA record which would only be matched by the San Antonio Spurs in 2016. Widely regarded among the greatest teams in NBA history, their 67 total wins were one win shy of tying their franchise record of 68 wins set in 1972–73, and tied for fifth all-time

Larry Bird won his third consecutive MVP award and Bill Walton won the Sixth Man of the Year Award. The team was anchored by the "Big Three" frontcourt of Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, which is frequently ranked among the best frontcourts in NBA history.

In the playoffs, the Celtics swept the Chicago Bulls in three games in the First Round, then defeated the Atlanta Hawks in five games in the Semi-finals, before sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks in four games in the Conference Finals to reach the NBA Finals for a third consecutive season. In the NBA Finals, the Celtics faced off against the Houston Rockets in a rematch of the 1981 NBA Finals, which the Celtics won in six games. The Celtics would go on to win their 16th championship and the last for 22 years, defeating the Houston Rockets in six games in the NBA Finals, and had won 82 combined regular season and playoff games, a record that stood until the Chicago Bulls racked up 87 combined wins en route to a title (the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors broke that record with 88 combined wins, although they infamously lost the finals).

NBA draft

The 1985 NBA draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA Draft of the "Lottery" era. The lottery was put into place so teams could not intentionally lose games to receive the number one pick.

Round Pick Player Position Nationality School/Club Team
1 20 Sam Vincent Guard  United States Michigan State
3 70 Andre Battle Guard  United States Loyola (IL)
4 93 Cliff Webber Forward  United States Liberty Baptist
5 116 Albert Butts Forward  United States La Salle
6 139 Ralph Lewis Guard  United States La Salle
7 162 Chris Remly  United States Rutgers

Season Synopsis

The Celtics were coming from a 6-game NBA Finals series against their arch-rival the Los Angeles Lakers. They ended with a record 63-19 during the regular season, a league-best record, earning home court advantage throughout the playoffs.

November

They started their 1985–86 season campaign with a 109-113 OT loss to the New Jersey Nets, despite a near quadruple-double performance from Larry Bird who recorded 21 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 steals for the Celtics.[1] The next day, Kevin McHale's 26 points and 15 rebounds led the Celtics towards a 105-100 road win over the Cavaliers.[2] Four days later, the Celtics defeated the visiting Bucks, 117–106, with Bird, McHale, Parish and Johnson, all scoring at least 20 points.[3] They ended the month of November with a 2–1 record.

Regular season

  • Under head coach K. C. Jones, the 1985–86 Boston Celtics finished the regular season with a record of 67–15. This team is generally considered to be the best of Larry Bird's career. In addition to longtime Celtics Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, the franchise was joined on the front line by former NBA MVP Bill Walton. Despite a career plagued by a series of serious injuries to his knees, ankles and feet, Walton would win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. Walton had missed essentially the past two seasons and the Los Angeles Clippers put him on the trade bloc as his contract ran out. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Celtics were both interested, but the Lakers wanted Walton to be cleared by their team doctor before making any trade. The Celtics, on the other hand, were willing to trade former Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell for Walton-based solely on his word that he felt he was healthy enough to play. Walton appeared in a career high 80 games. The backcourt was led by the MVP of the 1979 NBA Finals, defensive stopper Dennis Johnson, and former Toronto Blue Jays baseball player, shooting guard Danny Ainge. Off the bench, the Celtics featured former All-Star Scott Wedman and recent acquisition (from the Indiana Pacers) Jerry Sichting.

Season standings

  • v
  • t
  • e
 W L PCT GB Home Road Div
y-Boston Celtics 67 15 .817 – 40–1 27–14 18–6
x-Philadelphia 76ers 54 28 .659 13 31–10 23–18 15–9
x-Washington Bullets 39 43 .476 28 26–15 13–28 11–13
x-New Jersey Nets 39 43 .476 28 26–15 13–28 11–13
New York Knicks 23 59 .280 44 15–26 8–33 5–19
#
Eastern Conference
  • v
  • t
  • e
Team W L PCT GB
1 z-Boston Celtics 67 15 .817 –
2 y-Milwaukee Bucks 57 25 .695 10
3 x-Philadelphia 76ers 54 28 .659 13
4 x-Atlanta Hawks 50 32 .610 17
5 x-Detroit Pistons 46 36 .561 21
6 x-Washington Bullets 39 43 .476 28
7 x-New Jersey Nets 39 43 .476 28
8 x-Chicago Bulls 30 52 .366 37
9 Cleveland Cavaliers 29 53 .354 38
10 Indiana Pacers 26 56 .317 41
11 New York Knicks 23 59 .280 44

Record vs. opponents

1985-86 NBA Records
Team ATL BOS CHI CLE DAL DEN DET GSW HOU IND LAC LAL MIL NJN NYK PHI PHO POR SAC SAS SEA UTA WAS
Atlanta – 0–6 5–1 4–2 1–1 1–1 4–2 1–1 1–1 5–1 2–0 1–1 3–3 4–2 5–1 4–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–4
Boston 6–0 – 5–1 5–1 1–1 1–1 4–1 2–0 2–0 5–1 2–0 2–0 5–0 4–2 5–1 4–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 5–1
Chicago 1–5 1–5 – 3–3 0–2 2–0 2–4 2–0 1–1 3–3 1–1 0–2 1–5 2–3 4–2 1–5 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–4
Cleveland 2–4 1–5 3–3 – 1–1 1–1 1–5 0–2 0–2 3–2 1–1 1–1 1–5 3–3 4–1 0–6 2–0 0–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–5
Dallas 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 – 3–3 0–2 4–1 1–5 2–0 2–3 1–4 0–2 2–0 1–1 0–2 5–0 2–3 3–3 4–2 3–2 5–1 1–1
Denver 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 3–3 – 1–1 3–2 3–3 2–0 4–1 3–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 4–1 3–2 3–3 3–3 2–3 3–3 2–0
Detroit 2–4 1–4 4–2 5–1 2–0 1–1 – 1–1 1–1 5–1 2–0 1–1 2–4 4–2 4–1 2–4 0–2 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 4–2
Golden State 1–1 0–2 0–2 2–0 1–4 2–3 1–1 – 0–5 1–1 5–1 2–4 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–4 1–5 2–3 2–3 2–4 2–3 1–1
Houston 1–1 0–2 1–1 2–0 5–1 3–3 1–1 5–0 – 2–0 3–2 1–4 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–2 3–2 4–2 5–1 3–2 3–3 2–0
Indiana 1–5 1–5 3–3 2–3 0–2 0–2 1–5 1–1 0–2 – 2–0 0–2 2–4 2–3 2–4 0–6 1–1 0–2 0–2 1–1 2–0 0–2 5–1
L.A. Clippers 0–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 3–2 1–4 0–2 1–5 2–3 0–2 – 2–4 1–1 2–0 2–0 0–2 2–4 2–4 5–0 1–4 3–3 3–2 0–2
L.A. Lakers 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 4–1 2–3 1–1 4–2 4–1 2–0 4–2 – 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 5–1 6–0 5–0 4–1 4–2 5–0 2–0
Milwaukee 3–3 0–5 5–1 5–1 2–0 0–2 4–2 2–0 2–0 4–2 1–1 0–2 – 4–2 6–0 4–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–0 4–2
New Jersey 2–4 2–4 3–2 3–3 0–2 1–1 2–4 1–1 1–1 3–2 0–2 1–1 2–4 – 5–1 2–4 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 0–2 2–0 2–4
New York 1–5 1–5 2–4 1–4 1–1 1–1 1–4 1–1 0–2 4–2 0–2 1–1 0–6 1–5 – 0–6 2–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 3–3
Philadelphia 1–4 2–4 5–1 6–0 2–0 1–1 4–2 1–1 1–1 6–0 2–0 0–2 1–4 4–2 6–0 – 2–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–3
Phoenix 0–2 1–1 1–1 0–2 0–5 1–4 2–0 4–2 2–3 1–1 4–2 1–5 1–1 0–2 0–2 0–2 – 2–4 2–3 3–2 5–1 1–4 1–1
Portland 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 3–2 2–3 1–1 5–1 2–3 2–0 4–2 0–6 0–2 0–2 2–0 0–2 4–2 – 3–2 1–4 5–1 2–3 0–2
Sacramento 0–2 1–1 2–0 0–2 3–3 3–3 2–0 3–2 2–4 2–0 0–5 0–5 0–2 0–2 1–1 0–2 3–2 2–3 – 5–1 5–0 2–4 1–1
San Antonio 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–4 3–3 1–1 3–2 1–5 1–1 4–1 1–4 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–3 4–1 1–5 – 2–3 2–4 2–0
Seattle 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–3 3–2 0–2 4–2 2–3 0–2 3–3 2–4 0–2 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–5 1–5 0–5 3–2 – 2–3 1–1
Utah 2–0 0–2 1–1 2–0 1–5 3–3 1–1 3–2 3–3 2–0 2–3 0–5 0–2 0–2 2–0 1–1 4–1 3–2 4–2 4–2 3–2 – 1–1
Washington 4–1 1–5 4–1 5–1 1–1 0–2 2–4 1–1 0–2 1–5 2–0 0–2 2–4 4–2 3–3 3–3 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 —

Game log

1985–86 game log
Total: 67–15 (Home: 40–1; Road: 27–14)
October: 2–1 (home: 1–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 October 25, 1985 @ New Jersey L 109–113 (OT) Bird (21) Bird (12) Bird (10) Brendan Byrne Arena
13,095 		0–1
2 October 26, 1985 @ Cleveland W 105–100 McHale (21) McHale (15) Johnson (5) Richfield Coliseum
20,900 		1–1
3 October 30, 1985
7:30 p.m. EST 		Milwaukee W 117–106 McHale (25) Parish (13) Ainge,
Bird (5) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		2–1
November: 13–1 (home: 8–0; road: 5–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
4 November 1, 1985 Atlanta W 109–105 Bird (25) McHale (10) Johnson (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		3–1
5 November 2, 1985 @ Washington W 88–73 Ainge (20) Parish (10) Bird (8) Capital Centre
17,488 		4–1
6 November 8, 1985 Phoenix W 125–101 Parish (25) Parish (10) Bird (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		5–1
7 November 9, 1985 @ Detroit W 124–105 Bird (29) McHale (11) Johnson (7) Pontiac Silverdome
25,148 		6–1
8 November 13, 1985 Indiana W 118–114 Johnson (30) Bird (15) Bird (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		7–1
9 November 15, 1985 Washington W 118–114 Ainge (24) Bird (11) Ainge (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		8–1
10 November 16, 1985 @ Indiana L 109–111 Bird (33) Parish (10) Ainge (7) Market Square Arena
16,904 		8–2
11 November 20, 1985 Utah W 115–106 (OT) Bird (27) Parish (17) Ainge (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		9–2
12 November 22, 1985 Philadelphia W 110–103 McHale (32) Parish (12) Bird (6) Boston Garden
14,890 		10–2
13 November 23, 1985 @ New York W 113–104 Parish (27) Parish (12) Bird (10) Madison Square Garden
19,591 		11–2
14 November 26, 1985 @ Philadelphia W 98–91 Parish (22) McHale (13) Bird (11) The Spectrum
17,921 		12–2
15 November 27, 1985 Detroit W 132–124 Bird (47) Bird (12) Ainge,
Johnson (5) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		13–2
16 November 29, 1985 New York W 94–88 Bird (31) Bird (15) Johnson (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		14–2
17 November 30, 1985 @ Atlanta W 102–97 Bird (28) McHale (8) Johnson (8) The Omni
13,101 		15–2
December: 8–5 (home: 4–1; road: 4–4)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
18 December 3, 1985
8:30 p.m. EST 		@ Milwaukee W 112–109 McHale (29) McHale (10) Ainge (6) MECCA Arena
11,052 		16–2
19 December 4, 1985 @ New Jersey W 130–111 Johnson (23) Walton (13) Ainge,
Bird,
McHale (5) 		Brendan Byrne Arena
15,169 		17–2
20 December 6, 1985 Portland L 103–121 Bird (20) Bird (11) Ainge (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		17–3
21 December 10, 1985 Atlanta
(at Hartford, Connecticut) 		W 114–110 McHale,
Parish (24) 		Parish (10) Johnson (9) Hartford Civic Center
14,493 		18–3
22 December 11, 1985 Sacramento W 118–101 Bird (24) Bird (7) Ainge,
Bird (5) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		19–3
23 December 14, 1985 @ Cleveland L 99–109 Bird (31) McHale (12) Ainge (9) Richfield Coliseum
15,349 		19–4
24 December 15, 1985 Chicago W 109–104 Bird (34) Parish (15) Ainge (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		20–4
25 December 17, 1985 @ Chicago L 108–116 Johnson (25) Parish (15) Johnson (8) Chicago Stadium
13,786 		20–5
26 December 18, 1985 Dallas W 137–117 Bird (35) McHale (10) Ainge (13) Boston Garden
14,890 		21–5
27 December 21, 1985 @ Philadelphia L 102–108 McHale (34) McHale (10) Ainge (9) The Spectrum
17,941 		21–6
28 December 25, 1985 @ New York L 104–113 (2OT) McHale (29) Parish (18) Ainge (8) Madison Square Garden
17,480 		21–7
29 December 28, 1985 @ Utah W 110–108 Bird,
McHale (24) 		Parish (10) Bird (8) Salt Palace
12,702 		22–7
30 December 30, 1985 @ L.A. Clippers W 125–103 McHale (22) McHale (18) Bird (8) Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
14,977 		23–7
January: 12–1 (home: 7–0; road: 5–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
31 January 2, 1986 @ Indiana W 122–104 Johnson (29) Bird (13) Bird (8) Market Square Arena
14,974 		24–7
32 January 3, 1986 New Jersey W 129–117 Bird (29) Bird (10) Johnson (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		25–7
33 January 7, 1986 @ Detroit L 109–113 McHale (29) Bird (12) Bird (8) Pontiac Silverdome
17,421 		25–8
34 January 8, 1986 Cleveland W 126–95 Bird (25) McHale (13) Bird (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		26–8
35 January 10, 1986 Atlanta W 115–108 Bird (29) Parish (15) Johnson (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		27–8
36 January 15, 1986 Denver W 123–100 McHale (33) Bird (14) Bird (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		28–8
37 January 17, 1986 @ Indiana W 123–105 McHale (28) Bird (9) Bird (8) Market Square Arena
16,904 		29–8
38 January 18, 1986 @ Atlanta W 125–122 (OT) Bird (41) McHale (12) Ainge (12) The Omni
16,522 		30–8
39 January 22, 1986
8:00 p.m. EST 		L.A. Lakers W 110–95 Johnson (22) Bird (12) Ainge (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		31–8
40 January 24, 1986 Golden State W 135–114 Bird (25) Wedman (13) Johnson (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		32–8
41 January 26, 1986 Philadelphia W 105–103 Bird (28) Bird (14) Bird (6) Boston Garden
14,890 		33–8
42 January 30, 1986 @ Chicago W 101–91 Bird (26) Parish (16) Johnson (8) Chicago Stadium
15,207 		34–8
43 January 31, 1986 @ Washington W 97–88 Wedman (24) Parish (14) Ainge (9) Capital Centre
19,123 		35–8
February: 11–3 (home: 5–0; road: 6–3)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
44 February 2, 1986 Seattle W 114–101 Johnson (24) Bird (11) Johnson (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		36–8
45 February 4, 1986
8:30 p.m. EST 		@ Milwaukee W 112–93 Bird (24) Bird (9) Johnson (8) MECCA Arena
11,052 		37–8
46 February 5, 1986 Washington W 103–88 Bird (26) Walton (17) Bird,
Johnson (6) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		38–8
All-Star Break
47 February 11, 1986 @ Sacramento L 100–105 Bird (29) Parish (15) Johnson (5) ARCO Arena
10,333 		38–9
48 February 13, 1986 @ Seattle W 107–98 Bird (31) Bird (15) Bird (11) Seattle Center Coliseum
14,230 		39–9
49 February 14, 1986 @ Portland W 120–119 (OT) Bird (47) Bird (14) Ainge (12) Memorial Coliseum
12,666 		40–9
50 February 16, 1986
3:30 p.m. EST 		@ L.A. Lakers W 105–99 Johnson (23) Bird (18) Bird (7) The Forum
17,505 		41–9
51 February 17, 1986 @ Phoenix L 101–108 Johnson (24) Parish (11) Bird,
Carlisle,
Johnson (3) 		Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
14,519 		41–10
52 February 19, 1986 @ Golden State W 115–100 Bird (36) Parish (13) Bird (11) Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
15,011 		42–10
53 February 20, 1986 @ Denver L 100–102 Bird (27) Bird (16) Ainge (8) McNichols Sports Arena
17,022 		42–11
54 February 23, 1986 Indiana
(at Hartford, Connecticut) 		W 113–98 Bird (30) Parish (15) Bird (12) Hartford Civic Center
15,124 		43–11
55 February 25, 1986 @ New York W 91–74 Bird (24) Bird (18) Bird (13) Madison Square Garden
18,329 		44–11
56 February 26, 1986 San Antonio W 120–100 Parish (27) Parish (10) Bird (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		45–11
57 February 28, 1986 L.A. Clippers W 124–108 Parish (26) Bird (13) Bird (12) Boston Garden
14,890 		46–11
March: 15–2 (home: 11–0; road: 4–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
58 March 2, 1986 Detroit W 129–109 Bird (35) Bird (9) Johnson (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		47–11
59 March 4, 1986 @ Chicago W 106–94 McHale (23) Parish (11) Johnson (8) Chicago Stadium
14,172 		48–11
60 March 5, 1986 Chicago W 108–97 Bird (26) Parish (15) Ainge (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		49–11
61 March 7, 1986 New York W 115–108 McHale (20) Walton (12) Ainge,
Bird (8) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		50–11
62 March 8, 1986 @ Washington L 108–110 (OT) Bird (24) Parish (25) Bird (8) Capital Centre
19,123 		50–12
63 March 10, 1986 @ Dallas L 115–116 Bird (50) Parish (16) Johnson (6) Reunion Arena
17,007 		50–13
64 March 11, 1986
8:30 p.m. EST 		@ Houston W 116–104 Bird (31) Walton (16) Bird (10) The Summit
16,016 		51–13
65 March 13, 1986 @ San Antonio W 135–119 Bird (33) Bird (11) Johnson (7) HemisFair Arena
14,180 		52–13
66 March 14, 1986 @ Atlanta W 121–114 Bird (26) McHale (12) Johnson (9) The Omni
16,522 		53–13
67 March 16, 1986 Philadelphia W 118–101 Bird (36) Bird (14) Johnson (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		54–13
68 March 18, 1986 Cleveland
(at Hartford, Connecticut) 		W 126–96 Bird (43) Parish (12) Johnson (11) Hartford Civic Center
15,134 		55–13
69 March 19, 1986 Indiana W 127–108 Parish (28) Parish (17) Johnson (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		56–13
70 March 21, 1986 Chicago W 126–105 Bird (32) Parish (14) Johnson (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		57–13
71 March 24, 1986
8:00 p.m. EST 		Houston W 114–107 Bird (36) Johnson,
McHale,
Parish (8) 		Johnson (12) Boston Garden
14,890 		58–13
72 March 26, 1986
7:30 p.m. EST 		Milwaukee W 121–115 Bird (35) Bird (12) Bird,
Johnson (6) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		59–13
73 March 28, 1986 Washington W 116–97 Bird (27) Bird,
Walton (12) 		Johnson (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		60–13
74 March 30, 1986 New Jersey W 122–117 Bird (40) Parish (14) Johnson (10) Boston Garden
14,890 		61–13
April: 6–2 (home: 4–0; road: 2–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
75 April 1, 1986 @ Cleveland W 123–105 Johnson (21) Walton (11) Johnson (7) Richfield Coliseum
17,495 		62–13
76 April 2, 1986 Detroit W 122–106 Parish (30) Parish (18) Bird (13) Boston Garden
14,890 		63–13
77 April 4, 1986 New York W 119–98 McHale (25) McHale (11) Bird (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		64–13
78 April 6, 1986 @ Philadelphia L 94–95 Johnson (22) Parish (11) Bird (10) The Spectrum
17,941 		64–14
79 April 8, 1986
8:30 p.m. EST 		@ Milwaukee W 126–114 Walton (22) Bird (14) Bird (7) MECCA Arena
11,052 		65–14
80 April 9, 1986 @ New Jersey L 98–108 McHale (18) Bird (10) McHale (8) Brendan Byrne Arena
18,092 		65–15
81 April 11, 1986 Cleveland W 117–104 McHale (30) Parish (9) Bird (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		66–15
82 April 13, 1986 New Jersey W 135–107 Bird (26) Parish (13) Ainge,
Johnson (4) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		67–15
1985–86 schedule

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 29 134 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
David Thirdkill 49 70 15 11 3 163 3.3
Sam Vincent 57 48 69 17 4 184 3.2
Sly Williams 6 15 2 1 1 17 2.8
Rick Carlisle 77 77 104 19 4 199 2.6
Greg Kite 64 128 17 3 28 83 1.3

Playoffs

1986 playoff game log
Eastern Conference First Round: 3–0 (home: 2–0; road: 1–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 17, 1986 Chicago W 123–104 Bird (30) McHale,
Parish (10) 		Bird (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		1–0
2 April 20, 1986 Chicago W 135–131 (2OT) Bird (36) McHale,
Walton (15) 		Bird,
Johnson (8) 		Boston Garden
14,890 		2–0
3 April 22, 1986 @ Chicago W 122–104 McHale (31) Walton (9) Bird (8) Chicago Stadium
18,968 		3–0
Eastern Conference Semifinals: 4–1 (home: 3–0; road: 1–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 April 27, 1986
1:00 p.m. EDT 		Atlanta W 103–91 McHale (24) Bird (12) Johnson (14) Boston Garden
14,890 		1–0
2 April 29, 1986
8:30 p.m. EDT 		Atlanta W 119–108 Bird (36) McHale (9) Johnson (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		2–0
3 May 2, 1986
7:30 p.m. EDT 		@ Atlanta W 111–107 Bird (28) Parish (14) Bird (12) The Omni
12,357 		3–0
4 May 4, 1986
1:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Atlanta L 94–106 McHale (26) McHale (12) Bird (5) The Omni
12,357 		3–1
5 May 6, 1986
7:30 p.m. EDT 		Atlanta W 132–99 Bird (36) Parish (13) Johnson (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		4–1
Eastern Conference Finals: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 May 13, 1986
8:00 p.m. EDT 		Milwaukee W 128–96 Bird (26) Ainge (10) Sichting (8) Boston Garden
14,890 		1–0
2 May 15, 1986
8:00 p.m. EDT 		Milwaukee W 122–111 Bird (26) Parish (9) Bird (9) Boston Garden
14,890 		2–0
3 May 17, 1986
2:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Milwaukee W 111–107 McHale (29) Bird (16) Bird (13) MECCA Arena
11,052 		3–0
4 May 18, 1986
3:30 p.m. EDT 		@ Milwaukee W 111–98 Bird (30) McHale (11) Ainge,
Bird (5) 		MECCA Arena
11,052 		4–0
NBA Finals: 4–2 (home: 3–0; road: 1–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 May 26, 1986
3:00 p.m. EDT 		Houston W 112–100 Parish (23) Johnson (11) Birs (13) Boston Garden
14,890 		1–0
2 May 29, 1986
9:00 p.m. EDT 		Houston W 117–95 Bird (31) Bird (8) Bird (7) Boston Garden
14,890 		2–0
3 June 1, 1986
3:30 p.m. EDT 		@ Houston L 104–106 McHale (28) Bird (15) Bird (11) The Summit
16,016 		2–1
4 June 3, 1986
9:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Houston W 106–103 Parish (22) Parish (15) Bird (10) The Summit
16,016 		3–1
5 June 5, 1986
9:00 p.m. EDT 		@ Houston L 96–111 McHale (33) McHale (8) Ainge (5) The Summit
16,016 		3–2
6 June 8, 1986
1:00 p.m. EDT 		Houston W 114–97 Bird (29) Bird (11) Bird (12) Boston Garden
14,890 		4–2
1986 schedule

Following the conclusion of the 1986 NBA Finals, a video documentary of the 1986 NBA season, known as Sweet Sixteen, was released.[4] David Perry was the narrator after Dick Stockton had narrated the last three NBA season documentaries.

Roster

1985–86 Boston Celtics roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
SG 44 Ainge, Danny 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1959-03-17 BYU
SF 33 Bird, Larry (C) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1956-12-07 Indiana State
SG 34 Carlisle, Rick 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1959-10-27 Virginia
PG 3 Johnson, Dennis 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1954-09-18 Pepperdine
C 50 Kite, Greg 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1961-08-05 BYU
PF 32 McHale, Kevin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1957-12-19 Minnesota
C 00 Parish, Robert 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1953-08-30 Centenary
PG 12 Sichting, Jerry 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 168 lb (76 kg) 1956-11-29 Purdue
SF 45 Thirdkill, David 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1960-04-12 Bradley
PG 11 Vincent, Sam 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1963-05-18 Michigan State
C 5 Walton, Bill 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1952-11-05 UCLA
SF 8 Wedman, Scott 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1952-07-29 Colorado
SG 35 Williams, Sly 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1958-01-26 Rhode Island
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster
Last transaction: {{{access-date}}}

Award winners

References

  1. ^ "Boston Celtics at New Jersey Nets Box Score, October 25, 1985". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  2. ^ "Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers Box Score, October 26, 1985". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics Box Score, October 30, 1985". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "Sweet Sixteen" documentary on YouTube
  • Celtics on Database Basketball
  • Celtics on Basketball Reference
  • NBA documentary about the 1985–86 Boston Celtics on YouTube
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