The 1986 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1985-86 NBA season. It pitted the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics against the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets. The Celtics defeated the Rockets four games to two to win their 16th NBA championship. The championship would be the Celtics' last until the 2008 NBA Finals. Larry Bird was named the Finals MVP.

On another note, this series marked the first time the "NBA Finals" branding was used, as they dropped the "NBA World Championship" branding which had been in use since the beginning of the league.

Until the 2011 series, this was the last time the NBA Finals had started before June. Since game three, all NBA Finals games have been played in June. Starting with the following year, the NBA Finals would be held exclusively in the month of June. It was also the last NBA Finals series to schedule a game on a Monday until 1999 and also the last NBA Final to be played on Memorial Day.

CBS Sports used Dick Stockton and Tom Heinsohn as the play-by-play man and color commentator respectively. Meanwhile, Brent Musburger was the host and Pat O'Brien (the Rockets' sideline) and Lesley Visser (the Celtics' sideline) were the sideline reporters.

Background

Boston Celtics

The 1986 Boston Celtics team, which finished the regular season 67 15, is generally considered to be the best of Larry Bird's career. Under head coach K.C. Jones, the 1986 Celtics were certainly the deepest team of Bird's career. In addition to longtime teammates Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, Bird 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 chiefly his feet, Walton would win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award in 1986, appearing in a career-high 80 games. The backcourt was almost equally talented, led by defensive stopper Dennis Johnson and shooting guard Danny Ainge. Off the bench, the Celtics featured former All-Star Scott Wedman and recent acquisition (from the Indiana Pacers) Jerry Sichting.

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 undoubtedly the Celtics double-overtime game 2. Matched up against a far superior Celtics team, Michael Jordan scored 63 points at the Boston Garden and nearly led his team to an upset. The Celtics prevailed 135 131, and finished the series off two days later in Chicago. Then Boston defeated the young Atlanta Hawks four games to one in the semifinals, highlighted by a game 5 blowout (132 99), that 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, a former Celtic player who enraged the Celtics in the 1983 NBA Playoffs by accusing Celtic guard Danny Ainge of "dirty" play. The Celtics got their revenge, sweeping the Bucks easily. The Bucks and the Celtics met in the playoffs four times during the Larry Bird era (1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987), and Boston won three of four (Milwaukee swept Boston in the 1983 Playoffs).

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson, and head coach Bill Fitch, won the Western Conference Championship in five games over the Los Angeles Lakers. Houston was entering the NBA Finals for only the second time in their history. Their last appearance was in 1981 against their 1986 opponents, the Boston Celtics. The season took an unexpected turn when the Houston Rockets eliminated the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, four games to one. Los Angeles had reshuffled its team in the off-season by releasing Bob McAdoo and Jamaal Wilkes picking up veteran power forward Maurice Lucas in a trade, and rookie A. C. Green through the draft. The Lakers got off to a good start on their way to a 62-20 record, but complacency had begun to set in by playoff time as the Lakers blew out pretty much everyone they played. The Rockets, on the other hand, played with confidence and enthusiasm. With Bill Fitch as coach, they sported the original "Twin Towers," 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson at power forward and 7'0 Hakeem Olajuwon at center. Jim Petersen backed up the Twin Towers, while Robert Reid and Rodney McCray shared time at small forward. The guards included Mitchell Wiggins, Lewis Lloyd, Allen Leavell, and John Lucas before being suspended by the league for violating the leagues drug policy.

The Rockets claimed the Midwest Division title with a 51-31 record. They ousted the Sacramento Kings and the Denver Nuggets easily in the playoffs before losing the first game against the Lakers in the Forum, then coming back to sweep four straight.

Their fourth victory against Los Angeles came on a buzzer-beating, turnaround jumper by Sampson in the Forum. Houston had set up the final play with a mere second on the clock. Sampson caught the inbounds pass, whirled and released. The ball hit the rim, bounced high and fell through the basket, ending the Lakers season and sending the Rockets back to the NBA Finals.

Allen Leavell and Robert Reid were the only Rockets with Finals experience, having played in the 1981 Finals with the team.

How They Got Here

Regular season series

The Boston Celtics won both games in the regular season series:

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 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.

Series summary

Game 1

The "Twin Towers" Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon were saddled with foul trouble for much of the game. Sampson got three quick fouls just 4:45 into the game and scored only two points; Olajuwon picked up five fouls despite scoring 33, 25 of which came in the first half. The backcourt tandem of Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge provided the third quarter spurt for the Celtics, combining for 22 points, while Boston held Houston to just 17 points in an expected victory.

Game 2

The third quarter again proved decisive for the Celtics, outscoring the Rockets 34-19 in the quarter. Sampson and Olajuwon combined for 32 points in the first half, but only seven in the second. Larry Bird paced the Celtics with 31 points on 12-for-19 shooting, while Kevin McHale added 25 in another Boston rout. It was Boston's 40th consecutive victory at home, regular season and playoffs combined.

Game 3

The Rockets rallied from eight points down in the fourth quarter before escaping to a much-needed two-point win at home, despite another third quarter meltdown. Sampson and Olajuwon combined for 47 points and 30 rebounds, Robert Reid added 20, while reserve guard Mitchell Wiggins tipped in off an Olajuwon miss late in the fourth to put the Rockets ahead for good. The Celtics only managed one more shot in their final two possessions, a missed 5-footer by Robert Parish. Kevin McHale and Larry Bird both scored 28 points in the loss, but Bird was held to 3-for-12 shooting in the second half due to Reid's defense.

Game 4

Larry Bird's three-pointer with 2:26 remaining gave Boston the lead for good, while holding the Rockets to just one basket in the final four minutes, keyed by Kevin McHale's three forced turnovers on Houston's final three possessions. Robert Parish scored 22 while hauling 15 rebounds. Dennis Johnson also added 22, while Bird scored 21 and dished out 10 assists. Ralph Sampson led the Rockets with 25 points, while Hakeem Olajuwon, Robert Reid and Rodney McCray added 21, 19 and 17 respectively. The Rockets suffered their first home loss of the 1986 playoffs.

Game 5

The game was highlighted by Ralph Sampson's ejection early in the second quarter. With 9:40 remaining in the second, Sampson threw punches at the Celtics' reserve guard Jerry Sichting, 16 inches shorter than Sampson, leading to his ejection while the benches were cleared. The Rockets were leading 34-33 at the time of the brawl, and would lead by as many as 25 points in the second half to score a lopsided victory. Hakeem Olajuwon scored 32 points while blocking 8 shots. Though Kevin McHale scored 33, Larry Bird was held to only 17 points.

Game 6

In a masterful display of team basketball, Larry Bird notched a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists to pace a lopsided Boston win that clinched their 16th NBA championship. Kevin McHale added 29 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Hakeem Olajuwon paced the Rockets with 21 points and 10 rebounds, but Ralph Sampson was held to only eight points on 4-for-12 shooting, visibly distracted by an angry Boston Garden crowd in the aftermath of Game 5. The Celtics led by as much as 30 in the fourth to put away the Rockets.

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 narrated the last three NBA season documentaries.

This would be the city of Boston's last professional championship until 2002 when the New England Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVI. Had the Patriots and the Boston Red Sox won Super Bowl XX and the 1986 World Series, respectively (the Patriots lost 46-10 to the Chicago Bears, while the Red Sox lost in seven games to the New York Mets), it would've given Boston three championships in the same calendar year.

The closing song following Game 6 was "Whatever We Imagine" by James Ingram.

Aftermath

The Celtics would return to the NBA Finals in ; however they fell in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers. Until 2008 this was the Celtics' last NBA championship. In the 1987 season the Celtics extended their home winning streak to 48 games and went on to win 59 games, 39 of which came at either Boston Garden or Hartford Civic Center. The Celtics went the distance in the 1987 NBA Playoffs; save for a three-game sweep of the Chicago Bulls in the first round, they were pushed to a Game 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons before eventually returning to the NBA Finals. The Celtics faltered down the stretch due to injuries, fatigue and age.

As for the Rockets, their stay at the top of the Western Conference would only be temporary, as Ralph Sampson fell down with a knee injury that eventually curtailed his career. The Rockets would only win 42 games, and were bounced out of the playoffs' second round by the Seattle SuperSonics. The 'Twin Towers' were disbanded after Sampson was traded to the Golden State Warriors early in the 1987-88 NBA season. The Rockets would not return to the finals until their championship season of .

Team rosters

See also

• 1986 NBA Playoffs

External links

• NBA History

es:Finales de la NBA de 1986