# 1986–87 National Basketball League season

The 1986–87 Carlsberg National Basketball League season was the fifteenth and last season of the National Basketball League formed in 1972.
The league was sponsored by Carlsberg for the third consecutive year. Portsmouth won the first division league title, Kingston Kings claimed the Play Off's & Crystal Palace lifted the National Cup for the seventh time in their history. Team Walsall (formerly Team Sandwell) won the second division. This would be the last National League season because the top English and Scottish teams would breakaway and form the British Basketball League.

## Team changes

The first division was reduced to thirteen teams following two mergers. Manchester United and Manchester Giants merged at the end of April 1986 and agreed to take the name Manchester United and play in Stretford. The second merger came four months later at the beginning of September 1986 when Crystal Palace and Brunel Uxbridge & Camden Ducks joined forces with fixtures being split between the Crystal Palace Sports Centre and Brunel University. In between the two mergers the Nissan Worthing Bears and Tyneside Basketball Club both folded. The EBBA admitted two new teams in the form of Calderdale Explorers and Derby Rams from the second division.

## Carlsberg League standings
### First Division

| Pos | Team | P | W | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | HFS Portsmouth | 24 | 21 | 3 | 2393 | 2089 | 42 |
| 2 | Team Polycell Kingston Kings | 24 | 21 | 3 | 2530 | 2158 | 42 |
| 3 | Sharp Manchester United | 24 | 19 | 5 | 2282 | 2010 | 38 |
| 4 | Brunel Crystal Palace London | 24 | 17 | 7 | 2311 | 2151 | 34 |
| 5 | Leicester Riders | 24 | 16 | 8 | 2438 | 2340 | 32 |
| 6 | Happy Eater Bracknell Pirates | 24 | 11 | 13 | 2264 | 2303 | 22 |
| 7 | Calderdale Explorers | 24 | 10 | 14 | 2180 | 2216 | 20 |
| 8 | Alphaprint Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals | 23 | 8 | 15 | 2281 | 2341 | 16 |
| 9 | Birmingham Bullets | 24 | 8 | 16 | 2167 | 2227 | 16 |
| 10 | Reg Vardy Sunderland 76'ers | 24 | 7 | 17 | 2246 | 2448 | 14 |
| 11 | Draper Tools Solent Stars | 24 | 7 | 17 | 2245 | 2431 | 14 |
| 12 | Home Spare Bolton & Bury Hawks * | 23 | 6 | 17 | 1944 | 2199 | 11 |
| 13 | BPCC Derby Rams | 24 | 4 | 20 | 2056 | 2424 | 8 |
* Hemel v Bolton fixture not played and Bolton were deducted one point

### Second Division

| Pos | Team | P | W | L | F | A | Pts |
| 1 | Team Walsall | 18 | 15 | 3 | 1907 | 1647 | 30 |
| 2 | Oldham Celtics | 18 | 15 | 3 | 2071 | 1575 | 30 |
| 3 | Just Rentals Rhondda | 18 | 14 | 4 | 2205 | 1954 | 28 |
| 4 | CBS Centurions Colchester | 18 | 12 | 6 | 1721 | 1705 | 24 |
| 5 | Lambeth TopCats | 18 | 11 | 7 | 1689 | 1622 | 22 |
| 6 | TF Group Cleveland Comets | 18 | 10 | 8 | 1793 | 1828 | 20 |
| 7 | Tower Hamlets | 18 | 5 | 13 | 1670 | 1779 | 10 |
| 8 | Plymouth Raiders | 18 | 4 | 14 | 1731 | 1844 | 8 |
| 9 | Swindon Rakers | 18 | 3 | 15 | 1555 | 2010 | 6 |
| 10 | Ellesmere Port Jets | 18 | 1 | 17 | 1610 | 1988 | 2 |

## Carlsberg playoffs
### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
| Portsmouth | Hemel Hempstead Watford Royal | 2-0 |
| Kingston Kings | Calderdale Explorers | 2-1 |
| Manchester United | Bracknell Pirates | 2-1 |
| Brunel Crystal Palace London | Leicester Riders | 2-1 |

### Semi-finals

| venue & date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
| Apr 03, Wembley Arena | Portsmouth | Brunel Crystal Palace London | 102-106 |
| Apr 03, Wembley Arena | Kingston Kings | Manchester United | 111-80 |

### Third Place

| venue & date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
| Apr 04, Wembley Arena | Portsmouth | Manchester United | 99-89 |

### Final

* 4 April 1987
| BCP London | 96–82 | Kingston Kings |
| Pts: Julio Politi (MVP) 28, Dale Roberts 22, Brian Kellybrew 17, Mickey Bett 16, Paul Stimpson 12 | | Pts: Danny Davis 18, Martin Clark 15, Steve Bontrager 13, Colin McNish 12, Kenny Scott 11, Doug Lloyd 11 |
* Wembley Arena Attendance: ? BCP London Coach David Last Kingston Coach Kevin Cadle

## Prudential National Cup
### Second round

| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
| Derby Rams | Brunel Crystal Palace | 73-90 |
| Tower Hamlets | Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals | 95-117 |
| Oldham Celtics | Calderdale Explorers | 95-115 |
| Portsmouth | Lambeth Topcats | 121-81 |
| Plymouth Raiders | Solent Stars | |
| Bracknell Pirates | | |
| Manchester United | Leicester Riders | 113-111 |
| Kingston Kings | TF Group Cleveland | 122-64 |

### Quarter-finals

| Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
| Hemel Hempstead Watford Royals | Portsmouth | 99-127 |
| Brunel Crystal Palace | Calderdale Explorers | 81-94 |
| Solent Stars | Manchester United | 85-88 |
| Kingston Kings | Bracknell Pirates | 113-102 |

### Semi-finals

| Venue & Date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Score |
| Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Nov 30 | Calderdale Explorers | Portsmouth | 77-81 |
| Aston Villa Leisure Centre, Nov 30 | Kingston Kings | Manchester United | 95-86 |

### Final

* Live Channel 4
* 15 December 1986
| Kingston Kings | 95–87 | Portsmouth |
| Pts: Danny Davis 21, Colin McNish 20, Doug Lloyd 14, Kenny Scott 14, Steve Bontrager 14, Martin Clark 10 | | Pts: Alan Cunningham 20, Danny Williams 18, Mike Spaid 16 Karl Tatham 14, Joel Moore 13, Steve Nelson 4 |
* Royal Albert Hall, London Attendance: 4,500 Kingston Coach Kevin Cadle Portsmouth Coach Dan Lloyd

## British Masters Cup

* 31 March 1987
| Kingston Kings | 103–82 | Murray International Metals Livingston |
| Pts: Steve Bontrager 26, Kenny Scott 20, Martin Clark 17, Danny Davis 16, Andy Innell 12, Doug Lloyd 8, Colin McNish 4 | | Pts: Sam Foggin 21, Ralton Way 20, Graeme Hill 15, Lewis Young 12, Bobby Archibald 10, Derek Frame 4 |
* Aston Villa Leisure Centre Attendance: ? Kingston Coach Kevin Cadle Livingston Coach ?