# 1985–86 Boston Celtics season

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. 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 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 (with the Golden State Warriors later breaking that record in 2016 with 88 combined wins, including a 73–9 regular season record, although they infamously lost in the finals that season after leading the series 3–1). 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 |
| 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. 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 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

| Atlantic Divisionvte | 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 Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte | Eastern Conferencevte |
| # | 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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
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)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
May 26, 1986 3:00 p.m. EDT
Houston
W 112–100
Parish (23)
Johnson (11)
Bird (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. 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