1985–86 Boston Celtics season

The 1985–86 Boston Celtics season was the 40th season of the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. They finished with the best record in the league at 67–15, including a 40–1 record at home. Those 40 home wins set an NBA record which would only be matched by the San Antonio Spurs in 2016. Arguably considered the best Celtics team ever, and 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 1973, 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 [1985-86 1995–96 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago Bulls season|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, winning every home game in the playoffs. 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 in 1996. HoopsHype later ranked this squad as the team with the 17th easiest path to the NBA Finals in 2024 due to the 30–52 record of their first round opponent, the Chicago Bulls.

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

Sam Vincent

Guard

United States

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.

October/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. The next day, Kevin McHale's 26 points and 15 rebounds led the Celtics towards a 105–100 road win over the Cavaliers. Four days later, the Celtics defeated the visiting Bucks, 117–106, with Bird, McHale, Parish and Johnson, all scoring at least 20 points. They ended the month of October with a 2–1 record, and were 15-2 at the end of November.

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 Jerry Sichting.

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

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

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
Larry Bird, NBA 3-Point Shootout champion
Larry Bird, three-point field goal leader